-Caveat Lector- It's Time to Abandon Our Public Schools By David Alan Black
'Get 'em out, and get 'em out now!' That's the message coming from Christian leaders nation-wide. But non-Christians as well as Christians are getting the point: It's time to take our kids out of public schools. Two leaders in the movement to abandon government schools are Marshall Fritz of the Alliance for the Separation of School and State and Rev. E. Ray Moore of the Exodus Mandate. Rev. Moore has written a manifesto entitled Let My Children Go, which is must reading for parents who still operate under the illusion that our public schools are salvageable. In fact, according to Moore the phrase 'public school' is a misnomer since the term implies that these schools serve and are answerable to the public. Far from it, he says. They answer to government bureaucrats, pure and simple. If you want schools that truly serve the public, try private or Christian schools that operate independently of Uncle Sam. The facts are in: Public schools are beyond reform and redemption. It costs American tax payers half a trillion dollars a year to teach young people to read and write. And the result? In Massachusetts, 60 percent of college graduates flunk the teacher-qualification exam. Most of those taking the exam are products of compulsory government education. After 150 years of tax-financed schooling, we see more and more children failing to grow into responsible, caring, competent adults. This is not to deny that there are some good teachers who are trying to make a difference. But as I see it, that's precisely the problem. The people in the public school system who have the least influence are the teachers themselves. The system has been strangled by laws, rules, and court orders that have paralyzed teachers and local administrators into inaction. Their reasoning is, 'Why should I risk a lawsuit or being fired by rocking the boat?' What to do, then? First, recognize that public schools are not value-neutral. Government education is an intentional [and highly effective] effort by anti-theists to lead our children away from their parents and from the church. That the prevailing philosophies and methodologies of American public education are leftist is not up for debate. Leftists have dominated the federal Department of Education, most state Departments of Education, the teachers' unions, and many teachers colleges and education foundations for decades. Most rank and file teachers know this, but the situation is so deplorable that they dare not speak out. Moreover, government schools have become killing grounds, especially for Christian children. Both the Columbine murders and those that occurred in West Paducah, Kentucky, are evidence that Christian students are prime targets of violence. Second, consider a private Christian school. Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries has long championed Christian schools as alt ernat ives to the public school system. The problem here, of course, is defining what 'Christian' means. Just baptizing a secular educational approach with Christian terms doesn't guarantee that a truly biblical worldview is being taught. Finally, why not try homeschooling? My wife and I did, and let me tell you—it works! In fact, for more than three full lifetimes—the 220 years from the 1620s to the 1840s—American schooling was independent of government control, subsidy, and influence. From this educational freedom the American Republic was born. I can think of at least six reasons to homeschool: God intended parents to be the primary educators of their children [see Deut. 6:7-9.] We simply cannot trust the government to educate them for us; neither should we let the government take them from us. The family suffers when children are not educated at home. The way to destroy the family is by separating children from their parents. Government schools are constantly coming up with ways of undermining parental authority and bypassing parental responsibility. Homeschooled children do better academically. No doubt about it—the smaller the student-to-teacher ratio, the better the academic product. In fact, studies have shown that the longer a child is homeschooled, the significantly higher are his scores on standardized tests. Homeschooling produces the best socialization. Positive socialization does not come from spending twelve years with one's same age group, but from growing up in a loving and disciplined environment under the nurture of one's parents. Again, the studies are in: Homeschooled children show higher levels in adaptability, social adjustment, and maturity, and lower levels in aggressive behavior, loudness, and competitiveness. Homeschoolers are more independently minded and more family oriented. They are less peer dependent, and much less government dependent. Homeschooling rises above the common morals of our society and produces the best values. Homeschooled children respect peers, parents, elders, and authorities; and they don't join gangs. Homeschooling helps us parents, too! We never learn anything so well as when we teach it ourselves. By homeschooling you can finally master the math you never learned in school, the foreign language you always wanted to speak, the history you were never taught, and the science you learned from a completely secular point of view. I know what some of you are thinking: 'We don't have enough time or money to homeschool, and even if we did we don't feel adequate to teach our own kids.' The fact is: You do have enough time and money [if you willing to make home education a priority,] and you can teach effectively [there are hundreds of resources available today that will help you do that.] If you are struggling with these questions and want some helpful advice, I recommend Lewis Goldberg's 'The Time for Secession Has Come [...from the Public Schools, that is]' His suggestions are extremely practical and are sufficient, I believe, to convince even the most skeptical parent that homeschooling is not only possible but also the best alternative to sending our children to government indoctrination centers. Meanwhile, don't be fooled by the government's mantra, 'Give us more money and we will do the job.' Unless you see the federal Department of Education abolished, you will know the reforms are a sham. Parents, the Bible clearly mandates that you are responsible for your children's education. Do you really want them to adopt the anti-Christian, socialistic, pro-homosexual beliefs being taught in the public schools? If you don't, it's time to 'get 'em out.' Born and raised in Hawaii, David Alan Black is currently Professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He is the author of over 100 journal articles and 20 books, including The Myth of Adolescence and Learn to Read New Testament Greek. His Doctor of Theology degree is from the University of Basel in Switzerland, and he has lectured in Korea, India, Germany, Holland, Spain, and [most recently] at the Universities of Oxford and Leeds. He is a frequent speaker for churches, school groups, Sons of Confederate Veterans camps, and other organizations. An avid horseman and Civil War reenactor, he and his family live on a farm near Clarksville, Virginia. Both of his sons were homeschooled through high school. Mr. Black may be reached for comment at [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------- -iNFoWaRZ Public Education is the Tenth Plank Of The Communist Manifesto: FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Paid for by another Plank of the Communist Manifesto: Property Tax. Wake up America. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/ctrl@;listserv.aol.com/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/ctrl@;listserv.aol.com/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
