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Snowflake70
(@snowflake70)
Posts: 23
Eminent Member
Topic starter
 

There is/are several discussions 'about' concerning the past, present and future of our county schools, students, teachers, and administration. In response to an ongoing conversation I am exposed to I threw my 2 cents in for reflection (below.) I only offer it as a starting point for this category. For this website/forum to be of value - like our Country being dependent on a participatory electorate, people involved must make their knowledge, opinions and voices known to others in their community...."in my humble opinion, a.k.a "imho")

I have no children in or out of school. I have never been a parent.
I have for at least a couple decades understood the fundamental reason why 
quality education is critical to the advancement of this nation. Mostly due to watching
it's decline.
Most recently I have been listening to the argument about the parents role in their children's
education and reflect on my father being the head of the PTA in Smith River. I went to one
meeting, not certain of why (age 6 or 7). As I remember it, there were two other ladies and two 
teachers of other grades. The principal was there. Smith River school at the time may have had,
K-8, 9 teachers and about 200 students, (very active community: logging, fishing and lilies, American Legion, Kiwanis).
 
With the attendance at a district meeting being cited as pathetic I can only imagine respective
school PTA meetings being equally anemic if they happen at all.  Which leads me to wonder how and what
"parents" could contribute to their child's education "IF" they were involved?  My parents (a truck driver
and a waitress mother) were fairly well read. We had a large library of books and they were very
supportive of my schooling. Both of them made learning and discovering things an adventure. I later 
volunteered each year for high school summer school when a lot of kids were content to be out of school.
In effect they 'led by example.' 
 
TODAY because of the declining trend in education that has been going on for the last 30 years, today's
parents are of such a quality I feel their involvement might actually be detrimental. The only qualities
they could bring to the table might be, apathy, non-involvement, ignorance, and more than one of the 7 deadly
sins.  I suspect this might be insulting to the vast numbers of parents that would read this but until
the demonstrate otherwise I'll stand with it.  It is the proverbial double edge sword. The homes in which
the children who live in them are sick, the school they go to is sick and the children are the product.
 
To be fair there are always the exceptions. I see the very fit kids on the football fields, in all kinds
of weather as they have always done. They are not all obese.  I am certain there are scholastic gymnasts
that get good grades in math, science, the arts, English and the trade classes. However, each school from Smith River to Klamath is a community within itself. Children talk among themselves. They talk about their parents, they
talk about their teachers. They talk about TV and they talk about the internet. But I suspect rarely if ever
to they talk about their "community" - -the one outside their house, school, TV and the internet. They 
don't talk about Smith River, Crescent City, Gasquet, Fort Dick, (well maybe they do), or Klamath. 
 
I find it interesting that there are adults (parents, former parents or not) interested in the quality, corruption
and/or performance of the school system without hearing a single voice from the students. I think they
need/deserve a voice.  While they may not know how bad things are (living in a bubble syndrome) there 
are likely many who do. There are always children who hate going to school to begin with. Many will like
one class or teacher and dispise another. Perhaps it's time they were asked how school life is.
 
 
Posted : 17/10/2021 3:07 am
(@israelny)
Posts: 48
Eminent Member
 

Jamie is correct in his regard towards Public Education let alone it's disinterest in the local community.  It's rule, the National Education Association, clearly states it's goal is to equip students towards an interdependent world. It was not always this way:The NEA, originally on the conservative side of U.S. politics, by the 1970s emerged as a factor in modern American liberalism.[8] While the NEA has a stated position of "non-partisan", it almost exclusively supports the Democratic Party.[9] Conservatives, libertarians, and parents' rights groups have criticized the NEA's progressive positions (wikipedia).  Alas, as this interconnected world becomes more apparent, so to is the disconnect from most forms of classical education.  As Jamie suggests, are students being suppressed regarding their views and feelings regarding their education and discouraged from participating in their community.  One would think so.

 
Posted : 17/10/2021 9:17 pm
Aaron Guzman
(@aaron-guzman)
Posts: 139
Estimable Member
 

I have a 5-month old son, and so I am already making preparations to homeschool him. The current state of affairs in our country and in our school system--coupled with the overall degradation of public education as a whole--makes this a very easy decision for me. Though, I am fully aware, the road will not be an easy one.

