Category Archives: Perspectives

**Hill ~ The Psychology of Learning: How Motivation, Memory, and Stress Shape Smarter Study Habits**

Group of students studying in classroom writing notes during lesson.

From high school students juggling deadlines to professionals retraining for new careers, one truth remains: learning isn’t just about time spent studying — it’s about how your mind works while doing it. Psychology, the science of human behavior and mental processes, offers powerful tools to help you learn more effectively, stay motivated, and retain knowledge for the long term. When applied deliberately, principles of motivation, memory, and stress management can radically transform not just how you study, but how you grow. Continue reading →

4 Essential Lessons of the Past: Skills That Aren’t Taught in Schools Today

***THESE* are amongst the reasons that you should Homeschool your children! ~ *Editor***

Photo by Vitaly Gariev

The evolution of education over the past few decades has been profound. What was once standard curriculum for many students has now faded into memory, replaced by digital devices and tech-centric approaches.

But as we move further into the digital age, it’s worth asking: have we sacrificed some crucial life skills in the process? Let’s explore four key lessons that Baby Boomers were taught in school — skills that today’s students often miss out on. Continue reading →

Kids Don’t Need to Spend So Much Time in School

Get your children OUT of the System – NOW – and keep them OUT!

When most people hear that my siblings and I graduated high school years ahead of normal, scored high on state-standardized tests, and attended top colleges and universities, they generally assume our schooling was extremely strict, long, and arduous.

Our schooling was challenging, but it was never impossible. In fact, I realized only years later how shocking it was that I never recall spending more than two hours a day on schoolwork until high school. Even then, I hardly ever worked on homework during evenings or weekends.

Thus, it boggles my mind how teachers find work for children as young as six or seven years old to do from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Continue reading →

The Surprising Reason Kids Can’t Seem To Read Anymore

Without substantial reading skills, “the risk is that future generations will simply be unable to think as deeply and with as much complexity as in the past.”

One of my daily challenges as a parent is getting my fourth grader to read for 30 minutes as part of her homework.

It’s not because she struggles with her reading skills; she actually reads well-above grade level. Like many kids of her generation, though, my daughter has zero interest in picking up a book. Why would she, when she’s got an iPad offering her nonstop entertainment via videos expertly designed for her short attention span? Continue reading →

United Nations Finally Recognizes Homeschooling — by Demanding Government Ruin It

Homeschooling embodies the basic American principles of self-governance, freedom, and the presumption that families know what is best for their children.

COTTONBRO STUDIO/PEXELS

For decades, families around the world have fought for the freedom to homeschool their children, often against hostile laws, heavy-handed bureaucracies, and, in some cases, outright persecution. I’ve walked alongside many of these families as a global advocate for homeschooling rights, challenging oppressive regimes and urging governments and international institutions to recognize what should be obvious: Parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

That’s why UNESCO’s new report, “Homeschooling Through a Human Rights Lens,” is significant. For the first time, a major United Nations agency has taken homeschooling seriously — not merely as an educational alternative, but as a legitimate expression of the human right to direct the upbringing of one’s children. As a member of the report’s panel of experts, I can attest to the thoughtful and at times tense dialogue that shaped the final document. Continue reading →

The Constitution Is Failing Us — So Let’s Fix It

NOTE: These are amongst the reasons that we strongly recommend Homeschooling! ~ Editor

Get your children OUT of the System – NOW – and keep them OUT!

If there is a silver lining in these dark days for American democracy, it is the pressure test that President Trump and his allies are putting on the Constitution. They are revealing loopholes, gaps and vagueness that let corruption, greed and hate infect the republic.

It’s time to breathe life back into the document and strengthen it. It is not carved in stone. Continue reading →

**Why Parents of ‘Twice-Exceptional’ Children Choose Homeschooling Over Public School**

Homeschooling has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. But researchers are still exploring why parents choose to homeschool their children.

While the decision to homeschool is often associated with religion, a 2023 survey found that the two top reasons people cited as most important were a concern about the school environment, such as safety and drugs, and a dissatisfaction with academic instruction. Continue reading →

The Power and Value of Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes offer priceless tradition, timelessness, and wisdom.

