Run, Don’t Walk, Away from Public Schools

I’ve been accused of being negative about public school. It’s true, I’m guilty. When I was an inmate, er student, in the public schools, I thought it was a big waste of time. When I became a parent, I chose to homeschool my kids instead of putting them on the big yellow bus with the neighbor kids.

Public school was bad enough back then, but look at it now. Teachers complain that the students don’t listen to them because they’re allowed to be on their phones in class. Public school grads arrive at college unable to read at grade level or write a coherent paragraph. Meanwhile, political correctness and political bias run rampant.

Just recently, a Boston public school allowed a tombstone with the name of President Donald Trump at a school-sponsored Halloween event. On the other coast, a California school sponsored a scarecrow contest where one of the scarecrows was clearly meant to represent President Trump. This would never have been allowed in the schools I went to, as flawed as they were.

Of course, these specific behaviors, while condoned by the schools, are the fault of parents. But the schools allowed their behavior instead of forbidding it. While the institution of public schooling itself is one giant mistake, some of the families involved in the public schools are also problematic. How else can you explain parents who send their children to their local public library’s Drag Queen Story Time?

Run, don’t walk, away from the public schools (read John Taylor Gatto’s books for encouragement). If you’re not up for homeschooling, find a good private school. Don’t sentence your child to years in a failing system.

 

Z is for Zoos

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Z is for zoos… and then there are museums and parks and arboretums and many more educational destinations you’ll find outside your home.

Yes, you need to be home in order to homeschool. But you also need to include the outside world if your children are to be truly educated. Learning about the world around them is key; since kids love and thrive on experiential learning, taking them regularly to zoos and other fun and educational places is well worth your time and effort. (Let’s face it: it’s fun for us, too!)

I hope you’ve enjoyed “The ABCs of Homeschooling” this summer. See you in September!

 

Y is for Years

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Y is for years. Your children are home with you for a limited number of years. When they’re little, those years stretch ahead so far that it makes you feel like you have plenty of time before your children are grown and on their own. But those of us whose children are now young adults can vouch for the fact that the child-rearing years went pretty quickly, all things considered.

By homeschooling your children, you get to enjoy their childhood: all of it, not just before school when they’re rushing out to catch the bus, or after school when they’re tired and cranky. You get the best of them each day.

Someday you’ll look back at all your fond memories and be thankful that you were there to see your children catch on to reading, make art masterpieces and master fractions. You will treasure your homeschooling years.

 

Which stage of homeschooling are you in?

X is for X-Rated

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X is for X-rated. The world of children has become increasingly provocative. Girls’ dolls are made to look sleazy, as are girls’ clothes. Meanwhile, boys are encouraged to play video games and watch movies that objectify women and present them with visual images they’re far too young to handle.

One of the advantages of homeschooling is that you can limit how often and how much your children are exposed to an X-rated world. Instead, they can enjoy the once-common innocence of childhood that previous generations enjoyed.

Now available: the 3rd edition of Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers, completely revised and expanded. Check it out!

W is for Wisdom

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W is for wisdom. There’s very little wisdom found among young peers in the schoolyard. But homeschooled kids can gain wisdom from their parents and grandparents, as well as other family members, neighbors and the adults with whom they come into contact during their daily lives out in the real world. Homeschooled kids also have the opportunity to read classic books (as opposed to modern textbooks) where even more wisdom is available for the taking. Increased access to wisdom is one of the many advantages to homeschooling your children.

How do you prepare your children for the new 21st century economy? By raising them to thrive!