As a veteran homeschooler, I am well aware of what a marathon this lifestyle can be. There’s no break when you live and work in the same place.
It’s time to take a deep breath and assess the situation. Burnout is a normal part of homeschooling. Everyone experiences it at one time or another, and it’s often associated with feelings of being distracted, overworked, and overwhelmed. Continue reading
President Abraham Lincoln
The year was 1863, and then President Abraham Lincoln issued his now infamous “Emancipation Proclamation.” The question remains, just whom did Lincoln emancipate. Technically, although he “set free” the slaves in the South, he had no authority to do so, as the Confederacy had declared itself a sovereign nation in 1861. As with our politicians of today, this seemed to be more a political ploy than anything else. By 1863, we can assume that Lincoln was already running for reelection. Hmmmmm … this sounds familiar.
Since making the decision to publish a series of books some years ago, I have been finding more authors on the internet writing of similar thoughts. Continue reading
Charles Dickens is known for a good ghost story. Some of his most famous works, including the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, revolve almost entirely around the supernatural. The English author’s interest in spirits even extended beyond the written word: He was an original member of the Ghost Club in London, an exclusive group interested in dissecting all things otherworldly. Continue reading
Red words Warning Gaslighting detected. Metaphor of emotional abuse. 3d illustration.
I’m talking about America’s Education, Propaganda, Indoctrination, and Gaslighting System. It’s what’s become of the public school system in America.
I’m using the slang for America – ‘Merka – to accentuate how we trivialize the importance of what we “used to was,” as my Cajun girlfriend often said. We’ve lost our appreciation for our once great republic. I keep writing to embolden and admonish you to find it again before we lose it forever.
The day we lose it is not too far in our future. ~ Boz…
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Solomon writing Proverbs by Gustave Goré
There are days in Life – that I don’t know where to begin, but let’s give it a try…
To begin… There are two “Pages” that I invite EVERYONE to read – whether you have been a continual reader of our work or not – for it shall explain much about the purpose of the Metropolis Café site, it’s history and the true meaning for its existence; Le Metropolis Café, where our opening line states, “The process of re-educating our children begins HERE!” and Metropolis ~ the Story.
If you are a first time visitor – WELCOME to Metropolis.Café. For those who have not been with us for some time – Welcome back… and I am getting back to work – well – I have never quit – but an intense expansion project is in the works for our highly specialized Category, Words and Deeds. Continue reading
I was a third week Senior at Glenbrook North High School in 1965 – and I knew that something was wrong…
As I progressed from the 5th grade on – through the 6th grade and then into Middle School at Northbrook Junior High and subsequently into High School, I found myself beginning to lack in numerous areas of my education. In English, I was an astute reader (and still am), and Science classes were interesting to me – chiefly due to the exciting talents of one teacher in Junior High – who smoked a pipe in class! History was always a subject that I thoroughly enjoyed, but as time went on, many of the teachers became boring – hence I became bored – more so in High School. Continue reading
Of all the ailments afflicting our public schools, few are worse than the dumbing down of students. This casts a pall on the country’s future, and this ominous cloud is cast by design.
That’s why you can look at pretty much any state in the country, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress results are similar — and too often dismal.
The NAEP is a national test, taken by 4th, 8th, and 11th graders in all 50 states.
For those keen to improve our public schools, the general drift is unmistakable and not a little worrisome: About half the nation’s children are not at “grade level” in language and math. Continue reading
Keeping our children entertained and educated indoors can be challenging in today’s fast-paced world. However, with some creativity and simple resources, parents can turn their homes into hubs of learning and fun. Metropolis.Cafe shares some indoor activities to keep your kids entertained, stimulate their minds, and spark their creativity… Continue reading
1958. American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer @Philippe Halsman
NEW YORK, N. Y., Dec. 26, 1954 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, the noted American physicist, drew a dramatic picture tonight of modern man living in an electric world in which virtually all of the traditional theories have become outdated.
While his speech was dramatic in itself as a scholarly foray into a description of the unfolding pages of modern arts and sciences, Dr. Oppenheimer’s appearance had the added edge of the peculiar position in which he stands today, at the age of 50, between greatness already earned to a large degree, and questions of character raised in political circles on the basis of records in political circles on the basis of records that may remain secret through his lifetime.
Earlier this year Dr. Oppenheimer was suspended as consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission for security reasons. Debate that attracted nationwide attention followed this peremptory act by the Commission, particularly since responsible officials reiterated that Dr. Oppenheimer’s personal character is above reproach.
Dr. Oppenheimer also must be remembered as the “architect” of the work that developed the atomic bomb, for he was director of the laboratories in Los Alamos, N. M., where the bomb was perfected. He now holds the post of director of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, N. J., and by today’s invitation the powers at Columbia University showed their opinion of him. Continue reading
Get your children OUT of the System – NOW
Currently, more people seem to be waking up to the state of educational institutions. Complaints of indoctrination in schools by both parents and teachers have increased in public debate in recent years, with various discussions relating to topics such as critical race theory and gender ideology.
