Category Archives: Perspectives

R. Bennett: Building Lifelong Money Habits by Modeling Smart Choices at Home

For busy parents juggling work, school schedules, and household bills, parenting and money education can feel like one more thing to get right. The hard part is that children’s money habits aren’t shaped mainly by “money talks,” but by the quiet, repeated family financial behaviors kids watch at home. Every grocery decision, savings choice, and careful “we can’t afford that” moment turns parents into financial role models, whether or not it’s intentional. With a clearer view of home financial modeling, families can build a money culture kids absorb naturally.

Understanding Financial Socialization at Home

Financial socialization is the simple way kids learn what money “means” by observing how their family handles it day to day. They notice patterns, not speeches: how you plan, spend, save, and respond to surprises. Over time, those repeated cues shape their money attitudes, like whether money feels stressful, manageable, or worth planning for. Continue reading →

**7 Things American Schools Stopped Teaching That Kids Still Need!**

The following piece is not one that I would usually publish as it relates more to Public Schools – however – there are lessons included that should still relate to Homeschooling. ~ Editor

“Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous nonsense they are teaching our children”. ~ Mr. Thomas Sowell

School used to come with a little more survival built into the walls. Kids learned how to read a long chapter without checking their phones, balance a checkbook without panicking, and cook something beyond noodles.

Write a thank-you note, debate without melting down, and maybe even fix a wobbly chair before declaring it “broken forever.” Continue reading →

The Real Reason America Created Public Schools – It Had Nothing to Do With Education

“The real reason America created public schools… had nothing to do with education.” It’s a bold claim – but the truth is more complex, and far more interesting than the headline suggests.

Public education in the United States began taking shape in the 19th century, especially during the Common School Movement led by Horace Mann. His goal wasn’t to avoid education – it was to expand it. At the time, schooling was inconsistent, often private, and inaccessible to many families. Public schools were created to provide free, basic education to all children, regardless of social class. Continue reading →

Does Cursive Writing Boost Brain Development and Make Us Smarter?

Despite the rapid pace of the digital age, it’s still too soon to toss the paper and pen. Actually, you may never want to stop writing for good as long as you want to further develop your brain.

In an age of keyboards and touch-screens, some might argue that teaching cursive is a vestigial nicety in today’s classrooms. Even handwriting, much less cursive writing, is neglected in the national curriculum guidelines supported by 45 states… Continue reading →

**Bennett: How to Help Your Child Build Confidence and Independence for Life!**

Parents of school-age children often see the same puzzle at home and at school: a capable kid hesitates, melts down over mistakes, or waits to be rescued. The tension is real, adult support can steady children’s emotional development, but too much steering can quietly teach doubt. Child self-confidence matters because it becomes the engine behind lifelong success traits like persistence, decision-making, and healthy risk-taking. With the right parental support strategies, confidence grows into everyday independence. Continue reading →

**Bennett: Practical Strategies to Thrive as a Single Parent Managing Everyday Challenges!**

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

Single parents, especially working caregivers and educators balancing lesson plans, grading, and home life, often carry a load that rarely fits neatly on a calendar. The core tension is constant: the emotional challenges of parenting don’t pause when the paycheck is tight, and the financial struggles in single parenthood don’t wait for a convenient moment.

Daily parenting responsibilities stack up fast, turning ordinary decisions into high-stakes choices and small setbacks into single-parent stress. Naming these child-rearing obstacles matters because it replaces guilt with clarity and makes room for steadier, more workable days. Continue reading →

Johnson ~ Promises Broken: Just a Shell Game

Once again, a commitment made by President Trump and the congressional candidates who rode his coat tails and campaigned on his MAGA platform has gone unfulfilled. In fact, they’ve done the exact opposite.

Many of us voted to “Make America Great Again,” thinking that it included getting the federal government out of education. But the recent increased funding and continuation of the Department of Education is doing just the opposite.

As a former member of the Colorado State Board of Education, I witnessed firsthand how the flood of federal dollars never translated into meaningful academic improvements. Instead, it mostly funded bureaucratic programs, trendy initiatives and endless compliance requirements that did little or nothing to boost actual classroom learning or student achievement. Continue reading →

**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 →