Posted on 04/02/2013 4:36:36 AM PDT by SJackson
My grandfather, who was educated in a one room schoolhouse in rural NC between 1905 and 1917, received a better education than 99% of the children in public school today. He often praised the school teacher who alone taught 40 children in grades from 1 to 12 at the same time.
My grandfather learned to read, write and cipher, giving him the essential skills that would enable him to one day open his own business. From school, church and home he learned to have great pride in his country. He worked on the family farm after school. When he completed his schooling he went to work at the local general store, living in the attic above the store until he saved enough money to move to a local town where he worked a few more years until he saved enough to open his own store.
The focus of that one room school house was education, not social engineering. The teacher insisted on discipline and would paddle the students if they misbehaved. No doubt if they misbehaved in class, the punishment they would receive at home would be worse than anything the teacher would deliver.
In the 1980’s my grandfather would comment as to how much better an education the worst students in his school received than the students graduating from public school at the time. He said every student could read, write and do elementary math. It was an expectation of the parents and the teacher.
Poverty was not an excuse. He and his classmates were the sons and daughters of sharecroppers and tenant farmers. They had no plumbing at home and no electricity. They grew their own food and wore hand me down clothing. No computers, no televisions, no iPhones, no automobiles, no video games. No education bureaucracy filled with PhD’s to oversee the teacher. Just good fundamental family values and old fashioned rote instruction.
The day will come when we return to this type of basic education. Once our society and economy collapse, the survivors will have to rebuild from scratch.
They are learning that diversity and multiculturalism is the state religion, that whites should be discriminated against and America’s founding and founders were evil.
You can also send them to private school up until high school. They would have a solid foundation by then and can resist the moronic teachers.
You also have to stay on top of what they are learning in school. I think most parents assume their kids are learning the right things in school.
Bingo!
“I’d love to see a poll on where FReepers with children send them to school.”
Both of my kids go to California public schools in the Bay Area and I can say without a doubt that both are receiving a superior education. I know a lot of people on this site like to make grand pronouncements about the state of education, especially in my state, but such is not the case for me.
All my kid’s schools have been proudly American and pushed academic excellence in science, math, reading, history - the whole 9 yards. My oldest is conversant in American History and the Constitution and understands our Greek Western roots up through the Enlightenment. She’s read Shakespeare and Steinbeck and can put both of them in their proper historical context. The science and math are beyond what I learned.
And my kids have not turned liberal or gay or both. I think kids are smarter than we give them credit for. My oldest is already a proud conservative and sees right through all the crap. I’m not saying that there are no problems in California schools, just that my kid’s education in it has been great.
I hear this so often, that one needs financial ability to homeschool. Sure wish I knew what it meant. I homeschooled mine on an income under $12k/year, and the results were superb.
In my opinion it is usually a matter of priorities. The money's there and the parents have other ways they'd rather spend it.
$12K a year and you managed to live and home school kids too? You need be highly commended.
$12K a year does not pay my real estate tax, food and utilities so I don’t know how you managed all that unless you live on a farm or have a huge nest egg. On the ability side, I don’t have the teaching talent. Tried volunteer teaching at an adult ed school and had little success teaching math to individuals who wanted to learn.
I don’t do my own dentistry either.
There are places in America where property taxes are extremely low. (We just don’t like to advertise it!)
It also helps to have no debt, no plastic, no mortgage, no car loans; and no frills like cable tv, fancy phones, etc.
No life insurance, no health insurance, and the legal minimum for auto insurance.
Plus, when your income is low enough, you don’t have to pay income tax! :D
I live pretty well on low income. In fact, I could make money under the table if I needed to, but I don’t need more.
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