Posted on 02/06/2005 5:33:41 AM PST by FlyLow
The man who helped push the issue of public education onto the national agenda of the Southern Baptist Convention has written a new book that blows the lid off government schools, showing parents the kind of worldview and values their children are influenced by 180 days a year.
Bruce Shortt, author of "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools," presents myriad reasons why government institutions are failing America's children and thumbing their noses at parents with a religious worldview.
As WorldNetDaily reported, last year Shortt helped spearhead an unsuccessful effort to have the Southern Baptist Convention pass a resolution urging its members to remove their children from public school.
In "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools," Shortt, writing from a biblical perspective, presents rigorous research about the agenda and effect of government schooling on the nation's young people.
Shortt especially wants to educate Christian parents, millions of whom send their kids off to public school every day.
"Contrary to what many Christians have been led to believe, there is no such thing as a 'neutral' education," Shortt writes. "All education is religious and conveys a worldview, and there is no more important decision that we make as parents than how we educate our children."
Continues Shortt: "Unfortunately, Christian parents allow an aggressively anti-Christian institution to form the minds of their children, and the fruit of that choice is bitter. The overwhelming majority of children from evangelical families leave the church within two years after they graduate from high school; only 9 percent of evangelical teens believe that there is any such thing as absolute moral truth; and, our children are being forcibly indoctrinated to believe that homosexual behavior is acceptable."
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
Yes. What better use would there be?
Indeed! But that requires forgoing money/career/fame/luxury/wealth/etc. which many are simply unwilling to part with.
Their choices have been made. Ironically, it's always long afterwards that they regret their decisions.
I went to Catholic schools most of my life. I went to a seminary for high school. This is my disclaimer that I am talking about vicarious experience.
When I was in high school there was a public school, in fact the one servicing the district where I was raised. It was and is Washburn High School. In those days it was highly, make that HIGHLY regarded as a school that could compete with the best prep schools in the country for educating the lads and lasses. I have two brothers that graduated from Washburn. One of them studied Latin, among the arts and sciences required in those days. This at a "Public School."
A high percentage of public school kids in those days went on to "higher" education, probably nearly as high as the percentage of my seminary classmates. Furthermore, they competed quite nicely, thank you, with the likes of me. I'm no erudite paragon, but the same holds true with most of my classmates.
So. Why the need to change? And why can't "educators" look at the results and see that something is so wrong today that many people connected with the public schools should be jailed for grand theft every time they collect a paycheck?
It seems that many schools today are more interested in indoctrinating their students than imparting academic knowledge because it's easier to BS students than teach them English grammar for instance.
I'm actually under the impression that some educrats are actually under the impression that possessing academic knowledge is elitist.
We had a superintendent in my county say that learning historical facts was unimportant, but he wanted to "educate the whole child." That's pretty scary. I don't know where these people get their ideas -- from Marc and Hillary perhaps.
Thankfully, there is now a revival of classical education in both private schools and charter schools -- Latin included.
Home schooling is great. It takes much less time. No homework dragged into family time. To spend your evenings un-teaching your kids: 1) It is homework time; 2)it is family time; 3)kids never tell you til months later all that has gone on in school anyway; 4) you are just picking up the pieces. Anyone who is interested in homeschooling, DO IT. The fruits are wonderful.
EXACTLY. I agree completely. And the parent has the option of how influential they will be with their kids, regardless of the choice of schooling. I AM a homeschooler and a member of an SBC congregation, but I think it's ludicrous to say those who choose to send their kids to this school or that one are SINNING. Good grief! We're all doing the best we can - let's focus on that.
But on a more fundamental issue, why did you excerpt this? World Net Daily is not on the list.
I'll disagree, if "we" includes some parents I know. They may doing the best they can, but only within a set of presuppositions; the basic one being, gov't schools is the only option.
Until one gets out of that box, and think it out, I say "we" have not done the best we can.
We are homeschoolers. My boys have friends who are homeschooled and those who are not. While all are welcome in my home, guess who are the preferred.
Any idea why?
Lazy and overwhelmed by the daily demands of work and home and family. Also, private education is not the norm, the minute your kids leave the public school arena you have crossed the Tiber into an education that has not been sanitized, pasteurized and homogenized by the textbook companies, educationists, and fearful, elected School Boards.
Interesting posting, but there's more to the story. As someone who was messed up by attending public schools, I hope to do my own public posting after I've completed my research.
Spot on!
I've got kids in a public school, and everything's ok - because we're involved.
I've got a 2nd grader reading at an advanced 4th grade level, and a kindergartener reading at pretty close to the same level. Teacher gives the rest of the K class 6 page books. They send her to read with the advanced 1st grade class, and she comes home and reads things like The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
They're both also learning Spanish, and we keep them involved in things like Scouts, YMCA sports/camps, etc.
My kids are succeeding because WE are helping them to succeed.
Relying on, or trusting any school (secular or not) to do the bulk of the work in teaching your child is just plain stupid. It's not their ultimate responsibility, it's ours.
Although I graduated from a public high school, all but 2 years of my schooling were in "private" schools. I can uneqivocally say there was very little difference in what I had to deal with at Christian school as opposed to public. I love my parents, but they assumed (incorrectly) that they were protecting me by putting me in a Christian school. I knew where to get drugs in either institution had I wanted them, as well as any number of things. My point is: no school is the answer. Parent involvement is the answer, whether that takes the form of homeschooling or not. There are plenty of homeschooled kids I know that I would NOT want in my house. Their parents let them do whatever they want at home and so assume they can do the same in my house. They are little hellions. And there are plent of PS kids that I have worked with at AWANA's and Children's Choir at my church who behave entirely better. I'd take them anyday. All goes back to the beginning - the parents. I'm pinging a fellow HSer to this because she may have stuff to add!
As a born again Christian, I'm about worn out from all these so called Christian leaders telling me about how sinful everything is...they are truly the taliban of the right....we should remember it's by by faith and not works...Gods grace frees us from those burdens that so called leaders keep trying to give back to us..
To some extent I agree with you. I consider public screwels though like the front lines of a war. While the enemy may still be the enemy and is the one *really* at fault, I am not going to send my children in there, no matter how good a parent I might be. Part of being a good parent is NOT sending them there, working hard to send them elsewhere, or home schooling. IMHO of course.
ping
Home schooling is great. It takes much less time. No homework dragged into family time. To spend your evenings un-teaching your kids: 1) It is homework time; 2)it is family time; 3)kids never tell you til months later all that has gone on in school anyway; 4) you are just picking up the pieces. Anyone who is interested in homeschooling, DO IT. The fruits are wonderful.
AMEN! We're in our 9th year now, and I wouldn't trade it for anything! We need about 4 hours three days a week and 2 or so the other two to get all our work done. But we have the freedom to go more or less, depending on projects, volunteer work, jobs, unplanned but totally educational happenings, etc. And evenings are for the family! We only spend about $700 total a year for all three of our high schoolers. And the peace that comes with one parent home all day to manange things is a true blessing! No, we don't have a car payment. No, we don't eat out. No, we don't take fancy vacations. No, we don't shop at Old Navy. So what? The blessings and benefits FAR outweigh the negatives.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.