Time for public schools to throw in the towel?

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Tuesday, January 28, 2003 | Dr. Laura Schlessinger

[JohnHuang2]

I've been collecting clips about schools and teachers around the country for the last year, and I have to tell you that I genuinely fear for the republic. I say that because, for us "old folks" who were actually taught American History in school, a thriving democracy depends upon universal education – an education that prepares the citizens of a nation to govern themselves through their elected representatives. (Of course, it was the presumption of the framers of the Constitution that if one attended school, one could be counted on to emerge educated!)

Is it really because they don't care that so many Americans don't vote? Or is it because they can't read the ballot? We tend to blame lackluster politicians or negative campaigning for low turnout at the polls. But what if the real reason is that most of our citizens are not sufficiently educated about the basic concepts of democracy to understand the issues – even those that directly impact their self interest? And what if that ignorance is compounded by illiteracy?

Last fall, the Center for Civic Information at the Manhattan Institute published the report of a telephone survey of over 1,000 fourth- and eighth-grade teachers. Among the not so surprising findings was that only about 25 percent of those surveyed said they most cared about whether a student got the right answers. More of them most cared that students tried hard or used a creative approach.

That absurd state of affairs has come about because this generation of teachers, and probably a few generations before, have themselves been raised to believe there are no right answers, anyway. So what difference does it make?

For example, our public-school children hear that the Founding Fathers are not to be revered. They were greedy, patriarchal oppressors who were in it for the money and the power. America is not a noble experiment in freedom and equality. That was the cover story, as we stole the land from the indigenous people. America wasn't recently attacked by terrorists. America is the terrorist!

Furthermore, there are no such things as great books, since all the books we were misguided enough to think of as great, were written by those same old white male misogynists from the evil empire of Western culture. What's just as great is any diary written by any woman, slave or Native American and recently discovered in someone's trunk. And woe to anyone who disagrees.

Of course, none of it matters anyway, because language itself is fatally tainted, and words don't mean anything. They only mean what my idiosyncratic point of view believes they mean. Just ask the deconstructionists.

Those deconstructionists have been very busy, because they didn't stop with the English language. They have also pretty successfully deconstructed family, religion, values, ethics and morality as well. We all know that, if there can be no right answers, there obviously is no right and wrong. No one's behavior can be judged because the most heinous acts can be excused on the basis of what the perpetrator may have suffered at the hands of his parents, the police, the inequitable society. Yada, yada, yada.

This leads inevitably to "understanding" that immigrant children shouldn't be penalized in school because English is not their first language. And what's so great about patriarchal, oppressive, English anyway? Embrace over 100 languages in the classroom (as we do in the Los Angeles School District) so that no one learns anything – least of all the immigrant children who are one day going to grow up as Americans and not even understand what that means, let alone what it requires of them or entitles them to.

God is dead (although the Wiccan goddess still has a fighting chance, I guess) – traditional morality is destructive; excellence is discredited and devalued; grades are antiquated. Discipline is discriminatory because there's no such thing as bad behavior, just children with "special needs."

No wonder teachers are trying to find ways to make their work meaningful, since accomplishment and achievement can no longer be benchmarks of success. After all, the unaccomplished and underachievers in the class are likely to feel bad. Worse, their parents might sue for cruel and unusual punishment.

For a few years now, I've been urging parents to send their kids to private religious schools and/or homeschool them. I truly see no other options for raising and educating children to be morally fit, well informed, appreciative Americans and contributing members of society.

A shortage of teachers, a kaleidoscope of standards, endemic failure, annual budget shortfalls, states taking over local school districts and guns in the classroom are unavoidable signs of public-school collapse. I think Oregon may have the right idea. They are looking to shorten the school year by 15 days. How long before it's clear to them and to us, that we should simply close them altogether?

[JohnHuang2]

Tuesday, January 28, 2003

Quote of the Day by Theophilus

[hellinahandcart]

Bump.

[Spiff]

If you take your kids to a welfare distribution center to get food handouts, you can't complain that they're not eating gourmet.

If you take your kids to a welfare distribution center to get clothing handouts, you can't complain that they're not wearing Ralph Lauren.

If you take your kids to an education welfare distribution center (ie. a school) to get education handouts, you can't complain that they're not getting the best education.

[Joe Brower]

The flaw in your logic is that these welfare systems are paid for with money extorted from the working public through mandatory taxation. In effect, we are forced to pay for damaged goods. I would love to send my kids to private school, but due to the money taken from my family at gunpoint, I cannot afford to. If I was not taxed to pay for this corrupt system, I could easily send my kids to a private school, which I would prefer.