Rhymes remain engraved in the mind, even when many other memories are gone. Biba Kayewich

It would seem logical to begin an essay on nursery rhymes with childhood. But I want to begin instead with old age – or, to be more precise, the link between childhood and old age.

My wife’s grandmother recently passed away. A few days before her passing, my wife and 2-year-old daughter were visiting her and my wife’s mother, and somehow they came to the subject of traditional nursery rhymes. We’d been teaching some to my daughter. My little girl began to prattle away, reciting several rhymes for her grandmother and great-grandmother.

Then something remarkable happened… Continue reading →

The Paper Advantage: Why Reading Print Is Better for Your Brain

Neuroscience shows that how we read – not just what we read – may fundamentally alter our cognitive abilities.

May 25, 1958 edition of Arthur Radebaugh’s Sunday comic, Closer Than We Think. (Image credit: llustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

Your brain on screens is not the same as your brain on books. Neuroscience now shows that when we swap pages for pixels, it’s not just a convenient change of format – we are altering how our brains process and retain information, with significant implications for readers of all ages.

Children with just one book at home are nearly twice as likely to meet literacy and numeracy standards as those without, regardless of income, education, or geography. Beyond developing basic literacy, physical books foster crucial parent-child interactions that build social-emotional and cognitive skills. Continue reading →

~ Comment from a Retired Teacher ~

The following is a commentary which was posted on a column dated February 7, 2025 by a reader to the complete column which I have published on the Federal Observer entitled, The National Assessment of America’s Educational REGRESS. It was written by a retired teacher – but from a personal standpoint – I felt that what you are about to read – was far more POINT BLANK than the column itself. ~ Jeffrey Bennett ~ Editor

Several thoughts come to mind…

1. The teachers unions are strictly unions for the teachers. As a forced member of one of them years ago when I was a teacher you learn very quickly that they are organized to fight for more pay, better benefits, less work and very little accountability for the teachers. They care very little about students and achievement.

2. There are quite a few reasons for the continuing decline of education in America, and too many to write about here, but one of the main reasons is parental involvement and expectations. Too many parents invest little into their kids education and they expect the school to do everything and they have decided that they have nothing to do with their own children’s development. Once again, I could write about my experience in length, but space doesn’t allow it.

3. I left public school and went to private school because I couldn’t with good conscience teach the liberal dogma expected in the classroom. I taught for 29 years in a private Christian school and the expectations in the classroom for teachers, students, admin, and parents was remarkably different.

You ask why private school kids typically score higher on tests and learn at a more aggressive rate, it boils down to those expectations and following through with them.

There are many factors involved, but the unions do little except protect their own at the expense of the students they are expected to teach

William Wallace
February 7, 2025

The Public Has Spoken: School Choice Is the Future

Simply put, the education system as we know it has collapsed into a dysfunctional mess.

Today’s schools teach only the ugliest parts of US history, turning students off from civic engagement. – Shutterstock

If there’s any doubt about that, consider the following 2024 statewide assessments by the Minnesota Department of Education:

* Half (50.1%) of all public school students struggle to read

* Only 47% of 3rd-grade students are proficient in reading

* Only 52% of 10th-grade students are proficient in reading

* More than half (54%) of all public students are not proficient in math

* A mere 35% of 11th-grade students are proficient in math

There are roughly 870,000 students in Minnesota’s public school system. 435,000 struggle to read while nearly 470,000 are not proficient in math. Continue reading →

Being Present With Our Children

Parents who learn alongside their children often share their enthusiasm as well. (LightField Studios/Shutterstock)

Being present and engaged with our children in everyday life is difficult. Our attention is being pulled in a thousand directions! Especially in the modern digital age, parents face more distractions and more demands on our limited time than ever before. It’s enough for parents to feel like throwing up our hands and giving up. Continue reading →

Teaching Children the Joy of Work

Chores bolster children’s self-esteem and prepare them for adulthood.

When kids help with tasks around the house, they learn how to contribute value to their community. Biba Kayewich

For the third time, you start unloading the dishwasher. A few more plates find their home in the cupboard before the cries of the toddler in the other room shatter the silent sanctuary you foolishly attempted to construct. Again.

