Posts by GrreatTeacher

50

The NEW "Bible Teach" book

by Oubliette in

the new "bible teach" book is out!

thetruthbr has posted links for this and several other of the new publications.

as an educator, i am very interested in where the society is heading with their alleged "bible education" program.

The NEW "Bible Teach" book

by Oubliette in

the new "bible teach" book is out!

thetruthbr has posted links for this and several other of the new publications.

as an educator, i am very interested in where the society is heading with their alleged "bible education" program.

GrreatTeacher

Yes, Oubliette, even kindergarteners start being taught critical thinking. If I were reading this text, we would need to decide whether this is fiction or non-fiction. Easy enough.

Then we would need to discuss whether this fictional story is realistic fiction or fantasy. As the book continues, it becomes clear that this is fantasy because the animals talk to each other.

And that is a powerful thing to teach a 5 year old: whether something could be true or not. This is how critical thinking begins.

50

The NEW "Bible Teach" book

by Oubliette in

the new "bible teach" book is out!

thetruthbr has posted links for this and several other of the new publications.

as an educator, i am very interested in where the society is heading with their alleged "bible education" program.

So, I decided to use the readability index on a page from the children's picturebook entitled, "Stellaluna." It's the story of a baby fruit bat who loses her mother and is raised by birds. It's popular this time of year because of the bat - Halloween connection.

This is something I would read to kindergarteners or first graders. Keep in mind that they have the ability to access text that is read to them before they can actually read ( decode) the words. If I were teaching the text for decoding, this would be about 3rd grade level.

Here is one page that I typed into the readability calculator. Make a guess as to the reading level.

"One night, as Mother Bat followed the heavy scent of ripe fruit, an owl spied her. On silent wings the powerful bird swooped down upon the bats. Dodging and shrieking, Mother Bat tried to escape, but the owl struck again and again, knocking Stellaluna into the air. Her baby wings were as limp and useless as wet paper. Down, down she went, faster and faster, into the forest below."

Make a guess as to the grade level? Grade 6.0! I think these scores dramatically overestimate the difficulty of these texts! Just think, folks, this text from a children's picturebook has more difficult text than the Bible Teach book!

Interestingly, the one index that measured grade 3.2 and seems to be the most accurate to me is called the SMOG index. What does that stand for? The Standard Measure of Gobbledygook! Not kidding!

* source: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, 1993. Please see the book to find out whether Stellaluna and Mother Bat were ever reunited!

50

The NEW "Bible Teach" book

by Oubliette in

the new "bible teach" book is out!

thetruthbr has posted links for this and several other of the new publications.

as an educator, i am very interested in where the society is heading with their alleged "bible education" program.

GrreatTeacher

Thanks for the cool resource, Oubliette. I still think 5th grade reading level is a little optimistic. Reading for the 5th grade classes I have taught was more advanced than JW literature.

21

Using the internet can destroy your Faith.

by James Mixon in

that's the conclusion of a study showing that the dramatic drop in religious affiliation.

in the u.s since 1990 is closely mirrored by the increase in internet use.

of the u.s population had no religious preference.

GrreatTeacher

Excellent video. It's a good use of 15 minutes.

Essentially, if you can create such a widespread cultural belief in Santa Claus by children, that illustrates why children are the most ripe audience for teaching religion to.

The JWs need to drop the teaching that reserving childbearing for the new order is the most spiritual option if they want to survive. They should probably encourage childbearing to attempt to keep membership numbers up, although they lose two-thirds of their youth, too.

43

So sick of the abuse...

by iwasblind in

i am still serving as an elder but just hanging in there.

i think their quandry is that they don't see me out in the field, but when they need encouragement and decent prayer they come to me.. i just got off the phone to this poor sister who i have only met twice.

she is not even in my congregation (her sister is).

GrreatTeacher

I guess I just never realized that people really take their problems to elders. I want to ask, 'Who does that?' but I guess they are encouraged to.

Wouldn't most people just take those issues to a friend or a therapist? I would! I would never even think to go to the elders for that kind of support. I've never been an adult JW, though. I left at age 19.

Now, I'm babbling, but I truly don't understand the phenomenon.

124

My Mom Is Dying

by minimus in

jw
friends

i just wanted to say that my dear 89 year old mom is terminally ill and will soon pass.

she is on morphine and hanging on.

she has been a devout witness for about 60 years and a wonderful mother.

GrreatTeacher

Great news! I am so glad the antibiotics are working!

74

A call from family - Armageddon this month!

by kaik in

i very seldom receive a call from my jw siblings, i mean seldom.

i can count them on my hand in past 10 years.

while we talk about mom a lot and i am in touch with her, i was very surprised when i received this call.

GrreatTeacher

They harrassed you for 20 minutes on an international phone call? That must've been some mighty expensive witnessing!

Glad to hear your mom is getting her surgery. I know that you were worried that your siblings would talk her out of it.

39

Had you thought of feeling sorry for the G.B?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

i only bring this to the board, because a friend of mine once said he felt sorry for the footballers who made so much money.

that comment stayed with me, and over the years,the more i thought about that comment the more i agreed with him.. i admit the g.b destroy people's life's and are the sublimation of all that's good in people's life.

there only excuse is a fantazy asylum they claim to believe in.

GrreatTeacher

People who live counterfeit lives are to be pitied for their impoverished life experience.

This is not to say that I feel bad for them though. You made your bed and all that...

37

I'm a coward.

by cappytan in

jw
friends

since the move, it has been so enjoyable to not have jw's breathing down our necks asking why we didn't make the meeting, or having to pretend to be "spiritual" in front of family all the time.. 90% of my week is virtually stress free.

then, my mom calls or texts wanting to talk to her grandkids.

every dang call, she asks about the new congregation, if we went to the meeting, etc.. why can't i tell her to fk off?

GrreatTeacher

If your mother is truly narcissistic then that is a different beast altogether than just parents that are unhappy that you are no longer in the cult. Narcissists feel extreme entitlement to cross boundaries.

I had to choose my boundaries carefully and then when my mother crossed them tell her clearly that she had no right to do that and immediately hang up the phone.

It's pure behaviorism, not unlike training your dog. She crosses a boundary, she immediately loses access to you. She finally learns that to get what she wants, which is to talk to you, she has to behave. No behaving, immediate loss of contact. Every time.

But, choose your boundaries first. If it's not talking about religion, when she brings it up tell her that you're no longer going to discuss religion with her. If she contines (and narcissists will because they feel entitled) hang up the phone. Ignore the immediate call back.

Then, after a length of time you are willing to accept contact from her (whatever boundary you decide, for example, weekly) answer the phone. Don't talk about the previous phone call. Continue talking as long as you want, but if she brings up religion again, hang up immediately.

Decide your boundary regarding your kids, too. If you don't mind her talking to them, but you don't want her talking religion to them, set up skype sessions where you must always be there so she doesn't have unrestricted access to your kids. If she talks religion to them, end the skype session.

These toxic personalities just don't take the hint. They bully people. So, don't feel bad about abruptly hanging up on them. That's the type of behavior they actually understand. Sometimes it's the only way to salvage any kind of relationship at all.