[norton]

Interesting that another thread in FR reports that even UCLA (rebid socialist) came out with a study admitting grade inflation is up and actual study is down in CA schools. They are still promoting the image of learning regardless that it is declining...makes you feel so much better dontcha know.

[Spiff]

The flaw in your logic is that these welfare systems are paid for with money extorted from the working public through mandatory taxation. In effect, we are forced to pay for damaged goods. I would love to send my kids to private school, but due to the money taken from my family at gunpoint, I cannot afford to. If I was not taxed to pay for this corrupt system, I could easily send my kids to a private school, which I would prefer.

So, if your kids were hungry and you couldn't afford to buy them groceries at the store, you wouldn't try to grow some of their food at home? You would immediately decide to go on welfare?

Let's put it this way - since you can't afford to send your kids to private schools (I can't afford to either) would you think it right for you to go around to all of your neighbors and demand at gunpoint that they pay you enough to send them? Then why is it OK to let the county or state government do the very same thing for you?

Like I said, I can't afford to send my kids to private schools. My wife and I have had to make many sacrifices so that she does not have to work most of the time so that she can school our children at home. And that is the key - what are you and your wife and your kids willing to sacrifice in order to get off of welfare?

[Slyfox]

I understand what you are saying.

When I was a young teen, my parents decided to buy another house. There were nine of us kids and we were living in a 900 sq. ft. house with an extra bedroom in an unheated basement. I remember entering the kitchen of this house which was for sale which had something like seven bedrooms. It was in a seedy part of town. Some of the cupboards were open and I noticed that they had three packages of Pepperidge Farms cookies sitting up there. The realtor told my parents that the mother and her two daughters who were presently living in the house, "were on welfare".

The kicker was that we were not on welfare but did qualify for surplus foods. And yes, I have had more than my fair share of lumpy powdered milk. It is still one of our family jokes. But, my dad worked for the little money he did get and we were lucky to get sandwhich cremes in the sale rack at the Krogers. And here this chickiepoo, not working at all, was feasting on what my father made, and feeding her children Peperidge Farms goodies.

That still boils the hell out of me.

[Joe Brower]

You miss my point. To use your analogy, my kids are hungry because a government agent stole the food. I would of course hunt and grow food to replace that which was stolen. The real cure, however, is to shoot the thief.

Your other points about running around the neighborhood, etc., etc. -- I don't know where that's coming from.

Cheers,

[madfly]

ping

[1Old Pro]

bttt

[ConservativeDude]

"what are you and your wife and your kids willing to sacrifice in order to get off of welfare?"

I have never heard the issue framed that way...I love it.

Live free or die.

Get off welfare.

Teach your kids.

Provide for them.

And one more thing: GET OFF WELFARE!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[biblewonk]

It's funny how it is easier to teach our kids to read than to teach them to do the dishes, yet public schools keep failing in that simple task. We seldom use science or social studies curricula(sp) in our home school yet our kids do better than average every time. Teaching kids yourself vs public schools is like comparing nursing a baby to bottle feeding. There are 0 advantages to the latter and the former is so much easier as well as better for the child. Why it's like, it's a natural thing designed by God or something.

[Remedy]

I say that because, for us "old folks" who were actually taught American History in school, a thriving democracy depends upon universal education – an education that prepares the citizens of a nation to govern themselves through their elected representatives. (Of course, it was the presumption of the framers of the Constitution that if one attended school, one could be counted on to emerge educated!)

Administration Cites Recent Surveys Showing Lack Of Basic Knowledge Of U.S. History

[Bryan24]

I was talking to my wife about the teachers I had in school. Something struck me. The best teachers I had were the oldest.(duh)

My first grade teacher, Mrs Jones, retired after my class. She was about 55-58 then (1970). Interestingly enough, we had 29 students in my first grade class. One teacher. Never had any discipline problems that I can remember.

Second grade, Mrs. Mott, was in her mid 40s. Great teacher who controlled her class.

My third grade teacher, Mrs. Pounds, was fairly young. Had poor class control. I didn't enjoy 3rd grade too much.

4th grade I had Mrs. Painter. Fabulous teacher. She was about 50 or so. Started every morning in class by reciting Psalms 19:14.

5th Grade I had Mrs. Brown. Very pretty but not as good a teacher. Struggled at times with class control.

6th grade I had Mrs. Sellers. Warhorse. Was in her 60s. CLASSIC old school teacher. Excellent classroom discipline and educator. Best teacher I had in all my schooling. She had public scripture readings everyday to start class. Yes, this was in 1975 in public schools!

7th grade we finally started having different teachers for different subjects. Again, the rule held true that the older teachers where generally the best teachers.

In the 8th grade, I had a teacher named Tullie Thompson. He was a WWII vet. Was caught behind enemy lines in Germany and had to crawl back through the lines to get to the Allied positions. No-nonsense guy. Taught Alabama history AND YOU BETTER LEARN IT!

My high school principal (for the 8th & 9th grades) was another WWII veteran. Wilburn Hudson. He took a bullet in the arm in Belgium (I think) and nearly lost his arm. Told some of the best stories about life that you could ever hear. His Democracy classes were legendary. He started every school year with a student body assembly in the auditorium and had a public prayer to start the school year. A GREAT, GREAT educator.

I am thankful that I was able to attend public schools before the atheist and civil libertarians ruined them.

[Tax-chick]

It's funny how it is easier to teach our kids to read than to teach them to do the dishes

No kidding! It's also easier to motivate them to read ... just provide a library card ... but the schools can't manage that, either.

And I also don't hear any parents of school children saying the kids learn to do chores!

[biblewonk]

It's also easier to motivate them to read ... just provide a library card

Or turn off the TV. Actually Dungeons and Dragons has done more to motivate my 2 oldest boys than anything else I can think of.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I agree with you in theory. We should not have to pay for these prisons for our children. But, I disagree with you about having to use these prisons for our own children.

The answer is homeschool. I know it can be really scary to think about... but please do so. If I can help you get any info for you or your wife on homeschooling, please freep mail me. Just remember there is always an answer, you may have to work for it however. Good luck!

[Joe Brower]

Hmmmm... I cannot put my finger on where I advocate "having to use these prisons for our own children". In a perfect world, the public schools would teach the 3 Rs and enforce the discipline and morals that we preserve in our own household, they would be worthy of our trust and tax money, and that would be that. Instead, they are suspect and to be avoided by and large. No good can come of it, and when I think of the young adults being produced by these government indoctrination centers, I truly fear for the future of our Republic.

As for homeschooling, my wife and I have already started with my five year old boy. Any info and help would be greatly appreciated, because it certainly is proving to be a challenge! Please email me at joebrower3@comcast.net

Best Regards, and thanks,

[blackie]

Good stuff John, here's one Joe (Badjoe) Phillips wrote:

"Last Public School in the United States Closes"

Dateline, June 12, 2013. Amana, Iowa


It is understandable that Amana, which had it’s beginnings as a collective, would be the last to give up on public education as a function of local government..



The nation was shocked just five years ago when the center of progressive thought, Cambridge, Mass. became the first community to shut down its school system, after the tragedy of the deaths of 1286 of it’s young people in the worst massacre of students in our nations history this past winter..


An emergency panel of Harvard economists and educators was put together in January to see if they could find a better way.. Taking their clues from a study of home schoolers, they realized, that with computers and on line service every child could have the very best teacher in every subject, and access to all of the worlds libraries.


This coupled with the economics to the parents of eliminating the necessity of new school clothes, lunch money, transportation time and costs, and the economic savings to the counties, led them to the realization that they could provide every student with a new first class computer and super fast on line service every year for one sixth the costs of their annual school budget..


The results of the first year were amazing. Property taxes dropped sharply, the students were learning in two hours per day, what the professional educators could not get across in seven hours. They attributed this fact to not having the distractions of the classroom, and that little Bill and Mary’s rear end wasn’t numbed by long hours sitting in school along with the sheer boredom of a mono toned teacher.


Neighborhood groups were formed on each block to check on the students safety, every two hours in their homes during the day.


This idea spread across the country like a wildfire. Today with Amana’s action, the public school system is no longer in existence in the United States.


It became obvious, that this was going to happen, when in 2005, Lisa Peterson., great, great grand daughter of P.O.. Peterson, the man whose system taught most of us how to write longhand, developed a cutesy computer program, with sound and pictures that can teach anyone to read in three weeks. Miss Peterson’s program was proven effective when she and it taught a chimpanzee to read in only four weeks.


Since Cambridge started this revolution over 20, 000 school buildings have been turned into apartments, shopping centers, car dealerships, and bonfires, increasing the tax savings to the people and allowing many more mothers to stay at home with their children.

.

Another benefit of the Cambridge revolution is that these young students in the last five years have developed 512 successful computer programs that have created 26 new millionaires, and created thousands of new jobs. There has also been 1842 patents filed from this group in the last four years. Some of these will be useful successful ideas.


Former Secretary of Education William Bennett, said yesterday, my dream has been realized. The future for America and indeed the world is very, very bright..