| It's 5:30 a.m. on a summer day. I should be | | | | our then first-grader is supposedly likely to kill |
| sleeping like the rest of the world, ensconced in a | | | | himself, he could be a danger to others, yada |
| woolly blanket of certitude that there is no work | | | | yada. So we take him to his first shrink, who |
| today, only vacation. But I can't really sleep. It's | | | | pronounces him normal but unusually imaginative |
| the first day of school, you see.There is an old | | | | and, surprise, verbally gifted, and says that the |
| theory of learning that says education isn't about | | | | boy was just acting out something he heard. We |
| teaching students new things but only about | | | | were not really surprised, but we were still |
| reminding them what they already inherently | | | | relieved that everything was normal.Let me tell |
| know.It's a high-minded theory that assumes | | | | you, though, after something like that gets |
| everyone is what my old college president would | | | | around, nothing's normal ever again. Suddenly, we |
| have termed "educable," that knowledge, like | | | | were the pariahs who were raising the next |
| truth, is not relative, but exists on its own plane | | | | Columbine kid. We couldn't buy a play date at that |
| running parallel to ours and may be accessed by | | | | point. And our son was aware of it. He started |
| revelation.One need only be shown the hidden | | | | hanging his head when he walked, playing by |
| path to the oracle's chamber, so to speak, and all | | | | himself at recess, and we'd catch him calling |
| will be unveiled.Sometimes, though, it's not the | | | | himself "stupid" when things went awry. At that |
| student but the teacher that needs to be shown | | | | point, we had an opportunity to apply to another |
| the way.Perhaps we are so inured to others' | | | | school. We went through all the hoops and got |
| needs, so accustomed to our own convenience, | | | | positive feedback from the interviewing teachers |
| that we modern folk oftentimes don't pay heed | | | | and so forth, but one of the deciding factors |
| to the tragedies occurring before our very eyes. | | | | turned out to be a letter written to the new |
| Particularly for parents trying to educate our | | | | school by our son's kindergarten teacher. We |
| children, there seems to be a wall in front of our | | | | weren't allowed to see the letter, but the tone of |
| eyes that shields us so often from the truth.We | | | | the interviewers changed drastically after they |
| place our children in schools in the hopes that they | | | | read it.Fortunately, we had another opportunity to |
| will learn what is needed for them to survive in | | | | get into a different school, this one Catholic, which |
| this world: facts, figures, social aptitude, an | | | | is our denomination. Once again, we had high |
| inquiring mind, an entrepreneurial spirit.And we will | | | | hopes for better results. Once again, those hopes |
| show up and be supportive at school assemblies, | | | | were dashed. Our son wound up in a classroom |
| classroom field trips, endless fund-raisers, sporting | | | | with a first-year teacher who right off the bat |
| events, etc., ad nauseum.We provide classroom | | | | pegged him as a troublemaker for whatever |
| supplies, chaperoning, transportation, library | | | | reason. This teacher, we later learned, had a habit |
| staffing, even office support, all in hopes that we | | | | of yelling at the kids, and she took out much of |
| are furthering our children's education by setting a | | | | her aggression on our son. He began hating school |
| good example and freeing up the teachers to do | | | | and not wanting to do the incredible amount of |
| "what they do best."Too often, though, what | | | | homework they piled on every night. The next |
| parents get out of this bargain isn't what was | | | | teacher was much nicer, but by then the damage |
| promised. Instead of bright, energetic, go-getter | | | | was done. Even though our boy was capable of |
| scholars, what we are handed back is children | | | | doing his homework perfectly (when he wanted |
| who are lethargic, beaten down and drained of | | | | to), he regularly flunked tests because they were |
| any creativity they once had. We get kids who | | | | time-limited and he would panic because he could |
| are indoctrinated into political correctness -- which | | | | hear his past teacher screaming at the kids next |
| is to say the art of arrogant whininess -- but who | | | | door.Just to add insult to injury, we finally realized |
| can barely multiply. We get kids who have been | | | | that the curriculum at the school was the same |
| taught in "science" class to recycle to "save" the | | | | state-created curriculum at public schools. They |
