It is not only the fortunes of men which are equal in America: I do not believe there is a country in the world where, in proportion to the population, there are so few uninstructed and at the same time so few learned individuals. Primary instruction is within the reach of everybody; superior instruction is scarcely to be obtained by any.
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, P 57
How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again! (Mark Twain)
Piece of Mindful 
The goal of a docile but productive population is to train the masses to work competently, but unable to critically think for themselves. Any moderate decision must be passed to ‘management’ and independent thinking is strongly discouraged.
This training is fundamental in public school. Sit down. Be quiet. Give the prescribed answer as taught in book. Learn to be passive for 7 hours, while sitting in rock-hard chairs listening to a drone.
Further, in history – it was leisure time that education and learning took place. “School” comes from Ancient Greek word for “leisure”.
Today, leisure for the masses is watching the “Simpsons” or Football or “Desperate Housewives”
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Man – you and I agree on so much.
Have you read anything by John Taylor Gatto? He’s one from the trenches of the New York City school system who could have written your words above
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Yes, we do agree almost all the time – except for a specific set of cause/effect scenarios….:)
Yes, Gatto is a legend.
I survived the trench warfare of public school. By any measure, it was a overwhelming success – superstar student, etc. I thought I enjoyed school.
A few years after I was freed from that jail of schooling, it hit me.
It was the worst time of my young life.
I was horrifically bored, my teachers were morons and many of them actively tried to undermine me, and everything I learned in those years I had taught myself except the bad habits – that they taught me well!
I’ve been out of school 3x longer than I was in it. And still, come end of every July, I still get the ‘start of school’ depression and anxiety! It is so permanently burned into me. (In compensation, though, I also get the late June – excitement and high of feeling of freedom …Summer Holiday’s!!)
I refused to allow my child to suffer the same. Hence, she hasn’t spent one day in any school, and never has written one school test in her life.
Last month, she participated in an online test – organized like a contest – that offered an opportunity to measure her skills through a series of fun tasks, online search, discovery, complex mathematics calculations, and reading comprehension – with 1545 other kids in her “Grade level” – though she is typically younger than what a student in that grade would be.
She came in 5th.
Now, she isn’t a genius – she is a very good, average kid – who loves to play all day – but we call it home schooling.
It works.
Too bad so many parents find themselves trapped by the myth of commercialism and consumerism – needing to double income – and saddled with the belief they are not smart enough to teach their own kids.
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Mark, I posit to you that you are nothing more than a word sponge; someone who reads the great thoughts of others and incorporates those into the mythology you hold of yourself. You’re hardly more than a name-dropper, quoting at will and embracing whatever wisdom is handed to you in support of your self image, whether you understand it or not.
de Tocqueville is absolutely wrong. He’s dead now. You know that, right? He’s been dead since the middle of the 19th century, which means he imparts jack-all wisdom to modern America. Very few countries on the planet have as much available access to higher education as Americans have. Whether that means “superior instruction” or not is specifically up to the given subject and object to be obtained. You obviously got an education, for which you pat yourself on the back constantly. Funny that, I doubt you did all that much to get it, as evidenced by the fact that your education is one of reading and spouting what you’ve read. Bully for you. You’ve obtained “superior instruction”, which has left you completely incapable of critical thinking. I would say that isn’t uncommon at all, as Alexis postulates. It’s rather common, in fact. You are nothing more than a FOX news watcher with a different set of inputs. You build a mythos about yourself based on your difference from others, when in fact you are hardly that different at all. That is precisely why more than half of your “wisdom” is based on faulty (and laughable) assumptions.
Black flag:
Do you care to prove that assumption? I can think of multiple reasons why parents would chose to send their kids to public school that have nothing to do with lack of faith in themselves. After all, I bet dollars to donuts that Mark sent his children to school and they came out okay. Are you saying that Mark felt incapable of educating his kids? Why yes, that’s exactly what you said. There is no “myth” to needing a dual income for those who need such. And home schooling is terrific, as long as publicly funded libraries help the sorry folks who feel that surge of pride in ‘doing it on their own’. Hah. There is no superiority in home schooling, nor is there any failure in public schooling. My advice to you is to not tear your shoulder while patting yourself on the back. I’d hate to have to pay for your ass going through the emergency room.
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Blah blah blah. Did I mention overbearing and boring?
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What part, sir, do you dispute?
Is it that there are two-income families?
Or that myths exist?
Or that I feel consumerism is a poor life style choice and would counsel something else?
Your complaint is vague and ill-defined. Please try again.
I am sure there are lots of reasons – if you’d read my post, I did not discount them either.
But I also know the reasons that I offered also are the case as well.
Lots of kids are ok.
But ok is not good nor best.
I don’t think I mentioned Mark at all. Are you sure you read my post, or do you typically make things up as you go along?
You obviously have no experience of homeschooling. Thus, your statements about it are without value.
No claim to superiority.
But there is great failure in public schooling.
Yes, I am sure you hate a lot of things in your life.
But fear not, sir, you have no cause to hate about any payments in my favor. You bear none. I work hard to keep it that way.
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Actually, Mr. “Flag”, I’ve helped home schoolers before. One of the things I’ve helped teach kids is how to recognize a lie. When you claim that many people are “saddled with the belief they are not smart enough to teach their own kids”, you’re lying.
Further, you claim failure in public schooling, but then claim that you aren’t promoting the superiority of homeschooling, when you obviously are. What is the failure? You haven’t shown jack. That’s not just a lie; that’s actually kinda stupid. Were you home-schooled? And if you weren’t, then how are you qualified to know about the benefits of home schooling? If you were, then how can know anything about public schooling, save what filters through your personal arrogance?
You can’t have it both ways, Mr. “Flag”. Either home schooling is superior because there is a failing in the public schools, or it isn’t. If you think both thesis are true, as you’ve just stated, then you obviously were educated in public schools, because holding contradictory beliefs is kind of idiotic. And as you’ve indicated, that only can come from public schools …
ps, please don’t call me “sir”. I’m not a knight.
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You are obviously ignorant.
Since many parents have repeated such a comment to me, I stand behind my comment.
Since you appear that you do not understand English, yet seem to communicate in it as if it was your native tongue, I call you ignorant for your purposeful misunderstanding of my words.
It appears that you are unable to hold two concurrent concepts in your mind at the same time.
The evidence is ample on even a mediocre search through google archives.
My evaluation is held by more than myself singly; it is very common opinion of education professionals and others.
Yes, and No. (Yes, I know that will utterly confuse your weak intelligence).
I educated myself almost exclusively. My time in ‘school’ was a waste. The best it taught me was bad habits.
Because I home school.
It appears that you do not read posts at all, do you?
Unlike you, I seem to have experience.
I can have both ways, and any way I chose.
Your inability to hold two concurrent thoughts in your head is not my problem.
You have revealed that you have no concept of what ‘contradictory’ means.
I can understand the past posts of Mark regarding you. I initially felt he was harsh.
I now find that Mark was actually quite accurate in his portrayal of you.
I retract my offering of congeniality to you, mister.
You are a troll.
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Assuming Wulfgar actually reads anything before speaking,
Government Schools Are Bad for Your Kids: What You Need to Know (Paperback)
~ James Ostrowski
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