It’s
that time of year again. Hustle out and get those new school clothes. Start
getting the kids to bed at a normal bedtime so that we don’t have problems
getting them up at 6:00 am after spending the summer staying up until midnight
or beyond.
Do
you have the notebooks and paper and pens and pencils bought for that first
day? Get the haircuts finished so that the children look their best on the
first day of school.
The
first day of school arrives between now and the week following Labor Day. All
of the things listed above and more are the activities we go through for school
preparation. But where are we sending them?
The
majority of the people in this country send their children to public schools on
the school bus. A growing number are not sending their children to school. They
are homeschooling them. Up 75% since 1999. There are charter schools, private
schools and what seems to be a fairly new thing which is online public schools.
I
have been an advocate for homeschooling for 20 years. Not just to be different
but rather because it is documented that it works better. Homeschool students
are testing in the 84th to 89th percentile across the
board. Public school students are testing in the 50th percentile. By
the way, in public schools minority students are doing worse than white
students, but in homeschools, there is no racial component. All ethnicities are
performing at the same level. There are certified teachers homeschooling as
well as parents that are not certified teachers and yet the difference in
performance of the students is a 1% difference and the advantage is the non
certified parent 88th percentile vs 87th percentile for
the certified teacher.
Are
these a fair comparison though? My answer may surprise you because my answer is
no. The largest reason for people to homeschool their children is because they
are fed up with the public school system. So while it may seem cruel to say,
but parents that are more actively involved in their children’s schooling and
aware of what goes on in school are more likely to homeschool their children.
Others wish they could but don’t think they can handle teaching their children
because they don’t have a degree in teaching ,and of course there are some that
are glad to be rid of the kids each day and happy to have a place where the
don’t have to pay for a babysitter (if they only knew the amount they pay in
taxes for these babysitters).
Public
schools are being run by “professional” teachers with degrees and look what’s
happening. The kids are not getting as good of an education as they used to.
The numbers bear this out and I urge you to look them up.
Let’s
do a little nostalgia. I went to school in the 60’s and 70’s. Part of the
hippie generation. Vietnam, Haite/Ashbury, Woodstock. When there was a fight at
school, it was broken up by teachers. Now when there is a fight at school, the
police are called and at least one is charged with a crime. This stays on their
record. Has their future been enhanced by this action? What have they learned
about handling their petty differences?
When
a child does something wrong today they are suspended from school, sometimes
expelled. How are they getting an education? We used to get detention and worse
when we got home and had to face our parents. Today, the school or the courts
take care of the discipline and too many parents think that’s enough
punishment.
I
have done some research and found some interesting things. Here is a short list
of offenders in school.
12
year old girl arrested for spraying perfume on herself.
13
year old arrested for burping in class.
Student
stripped down to his underwear in front of five adults because he had $200 on
him. No arrest.
Two
teens breaking up poured milk on each other. Arrested and sent to court.
12
year old arrested and taken out of school in handcuffs for doodling on her
desk.
An
8 year old forced to undergo psychological evaluation for drawing a picture of
Jesus on the cross.
A
6 year old arrested for inappropriate touching during a game of tag.
So
how were these types of things handled in school in the past?
“That’s
too much perfume, a little less is not annoying to everyone. “
Teach
the burper to say excuse me and if it’s repeated stand him in the corner.
I’d
tell the child that while prices are rising the vending machines, $200 is too
much junk food.
If
two teens are pouring milk on themselves, hand them a paper towel and send them
off to class. Let them explain the sour milk smell between classes to their
friends.
Give
the child a sponge and water with soap and make her stay after school to clean
the desk up.
I’m
not certain of the infraction of drawing Jesus on the cross unless it was a
math class, unless of course, it was a reminder to himself that his homework
isn’t as tough as Jesus suffered.
It’s
a game of tag and they are 6 years old!
They
are children. They are supposed to be taught how to think, not what to think. They
are immature. They are supposed to make mistakes and learn from them, not learn
what the prison system is like at the age of 10. It’s called growing up and
maturing and learning. It’s what’s supposed to happen.
Be
sure to know where your children are going to school as you buy them their new
clothes and get them their haircuts. You might also want to know which
jurisdiction they are in so you know which court to show up for to collect your
child if they are not put in jail for the long term.
You’re
welcome to comment.
Brett