| planet, but who can't explain to you how an | | | | used the same texts and applied the same |
| airplane stays in the air or how an internal | | | | ridiculous schedule of 8 to 10 subjects per day, |
| combustion engine works. We get kids who have | | | | which hardly allows any time to absorb the |
| been forced to memorize Dr. Martin Luther King's | | | | information, much less understand it. The parents |
| "I Have a Dream" speech and participate annually | | | | whose kids were doing well in class, we later |
| in Cinco de Mayo but who can't explain one | | | | learned, were going to Kumon classes after |
| contribution of white people to the world other | | | | school. When our son needed extra help with |
| than bringing disease to North America.In some | | | | multiplication, we were told he must be tutored. |
| schools, it's not unusual for as many as half the | | | | Well, the tutors at the school didn't have time for |
| students to drop out before their senior high | | | | us. We approached the youth director because |
| school year. Of those who hang in there, many | | | | her teens need service credits to graduate high |
| seniors can't even pass an eighth-grade-level exit | | | | school. No one volunteered to tutor our son. We |
| exam to get their diplomas.And just to add to | | | | were finally told he MUST have a professional |
| parental enjoyment, along the way, the children | | | | tutor. We were given a name, supposedly of a |
| have almost certainly been exposed to gay sex, | | | | parishioner, but no contact information. This |
| oral sex, premarital sex, contraception, abortion, | | | | person was not on record with the parish or the |
| illegal drug use, alcohol abuse, nihilism and atheism. | | | | school office. The principal, who had |
| All under the auspices of the school, and all before | | | | recommended him, never came forth with a |
| sixth grade -- kindergarten, if some legislators get | | | | number. We contacted the church's nuns. This |
| their way. Recess and that after-school time | | | | particular order is charged with teaching children. |
| before parents come home provide ample | | | | That's their gig. Within five minutes, the got back |
| opportunity for kids to put into practice what | | | | to us and said one of the sisters would tutor our |
| they've learned in "skool."Parents may seek relief | | | | son, but they wanted to talk to his teacher |
| in private schools, but often what they encounter | | | | before setting up a schedule. They talked to his |
| is no better, just more expensive. If you are rich | | | | teacher apparently, then suddenly they weren't |
| enough, it is still possible to buy your children a | | | | available to help out.So in the final analysis, our |
| real education. If you're merely well-off, more | | | | own church school, using lay teachers to teach |
| likely what will happen is you will pay through the | | | | state curriculum out of state textbooks, happily |
| nose, and your children will receive an education | | | | accepts thousands of dollars in tuition but is unable |
| that is relatively free from the sex- and | | | | to properly teach the children math, forcing |
| drug-teaching curricula of the public schools, as | | | | parents to supplement with either a program like |
| well as the more violent forms of playground | | | | Kumon or, in our case, nonexistent tutors.We |
| bullying. But for the most part, the rest of the | | | | spent somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 |
| teaching agenda is the same, particularly if you | | | | on tuition, uniforms and other expenses in the |
| live in a state like California, where private schools | | | | vain hope of giving our child a decent education. All |
| are so regulated that they often just give up and | | | | that happened was a gaggle of overpaid |
| use the same books, the same curricula, same | | | | strangers slowly strangled his curiosity and |
| time tables and same test "preparation" | | | | crushed his desire to learn, leaving him a bundle of |
| procedures as the public schools. If you're lucky, | | | | nerves at the age of 8.Sometimes it's the |
| there might be some time to squeeze in a little | | | | educator who needs to be reminded of what he |
| religious education.That was our experience. Not | | | | already knows. My child is too important to me, |
| being much of a corporate yes man myself, | | | | and I think someday to the world, to leave in the |
| we've often been on the lower rungs of the | | | | hands of a capricious public or private education |
| economic ladder. Still, we managed to put our son | | | | system that, ultimately, is designed to produce |
