Have you ever been so overwhelmed in your life you decided you needed a change? My kids were being bullied in school and I could see the change the earthly world was having on them. No matter how strong you think your kids are in their faith, how much they go to church or how much you encourage them, they will always be at war with the sins of the world. Not only was I concerned about the affect of other kids having on them, I was also concerned about their education and the schooling system they were in.
My uncle recommended a book for me to read; An Underground History of American Education by JT Gatto. It had a great impact on me and shocked me awake!
Our kids are forced to be handed over to people we don’t know at an early age of not only mental education, but of emotional learning. The school teaches them to learn a certain way instead of a way that is easy for them. The school teaches them that they must listen a certain way or be scared.
“Most of us tacitly accept the pragmatic terms of public school which allows every kind of psychic violence to be inflicted to fulfill the prime directive of the system: putting children in their place. It’s called “social efficiency.”
Now I agree with children learning rules, right from wrong and making good choices. But if the only reason for them to do these things is for fear of getting in trouble if they don’t comply, then I feel the schooling system is actually producing defiant young adults.
“but you are compelled to surrender your school-aged child to strangers who process children for a livelihood, even though one in every nine schoolchildren is terrified of physical harm happening to them in school, terrified with good cause; about thirty-three are murdered there every year.”
My goal in homeschooling is to teach my kids right and wrong from a biblical view point. To love and respect people because God asks it from us. To teach them in an environment they are comfortable in so they can learn everything they can instead of being terrified and distracted in THEIR learning styles. The schooling system takes our parental rights away from us. You don’t have a choice of their teacher, their backgrounds or families.
“One thing you do know is how unlikely it will be for any teacher to understand the personality of your particular child or anything significant about your family, culture, religion, plans, hopes, dreams.”
Teachers don’t have the opportunity in such a short amount of time to really get to know your child let alone teach them to their learning style. The school system says they have to be taught this specific curriculum, in this specific way. If they don’t they’re “not smart”, bottom of the class. And if they do learn it they are “smarter” , top of the class, but held back to the learning speed of the kids who aren’t getting it. It has nothing to do with being smart or not, it’s about how the kids learn it. My daughter is a very creative hands on learner, my boys can learn anything they read with no explanation, so I teach them differently.
“If you cant be guaranteed even minimal results by these institutions, not even physical safety; if you cant be guaranteed anything except that you’ll be arrested if you fail to surrender your kid, just what does pubic in “public schools” mean?”
I have nothing against teachers, in fact I loved my daughters last teacher! I just don’t agree with the institution of pubic school and its foundation. Since we have started homeschooling I have seen a difference in my children that has been missing, and I am so thankful that God has blessed us with this journey.
Welcome to our crazy journey!
I2AET Homeschool 