In addition to political indoctrination, issues such as the drop in reading and math proficiency and policies of prolonged school closures during covid lockdowns have also contributed to this dissatisfaction. As alternatives, more states have passed policies that allow school choice in 2023, and the numbers of children educated through homeschooling grew by more than 60 percent between 2020 and 2022… Continue reading
Charleston, South Carolina, is a city steeped in the rich history of the American Revolutionary War, offering a unique blend of historical sites and stories that bring the era of American independence to life. This article delves into several key locations and events that highlight Charleston’s significant role in the Revolutionary War. Continue reading
This amendment was introduced by James Madison to ensure that the Bill of Rights was not seen as an exhaustive list of the rights of the people. It acknowledges that there are other fundamental rights that exist even though they are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. The Ninth Amendment serves as a constitutional safety net intended to make clear that individuals have other fundamental rights, in addition to those enumerated in the Constitution. Continue reading
While digging through a folder of items belonging to my grandmother during her high school years, I came across several copies of Weekly News Review, a periodical full of news items and current events apparently geared toward young students… Continue reading
~ Introduction ~
What is most interesting about the following column is – that this is NOT about the U.S.A. So isn’t it interesting that there are those in the U.K. that also get it. Enjoy the lesson my friends. ~ Jeffrey Bennett, Editor
Many parents like Susanne Willdig have chosen to home school their children
The number of parents choosing to home educate their children is increasing in the West, figures show. Continue reading
The scene in classrooms around the country is similar: Kids are on their phones, even when school rules forbid it
The School Boards and the individual schools continue to allow this. Too many parents “demand” that their children be allowed to keep the phones or else, “I can’t get hold of my child if I need them!” All the more reason to take charge and get your children OUT of the SYSTEM. ~ Editor
In California , a high school teacher complains that students watch Netflix on their phones during class. In Maryland, a chemistry teacher says students use gambling apps to place bets during the school day.
Around the country, educators say students routinely send Snapchat messages in class, listen to music and shop online, among countless other examples of how smartphones distract from teaching and learning. Continue reading
A tidal wave of discontent is beginning to wash over American education. DALL-E – Generated by Brandon Busteed
There is a growing discontent with American education. You can sense it swelling like a big wave, evidenced in a mix of troubling stats and trends from waning public perceptions of education to significant declines in enrollment and attendance. Students aren’t just talking about their discontent with education but walking it, too.
Enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities peaked in 2010 and has been on a steady decline since and more than a quarter of students in K-12 schools are now chronically absent. Certainly, many factors are at play here ranging from mental health issues and a pandemic hangover to technological disruption and a series of education policy debacles. But the ultimate culprit of our discontent may be the hardest of all to acknowledge and address. The brutal reality is that education isn’t exciting, engaging or relevant for far too many students. Continue reading
Republican lawmakers in Indiana are taking steps to ensure that kids who can’t read well don’t advance prematurely to the next grade.
The state’s literacy rates have been on the decline since the 2014-15 school year, with a six-point fall between the 2018-19 and 2020-21 school years. Micah Clark, director of the American Family Association in Indiana, says the COVID crisis “really highlighted how kids have fallen behind.” Continue reading
In 1933, a group on businessmen conspired to unseat President Roosevelt and overthrow the government. One man stopped them…
Still from Universal newsreel footage of Smedley Butler describing his 1934 congressional committee testimony (Wikimedia Commons)
Toward the climax of director and screenwriter David O. Russell’s new historical drama Amsterdam (2022), Dr. Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) narrates a line that is not only central to the film’s plot and themes, but also one of the most telling quotes in recent American film history. Burt and his friends have begun to uncover the shadowy and sinister plan at the film’s center, a plan by powerful moneyed figures to overthrow the president of the United States and replace him with an unelected dictator. And Burt asks both himself and the audience, in the voiceover narration to which the film returns frequently, “What’s more un-American than a dictatorship built by American business?”
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Most young folks today think that everything that happened before they were born is ancient history, and therefore, totally irrelevant. Hopefully, as they grow in age and maturity they will shed this truncated worldview and grasp the fact that the past has a large influence on the future. I have noted, over the years, that if our view of the past is faulty, then our vision for the future will be also, Most historians today give our young people a faulty view of the past because it is one they were taught themselves. Continue reading
Several days ago, I was handed a pile of old schoolwork and curriculum found in paperwork and memorabilia from my grandmother. Sifting through the stack, I soon pulled out several booklets labeled “Minnesota State Board Questions Certified.” Yellowed with age and somewhat dog-eared, they appear to be workbooks with which students could prepare for their yearly school exams.
I grabbed the one labeled “Introduction to Social Science” from 1945, the year my grandma was 17 and likely a senior in high school, and paged through it. Judging from the cover, it appears she was a scribbler like me, doodling by writing her name and some shorthand. Judging from the inside, students like her had to know their lessons well in order to pass their exams… Continue reading