| into private schools despite the cost. Sending him | | | | conforming drones, not thinkers. We, as his |
| to our local public elementary school was out of | | | | parents, cannot simply stand by and watch the |
| the question. The first time we went to that | | | | life being squeezed out of him like the juice from |
| school's office, there were three children being | | | | a lemon.The reality is that we, like most parents, |
| treated by the school nurse after getting beaten | | | | have allowed this to happen for far too long |
| up in the halls. The second time we went to that | | | | because it was convenient to let our son be |
| office, the police were there having a "chat" with | | | | raised by strangers.No more.We had started |
| a boy who looked like he was in about fourth | | | | supplementing his education with materials from a |
| grade.So we got our son into a local private | | | | local home schooling program when he began |
| school, with high hopes of better things. Now, | | | | having grade trouble and as a "backup" because |
| when he started kindergarten, he was almost a | | | | of the monkey business school administrators |
| whole year younger than the rest of his | | | | liked to be up to, such as putting new students on |
| classmates because of the oddity of birthday | | | | "probation" for no reason.We've decided to take |
| cutoffs, but he still tested above many of them. | | | | the plunge and just home school. It will be a |
| That glowing moment didn't last long, however. | | | | change, for sure, and a lot of responsibility, but |
| Soon, we were told that our boy needed a | | | | the incredible improvement we've already seen in |
| speech therapist because he had trouble | | | | our boy's attitude and aptitude is making it |
| pronouncing certain syllables. We took him back to | | | | worthwhile.I've encountered many parents with |
| our local public school, which actually had a real | | | | stories similar to ours. We apparently are part of |
| speech therapist on staff, and after five minutes | | | | a growing movement to take back education |
| she pronounced not only was he normal for his | | | | from the millers who are running the |
| age, but he was exceptionally bright and seemed | | | | system.Having been through the system myself, |
| like he was a few years ahead in his vocabulary, | | | | and having seen what it nearly did to my child, I |
| even if he couldn't quite pronounce his "th" sounds | | | | no longer believe in "reforming" the education |
| yet.After we got over that hurdle, we learned | | | | system, reducing class sizes or raising teachers' |
| that he was being picked on at school. Despite the | | | | salaries. If the government insists on dabbling in |
| school's supposedly strict "no bullies" policy, our | | | | education, then what is needed is a wholesale |
| son, who was a year younger than most of his | | | | elimination of what we have now. A replacement |
| classmates but also taller than almost all of them, | | | | system would start with teachers who are |
| was in the same classroom with a boy who was | | | | trained in a subject other than "education," have |
| almost two years older than most of the | | | | an administrator-to-teacher ratio on the order of |
| kindergartners. So now I found myself having to | | | | 1-to-20, eliminate the nonsensical scale of grade |
| explain to my gentle 5-year-old how to handle an | | | | levels and let students achieve at their own speed |
| 8-year-old developmentally challenged gorilla who | | | | in the needed skills.How do I know that would |
| liked to express himself with his fists. We finally | | | | work? Because that's essentially what we've |
| got the principal to take action after the teacher | | | | created with our own home schooling group, and |
| did nothing, but at the expense of his teacher | | | | it is working spectacularly well. There are kids |
| now viewing us and our son as "the enemy" for | | | | who have gone through the same program and |
| getting her in trouble.And that was just the | | | | entered college by age 15. Many of the teens in |
| beginning of our experiences with private schools. | | | | the program or formerly in the program have |
| At one point, our boy must have seen something | | | | successful businesses. My son's only 8, so we've |
| on TV at the same time the class was studying | | | | got lots of working and growing ahead to do, but |
| Christ's Passion in school, and he made a | | | | for the first time in a long time, both he and his |
| comment to somebody, somehow, somewhere, | | | | parents are looking forward to it.Tad Cronn is an |
| "Oh, just kill me." I think it was because he used | | | | author and editor in West Hills, CA. |
| the wrong color crayon or something. Suddenly, | | | | |