 

You bring up some very good points--some of which are rarely discussed in the context of homeschooling. Some of these points include:

 

  • The challenge and efficacy of parents homeschooling their children
  • The need for parents to "lead by example"
  • The apathy of parents and the community at large as it pertains to the actions of the school board
  • Lack of student focus on the local community
  • The need for a student voice in the debate

 

 

In regards to the challenge facing parents who choose to homeschool, I certainly realize it is a daunting proposition. For parents, this means "going back to school" themselves, reeducating themselves and revisiting the old disciplines of mathematics, analytical writing, and the sciences. It is also a significant time commitment. Like any teacher, this time commitment extends not only to "school time" with your children, but also all the remedial education and preparation time that is required to get the job done.

 

The commitment is also steeply economic. Everyone has to survive the fractured economy in which we live. Time spent educating your children is time not spent working. Many people cannot survive this income shortfall. There are also costs involved--books, educational materials and more. Thus, parents are required to be proficient jugglers and keep the dynamics of life in a constant balancing act.

 

In regards to the efficacy of a parent's educational skills, this will always be a mixed bag. No two sets of parents will ever have the same abilities, nor have the same experience to draw from. Perhaps what is most important is for parents to enshrine and prioritize their values in the educational process, rather than focusing exclusively on being a good academic. I think that good values will generally lead to good outcomes. For those that feel they are lacking academically, there are resources out there to make up for any deficits.

 

This also applies to the "lead by example" philosophy. If more parents, and people in general, were to live their lives according to this notion of personally accountability, the world would almost certainly be a much better place. But for the sake of this discussion, perhaps this idealism should be reserved simply for parents that choose to homeschool. I think just getting in the saddle and making the decision to homeschool is a step in the right direction.

 

Obviously, apathetic parents who are not committed to homeschool are also unlikely to take much interest in their school board functions. Likewise, most parents that have moved away from the school system in order to homeschool are unlikely to commit much time or energy to these functions either. This doesn't leave much of an audience or oversight group to rein in these school boards. If one were inclined to rouse the community to take part in school board proceedings, it seems that the appeal should be financial. That is, make the community aware that their taxes fund the actions of the local school system, and utmost effort should be applied to eliminate waste and save money for local households.

 

In the meantime, pressure should be put on the local board to follow suit with the Pennsylvania School Board Association:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/10/final-straw-pennsylvania-school-board-association-votes-unanimously-end-membership-nsba-biden-letter-asked-parents-classified-domestic-terrorists/

 

We also need to account for the fact that much of the current detachment from local government functions is also due to the "Covid Effect": the mandates, the masks, the social distancing, forced zoom meetings, and the elimination of the public square. As a result, public officials act and dictate with impunity. The landscape has been made even rockier now that the federal government is weaponizing the FBI against parents that challenge their school boards.

 

I think it is wise to grant a wider berth to students and their perspectives. In the past, this function was generally facilitated by student government. Conscientious students that took an active interest in the functions of the school and education at large were able to communicate with school boards, parents, and the general community in a clear and organized manner. This conscientiousness is facilitated by "thinking at home": having students focus on issues that immediately affect their lives and local communities. But we generally do not see this level of participation from students, largely because the focus has been forcibly shifted away from "thinking at home" in exchange for global social justice crusades.

 

So while I think it is worthwhile to listen to the perspectives of students in the current educational environment, we should fortify ourselves and our value-positions knowing that much of desired focus on local issues and personal education will be watered down with Marxist thinking.

 

In short, I think parents like myself that choose to homeschool have a hard road ahead of them. As time progresses, this road will almost certainly become more difficult. Governments seek control of their citizenry, and homeschooling represents resistance to these controls.

 

As the saying goes, "resistance to tyranny is obedience to God". There is nothing in this world more important than freedom, especially as it pertains to how we raise our children and govern our own households. These will be among the many values I build my child's education upon.

"Illigitime non carborundum"
"Don't let the bastards grind you down"

 
Posted : 18/10/2021 2:53 am
MGG
 MGG
(@mgg)
Posts: 161
Estimable Member
 

"BOO!"

 
Posted : 18/10/2021 4:57 am
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A guide, on finding a man who has lost his way, brings him back to the right path—he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off. You also must show the unlearned man the truth, and you will see that he will follow. But so long as you do not show it to him, you should not mock, but rather feel your own incapacity.

Epictetus

 

 

 

Do not rely on following the degree of understanding that you have discovered, but simply think, “This is not enough”.

Tsunetomo Yamamoto