A Spencer church is using its own “boot camp” to help area children learn life skills and respect for authority.
According to Eyewitness News 5’s Marianne Silber, the True Vine Baptist Church started the boot camp program to teach children from its congregation — as well as children from across the nation — about becoming better citizens and worshippers.
During boot camp drills, the church’s parking lot looks more like an Army post than a place of worship.
Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Kenneth Williams teaches drill for the program. He said the children, some of whom are as young as 5 years old, are required to dress in fatigues, learn to march — and follow orders.
“We want to teach them … (to) be positive, have values, morals, (and) treat people like you want to be treated yourself,” Williams said.
[Full Story][Via Catholic Ragemonkey]
Hey, they stole my idea!
4 comments
Oh, please.
If I want my children sent to military school, I’m sure I’m capable of finding one.
If the only way to instill discipline and good moral values (which I strongly support) is to put 5-year-olds into fatigues and teach them a little close-order drill, then we are in more trouble than I thought. (Reminds me of the Young Pioneers, for some reason….) Where are these children’s parents?
BTW, I have high-school age children in JROTC, by their choice, but 5-year-olds??
Peace, all.
Seems silly to instill values of yelling and ordering people around. Teen boot camps across the US have been bastions of sex abuse, hazing, and other forms of narcissism.
Children learn life skills and a healthy regard for authority on the home front. If parents are unwilling or unable to do this, they should seriously consider the adoption option. If parents seriously think a week or two of marching drills is going to do the trick over and above fifty weeks of tv, video game, and sugar cereal permissiveness, they’ve been watching too much Kindergarten Cop.
It wouldn’t appeal to me, certainly, but I daresay the children enjoy it. I do wish, however, that people would quit talking about values when they mean principles. A “value” is variable by definition, and y’know, you value it one way and I value it another way, dude. I’m sure that isn’t what the retired sergeant means by the word, but it’s better to be precise about these things.
I don’t think it’s so bad an idea. In a time when parents are gone working so much, anything which is capable of instilling some discipline and moral principles is worth trying. Lord knows the schools aren’t doing it anymore, though parents still mistakenly think they are.