Posted on 09/15/2007 1:45:20 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
For the last few decades there has been a lot of controversy among many people about the break-up of families. They have a point, and it's an important one. But when families are intact, there is something else little noticed but very important. As Ortega y Gassett has written, "People do not live together merely to be together. They live together to do something together."
Because of the way American life has evolved (in large part due to the interference of the State), there was no place for most teenagers when I was growing up, in society or the family. It's no different today. Teenagers have been marginalized for a long time, including in the family, even if it's not purposely done. Lots of teenager's lives don't have much purpose or meaning, even in their families. There is no true sense of community. That, I realized, was one of the main problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at home.att.net ...
This touches on the issue from an angle that has not been studied closely.
Of all the reasons to homeschool, this is one of the big ones.
***Of all the reasons to homeschool, this is one of the big ones.***
Homeschool also gives opportunities for teens to learn trades, do service work, mission trips, etc.
Kids that age need to be about more than schoolwork.
This is a very good article.
The lives of teens have (or should have) a lot of purpose and meaning.
1. They should be preparing themselves for the adult world. They should either be preparing to go to college or to enter the work force.
2. They should be contributing to the family. This should have started as soon as they were old enough. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, care of younger children. They should be chipping in and doing their share in all these areas and more.
3. They should be growing in maturity. They should be internalizing, examining, and taking ownership of the life lessons they have learned from their parents and other trusted adults, from the religious education their parents have provided for them, and from their life experiences.
4. They should be given ever increasing responsibility as they demonstrate that they deserve it. Things like driving, being left unsupervised, supervising younger siblings, setting their own study times, having more input to their curfews and bedtimes. They should be given opportunities to show they are reliable and trustworthy and can make sound decisions.
5. They should be given the opportunity to fail and to shoulder the consequences of their poor decisions. For example, if they are old enough to choose their own bedtime, then they are old enough to deal with the consequences of falling asleep during an exam and not have Mom and Dad make excuses for them.
ping
Public school addled my brain. Period. I wish I could just burn them all down!
We can’t burn them down, but current parents can refuse to use them. There are other options now, and some organizations which seek to help those who choose other options.
I do not think that community based public schooling is the problem. The problem is the interference from the stae and feds. I have no problem with those who choose to homeschool their children. Public school can work if parents do not abdicate their job to the school. Many parents view the school as the educator of all that a child needs. That is the problem. Why are the PTO/PTA’S much smaller at the high schools than the elementary schools? IMHO the parents are abdicating their duty as parents.
sorry, state.
I have a brother who is several years younger than me. I told my mother for years, take him out of that damn high school! And she’s a teacher no less. But she never felt like she would be able to make it work.
nice article! reminds me of:
A Modest Proposal to Abolish Universities
Fred Reed
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1672282/posts?page=1
There is a 40% non-graduation rate in our high schools.
I don’t blame them for dropping out. High school did me no good at all, and messed up my mind (even though I never did drugs). That’s one thing this article touches on- high school is a thoroughly negative experience for those who live it.
Let's not confuse child warehousing with schooling.
My experience of high school was similar to that described in this piece. Several decades and academic degrees later, I still think high school was largely an unpleasant waste of time.
High school was where I was forced to be, not where I chose to be. The absence of choice precluded any possibility of enthusiastic participation on my part. I hated the enforced passivity of having to sit in class, and I never got much out of classroom lectures. I learn by studying in private, or by actively doing something. Instead, high school typically offered boring lectures by bored teachers.
After high school, things got a lot better. While high school was all about mediocrity, excellence started to matter in college. College professors were brighter and more interesting than high school teachers, and most had genuine expertise in their fields. The longer I stayed in school, the better the 'schooling' got, and the more I enjoyed it. Many of my postgrad professors also did important work in the real world, and I remain in awe of a few of them.
However, I believe that children from families with parents who place a high value on education often better understand the importance high school and get more from the experience. I know I did (my parents communicated to me the importance of doing well.) My wife and I tried (and I believe succeded) to pass these values to our children. One just finished Law School and the other is well on the way to her Ph.D. in meterology. Their success to date shows that they learned to make prudent decisions.
Sadly, I see too many young people that seem to be stuck in protracted, irresponsible adolescence. My wife and I call it "failure to launch." Too many parents enable this behavior. That needs to stop, for the good of the youth.
When I was 12 to 14 years old the most important thing in my life was science fiction, including the original Star Trek. I literally got high off of it -- I felt what is called "the sense of wonder." I don't have to explain it to those who understand; those who have never experienced it, I can't explain it to them.
This describes how my dad and I related, and still do to a degree, very well.
ping
I agree that high school is meaningless.
We have been discussing ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda and other idiocies:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84
Proposal for the Free Republic High School Diploma.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1316882/posts
That was a good article.
Funny thing is, I’ve always said that apprenticeship beginning at age 12 would be a good idea. I’m shocked that someone else thinks so, too.
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