Building an American Grade School v. Local ones

[Billy Bob]

As the community grows in Boquete and David. Would it be smart to build an American Bilingual School, or use the local ones four our children and grandchildren?

I would like them to learn good american conservative values. It would be nice to have one that has prayer in school and teaches Intelligent Design Creationism, instead of Evilution Darwinism.

I heard the 7th Day Adventist School are pretty good academically, but I don't buy the whole Sabbath thing, I don't think is in the bible.

[US Mortgages in Panama]

Both of Boquete's private schools are good. I don't have kids myself, but I know several ex-pat parents who send their kids to Guadalupano. There is no reason to send them to David.

[Janet]

Hello,

I am interested also in a play-school for my grandson. He needs to have other
children to play and interact with.

If anyone knows of any good ones, please list them, also if you have any idea
of the cost involved.

Thank you very, very much for any information.

Janet

[Bigdaddy in Panama]

Leroy:

Where do you get off saying most Panamnians are African American...that's insulting to the Panamanian's...Now I know you fell off the turnip truck.....ON YOUR HEAD...

[Billy Bob]

Man, you are batshit crazy!

Who would enroll their kid in a Madrassa to get indoctrinated. And what population percentage you think are muslims in Panama? you aint know what the hell you talking 'bout, boy?

[Janet]

As someone who has lived in the US for 59 years and have seen our schools and society down
straight down hill. It was when we decided we didn't need prayer in schools and rejected the
Christian values our country was founded on that we have eroded as a society. We don't have
freedom from religion but freedom of religion. We seemed to have forgotten this.

[Billy Bob]

Amen, brother!

just hope Allah-bama, over there don't start complaining. Even Muhammad was accepted Jesus as a prophet. He didn't accept him, that's why he won't be saved, but I call it a start.

[Michelle]

It would be great If they can build an International school Just like the balboa school in Panama City but in Boquete. I'm dreading my daughter in going to balboa school in Panama city. I just don't like Panama city. It's polluted, traffic is Hell, people are rude. And the constant honking of the cabs and buses. Panama city is just to much for me and my family. I like Boquete a lot. It's not fast pace as Panama City. And diffinitly add religion!!!!!!

Michelle

[Lee Zeltzer]

As a member of a much older non Christian tribe I do think a comparative religion class should be in all schools. Once people understand that all religions are tied to common myths and evolved from the same human needs they can better frame their lives and beliefs.

If you want your child schooled in a particular religion there are options like the Catholic schools, the other Protestant sects have schools and I am sure that the local mosque in David has options also. Panama is fortunately a pluralistic society and options are there for everyone.

[Allan]

Prayer and Intelligent Design Creationism! Are you for real? As church and state should be separate, so it should be with church and education. Perhaps you should ensure the school has classes on Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy as well. Which religion's creation myth would you like the school to teach? If you teach them all, there wouldn't be much time for the other 3 R's, and the next generation's spelling, computational and literary skills would surely suffer a decline of biblical proportions.

Any school of the 21st century seriously teaching that the universe was created in 7, no 6 days, by the guy in the sky, who knows our every move and our every thought, is a joke. Man and the chip-off-his-rib woman dropped into the garden with the talking snake - who could argue with the plausibility of that one? I'm sure in your school the earth will be flat with the sun revolving around it, despite what the evil scientists and their books full of facts would have our children believe. Hopefully burning witches at recess won't start too many grass fires in the dry season since "Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live" if the children are to follow the suggestion from the book of Exodus.

The world has become a far worse place since we stopped believing all those things the "good" book(s) say, you must admit. On the brighter side, in recent times, we have burned significantly less perfectly good goats, calves, other livestock, and witches - something that the Grand Poobah seemed to need at one time for some strange reason.

My view is that religion has no place in schools - certainly not elementary school. It could perhaps be offered as an option in late high school or post-secondary institutions when the student is old enough and mature enough to make his or her own choices and decisions on religion. Automatically indoctrinating a child into their parent's religion is just wrong, and one of the main reasons that religion has been able to perpetuate itself as long as it has.

[Lee Zeltzer]

Please understand this thread was started by a banned TROLL to provoke people. Despite that there has been intelligent discussion of education in Panama.

[Allan]

Hi Lee,

Yes, I did think the original looked a little troll-like but I didn't realize that he was one of the booted group. Comments about prayer and religion often tend to provoke people regardless of which side of the fence a person is on. All the more reason to discuss those issues though. Debates were everyone agrees are not very lively or interesting.

[Tracey Card]

I prefer to discuss-not debate. Religion and politics seem to get people all "riled" up. I agree that religion doesn't belong in schools but it does seem to be deeply imbedded into the system in Panama. So, I suppose, if a person is so opposed, then home-schooling would be your choice. Wasted energy trying to change what is already accepted(and embraced) by so many.