Public Education vs Home Education

Yeah? Go back through your history books and show me where this has ever been true. When besides the present have children who were different not been hidden away, completely uneducated, even by their own church?

Then go look at the "good" Christian schools. Show me where the vast majority of them have programs for the disabled. How about the chronically ill? How about the autistic and those with Apsenburger's, who are liable to have violent outbursts for seemingly no reason at all. You just show me where the Christian community is making resources available toward thier education. (btw, as a parent of two chronically ill kids, I KNOW these resources don't exist)

I've already given several reasons to have a public education system. Can you give me reasons not to have one that don't include selfishness?

If your kids get as far as school with the fear of the Lord, who's fault is that?

Really??? Okay let's have a hypothetical (no insult to your parents implied):

Let's say you dad suddenly died. He thought he left your mother and brother well cared for, but the life insurance doesn't cover the funeral and his retirement is tied up until you mother reaches 67. Your mother is left with widow benefits and an SSI check for your brother that barely covers the house payment, much less food, clothes and maintenance. (if you think I'm joking, take a look at your dad's yearly SS statement, it gives the maximum monthly amount you mother would get) Now you mother also has cirriculums to buy which start at $200 a year, but if your brother is in high school the better ones are more than that. Now do you really expect her to be able to afford the fees for the private league sports? And when the fees are paid there is uniforms and equipement and travel expenses and, and, and.......

Now, you tell me, if your mother was in that position would that nice private sports league have funds set aside so that your brother could participate or would they say sorry, it's not our responsibility to provide for your son? That's what I mean when I say Christians often don't put their money where their mouth is.

Now let's add to our situation a bit. Let's say that somehow your mother was able to fund all this and then your brother get's hurt. Let's say a brain injury and the result is a change in personality and perhaps damage that leaves him with a disabilty in terms of his being able to learn new material, to write legibly and to tend to his own physical needs. How is your mother going to educate him? Remember, her resources are limited. She hasn't worked in 25 years because she's been homeschooling you and your brother so her job skills limit her in the workplace and now she has a disabled son, who with a proper education and treatment could one day be independent, to take care of. Are there Christian resources to help her out? Is your wife going to let you take of your resources to help her? Do you even have the resources to to help her?

You know if Christian's truely did what God requires (love thy neighbor as thyself) then we could complain that the government shouldn't be in the education system. Until then, see reality!

 

There is a book called "The Underground History of American Education", by John Taylor Gatto. He argues that the compulsory educational system of the US has failed the people because it was never designed to succeed. It's available for purchase, or if your cheap like me, you can read the whole thing online.

http://www.rit.edu/~cma8660/mirror/www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm

 

Okay I read as far as this James (highlighting is mine):

This is untrue at least as far as my own public school system goes. This is the reason we have school board meetings. Our school board must approve any new hires. If we want them to hire good people then we need to be at the school board meetings encouraging them to make wise decisions and then making it public when they make bad ones. Nobody goes to school board meetings but then they want to complain that they've had no input. Have they even tried to have input?

 

I'm sure there are exceptions to everything. In my house, I am the school board. However, suppose you had just moved to your school district. You are going to have to just be happy with the teachers they already have in place.

 

But even then, a parent can go into the schools and meet teachers and ask for their educational background. They can read school report cards and find out how well the school is doing teaching core material, how much violence is going on, what the school budget looks like. They can attend a school board meeting and see how it's run. Point is, whether a parent is homeschooling or public schooling they are going to have to put some time and energy into it.

Public schools are the way they are because parents think that educating their children is someone else's responsiblity. Instead of treating public schools as tools to use in educating their children parents see it as an end to itself. "Well I send my kids to school, it's up to the teacher to teach them", while the parent goes on their merry way to work. Then parents wonder why the kids are failing. "It's the teacher's fault, she just don't like my baby". But they've never bothered to even go in and meet the teacher. "Why would I want to meet her? She don't like my baby, you think she's going to like me any better?"

Hmph, schooling whether public or private, is what a family makes of it. You are going to get out of it what you put into it. If you put nothing in, why would you expect to get anything out.

btw, I'm still reading the link. So far I still think the guy is a nut, but hopefully he'll make a point here soon.

 

Perhaps you should only read back a few years or talk to some who have had no more than a sixth to eight grade education like my grandparents because they worked on the farm when compulsory education was not required. By the time I was in the tenth grade my parents could not even begin to help me with any class. My grandparents did not have a clue about algebra. Perhaps you should do just a few minutes of research and find out what nation has the greatest number of patents each year and who also does the most research. So much for compulsory education and its lack of success!

 

posted twice

 

The fact is that the grammar and spelling was horrible. Someone should point out out that important error. With some work it can be corrected.

The scripture says "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed." Does someone not believe in practicing scripture?

 

Nevermind, you are correct. Christians are worthless and don't care about anyone but themselves. Thank god for our government.

No, I cannot. You've caught me. Selfishness is the only reason that we homeschool our children instead of using the public schools that we help pay for.

 

I sure would like to know how as a single mother I could have homeschooled my son, unless I was able to work from home. Wait - that's what I did before when I was an astrologer.

I was happy to have jobs to put food on the table and a roof over us. I hated working and I hated not being home with my son when he came home from school. At least when I was an astrologer, I was able to do that.

The OT talks about taking care of the widow and orphans (and so does the NT) - I think a woman and child abandoned by the father would qualify. But it doesn't happen.

Your statement implies that homeschooling is what God intends. Is this what you mean?

 

Why doesn't it happen? What might help make it happen?

 

I was the one who edited your line there, gb93433!! I examined the post in question and in my honest opinion as moderator I saw absolutely nowhere were any rule was violated.

Blackbird

 

I think that is the $64,000 question. I was asking myself that a lot -- a lot!!

My son is 24 now, but I can tell you being a single mother was the most difficult, loneliest, and most heart wrenching thing I've ever done. At the same time, my son is the joy of my life and I would not have traded being a single mother for not being a mother, that's for sure.

In church, everything revolves around the family and usually married couples. Being a single mother really makes you feel left out. You don't fit in anywhere. I had a hard time just staying in church because of it (and some other things).

 

How do you know that? I'd really like to know.

I went to public school and was not even a Christian until late in life, and I'm typing on a Christian forum. :smilewinkgrin:

 

Well, my experience was different. I went to some excellent public schools and here I am. I personally believe that the responsibility is much more on the parents and the church to give children the right moral and religious foundation. I had good Godly parents and a good church supporting me. They equipped me to handle whatever was thrown at me at school. At some point everyone has to enter the world. It's just a question of when.

 

Whatever, this is the kind of thing I wanted discussed in my thread on charity. Whyn't you just head down there and give us your opinion.

 

Yes, I do talk about God and my beliefs in my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Ask any of my students...they know my beliefs and where I feel they should all be rooted. Am I allowed to? No. But, I do. If they fire me, so be it. I've taught 18 years and I've not had a problem yet. God has surely left the door open for me to witness to my students.

Creation and evolution are not taught at my school.(neither side)

And, I beg to differ. Most people, from 30 years of age plus have been publicly educated. Most of us woudln't be where we are if it hadn't been for a public ed teacher.

:Fish: