Category Archives: Perspectives

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

Minick: 4 Ways to Inoculate Your Children Against Marxism

Do these things with love, and the torch of American liberty will never be extinguished.

In 2007, President George W. Bush dedicated a memorial in Washington DC to the 100 million people murdered by communism over the past century. Here is a portion of what he offered in remembrance of those victims:

“They include innocent Ukrainians starved to death in Stalin’s Great Famine or Russians killed in Stalin’s purges; Lithuanians and Latvians and Estonians loaded onto cattle cars and deported to Arctic death camps of Soviet communism. They include Chinese killed in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution; Cambodians slain in Pol Pot’s Killing Fields; East Germans shot attempting to scale the Berlin Wall in order to make it to freedom; Poles massacred in the Katyn Forest and Ethiopians slaughtered in the ‘Red Terror’; Miskito Indians murdered by Nicaragua’s Sandinista dictatorship; and Cuban balseros who drowned escaping tyranny.”
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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

Bennett: Stepping Up ~ A Guide for High School Graduates Transitioning to the Workforce

 

Graduating from high school marks a significant milestone in your life, opening up a multitude of avenues for your future. As you stand on the threshold of the professional world, it is crucial to make informed choices that reflect your personal interests and capabilities. This transition can be smooth and successful with a structured approach to career planning. In this article from Metropolis.Café, you will discover how to align your passions with viable career options, develop essential skills, and effectively present yourself to potential employers. 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

Bennett: Think, Experiment, Learn ~ Creative STEM Enhancements for Your Classroom

Maintaining a leading edge in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines is essential in the ever-evolving world of education. As you tackle the complexities of teaching these subjects, it’s crucial to continuously discover and adopt innovative strategies that engage and inspire your students. This Metropolis.Café article delves into various practical techniques to rejuvenate and enhance STEM learning in your classroom, aiming to transform both the teaching experience and student outcomes.  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…
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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

Seese: Did the Founders Understand the Constitution?

Is the above just a stupid question? Did our founders, the ones who hammered out the Constitution of the United States, several of whom became presidents, fail to understand the Constitution of the United States of America? Why would anyone even ask a question like that?

Because either the Founders misunderstood the Constitution they drafted and the states ratified, or the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is clueless as to the meaning and intent of the Constitution and our founders, as is evidenced by the order to Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, to remove the Ten Commandments from public premises.

That makes the title question valid. Either the Founders had no idea what they meant, or the federal courts and the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has invented another document out of what our forefathers wrote, and meant when it was written!  Continue reading

Making a Case for Cursive

Recently, I asked my fifth graders if they enjoyed writing in cursive. Students at the all-boys Catholic school where I work start training in cursive penmanship in third grade, so my students had been practicing it for the better part of three years. I expected them to say that it is boring, that they do not like it, but they all said that they preferred cursive to printing. Continue reading

The Inspiring Front Lines of the 20th-Century Homeschool Revolution

          “We’re having a Revolution uh-huh…”

When she was a young girl, Sandra Day O’Connor began her education at home. Her early years of schooling on an Arizona ranch were sitting at the kitchen table with her mother, learning to read, and taking long nature walks.

I read this, and this scene of serenity, this future Supreme Court Justice, beginning her education at home, formed an image in my mind of what might be possible. Continue reading

The Side of Homeschooling We Don’t Talk About Enough

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

Dickens: ‘Merkan Edukashun

         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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Bennett: Top Ideas for Imaginative Indoor Kid Fun

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

The Only Good One Is a Closed One: No Reform of Government Schools

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

Annie ~ A 1944 Prescription for Teaching Students the Principles of Good Citizenship

Here’s how to turn students into responsible citizens.

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

Phones Are Distracting Students in Class. More States Are Pressing Schools to Ban Them

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