You hurry to the adjoining room. His tower of blocks has again betrayed him with diabolical malfeasance, collapsing into hopeless ruin – much like your hopes of completing any housework. What to do? Continue reading →

**John Taylor Gatto: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Institutionalised Schooling (1998)**

Some of the REAL reasons to get your kids out of the Public, Government controlled system. ~ Editor

John Taylor Gatto

Thank you so much for posting JTG’s speeches. Compulsory schooling totally destroyed the social fabric in my community. I always knew deep down that it was the primary reason for the falling out of so many relationships.

But family, friends, and therapists kept saying to “just get over it… that’s the way child development works.” It wasn’t until reading Gatto’s book ‘Dumbing US Down’ when I finally felt fully validated. I was able to objectively assess relatives and friends who were way too judgmental about school performance. ~ Catherine Harber

**Robinson: ‘We don’t want’ Federal Education Funds in NC**

“Money, Honey – we don’t want you!”

A Republican candidate for governor, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson says he would reject federal funding for North Carolina schools.. That’s a popular idea among some conservatives, but it could come with a hefty price tag.

Robinson was asked by an attendee what he could do to fight school bureaucracy at the federal level. He said he’d prefer to see the state opt out of federal education funds. Continue reading →

Unschooling: The Radical Education Trend Raising Eyebrows

Some parents are letting their children lead their education

Without direct instruction, will kids pick up reading and math naturally? (Image credit: llustration by Julia Wytrazek)

Since the pandemic, there has been a noticeable surge in homeschooling. Now, a different pedagogical trend called “unschooling” is gaining momentum, sparking controversy and debate online.

In June, spiritual influencer Mami Onami went viral after discussing unschooling or “free schooling” her children. “We don’t teach our children anything,” she said in a TikTok video. “Everything that they learn is in response to either their interest or their questions.” With no set curriculum or school hours, she and her partner “just respond whenever [her kids] wanna know something and do our best to make sure they really get it.” Mami Onami’s declaration has led to backlash on social media, with many commenters questioning her parenting. However, she is not alone in pursuing this alternative route to educating her children. Continue reading →

Public Schools Have No Respect for the Students or Their Parents

Some of us may remember the Helen Lovejoy character in The Simpsons, who would appear any time some catastrophe befell the town and plaintively wail, “Won’t someone please think of the children?!” The joke here, of course, is that as long as you do something in the name of helping children, it must be right, and you must be virtuous.

Such sentiments are easily ridiculed in cartoons, but unfortunately, they take root in reality like Russian knapweed despite copious evidence undermining their veracity. Consider your own government-school experiences, whether as a student, parent, or interested observer: Continue reading →

How to Fix American Education: The Parallel Education System

Millions of Americans have woken up to the fact that their education system is rotten to the core. As elite universities are engulfed by antisemitic riots, their veil of prestige has been torn to shreds. It is by now clear to many that, in the words of Christopher Rufo, the radical left has conquered everything.

What, then, is to be done? Many, Rufo included, are doing their best to stem the tide of revolutionary ideology through direct political engagement. Their hard work is paying off. In recent months, universities are beginning to move away from mandatory diversity statements. This is just the beginning…
Continue reading →

Homeschoolers Don’t Need Government Regulation

Since 2020, the number of families participating in homeschooling has increased significantly, and with it, discussions about regulations. Currently, regulations of homeschoolers are a state-by-state phenomenon, with Pennsylvania and New York among the states with the most regulations and Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma with the least. Examples of regulations include requiring parents to submit a letter of intent to homeschool prior to removing their children from the classroom, having teaching qualifications, teaching specific subjects, having evidence of vaccinations, schooling each child for a certain number of hours, and more.

One of the many reasons for the push for regulations has to do with the desire to protect children from isolation, educational neglect, and other more-violent forms of abuse. Continue reading →

Streitel: Public Schools Have No Respect for the Students or Their Parents

Some of us may remember the Helen Lovejoy character in The Simpsons, who would appear any time some catastrophe befell the town and plaintively wail, “Won’t someone please think of the children?!”

The joke here, of course, is that as long as you do something in the name of helping children, it must be right, and you must be virtuous.

Such sentiments are easily ridiculed in cartoons, but unfortunately, they take root in reality like Russian knapweed despite copious evidence undermining their veracity. Consider your own government-school experiences, whether as a student, parent, or interested observer… Continue reading →