Lately, The Daily Bell has been going after the public schools for their many negatives. This article, “Why School Has Nothing to Do with Students,” is another thought-provoking piece that should have parents thinking about better options for their children.
Reading this news story just made me want to cry in frustration. Those poor kids are not being taught how to read and write. They flunk the tests, and the adults in their lives blame the tests (which cost tens of millions of dollars). Read one third-grader’s answer on a test (see photo in the article). Unbelievable! Note that these kids had been taught only using Common Core materials since kindergarten.
All it takes is one adult to read to a child, to help them learn to read, and then to help them learn to write. Schools make all of this so complicated, and clearly their current methods don’t work! What’s going to happen to these children if no one ever helps them learn how to read and write?
Any parent can do this. If you need help and encouragement in this area, read my FREE report, “Teaching Your Children to Write.”
It’s fall, and the kids are back in school, where they can learn math, reading and what gunfire sounds like:
The high school principal sent emails out to parents saying in part that the drill will include an alleged shooter in the building.
The police will be firing blanks to expose everyone to the sound of gunfire in the building.
If this doesn’t make people choose homeschooling, or at least a public school virtual academy like we have here in Wisconsin, I don’t know what will. Our society has deteriorated to the point that keeping your kids home is simply being rational.
People are complaining that the milennials won’t grow up, and in many cases they’re right. But who’s at fault? Their parents for coddling them, and the schools for treating teens like children.
This article points out what limited freedom today’s teens have. Even working is seen as inferior to going to school. Back in the 1970s, teens who didn’t want to go to college could go to school until noon and then leave for work. Now, if they work, they’re dragged back to the waste of time that is modern high school. Never mind that those first few jobs get young people on the road to eventually supporting themselves by giving them a taste of earning their own money.
While you’re there, scroll down and check out the chart in that same article, the chart showing the growth in students, teacher and administrators since 1950. There hasn’t even been 100% growth in the number of students, but we’ve gained 252% in the number of teachers, and a whopping 702% in the number of administrators.
Clearly public education has become a cash cow for many people, while preparing teens for adulthood takes a back seat. Savvy parents will put their teens’ needs first and help them get ready for adulthood without waiting for permission from the school, while homeschooling parents have the freedom to make the teen years a launching pad into adulthood, which is as it should be.
(Prepare your teen for adulthood with my book, Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers, now available in an expanded third edition, and also newly released as an eBook.)
So the governor of my adopted home state of Wisconsin has announced that he thinks the state should end the minimum hours requirement for students and hand that over to individual school districts.
Of course, many of the commenters on this article are freaking out about this. I think Gov. Scott Walker’s decision is a good one. First of all, school control should be local, not state or federal. It’s up to parents to decide how their children should be educated. I’m all for everything school-related being run locally (President Trump, please abolish the Dept. of Education!)
Second, there is no correlation between how much a child learns and how many hours a day he or she is in school. A day that’s too long can actually work against learning, and smart motivated kids can burn through their work quickly while average or challenged children will take longer. One size does not fit all!
Finally, here in Wisconsin, the public schools offer an virtual academy option, where children work at their own pace. So there are already many children who are not forced into the “X hours per day” mold of school.
Good for you, Gov. Walker. This is a great first step. I’ll be eager to see what you come up with next.