There was a threat at my school yesterday

[LukeW9027]

My school had a threat here a few weeks ago in Madison WI. Some kid wrote that he was gonna shoot up the school on may 18th (not sure). The school somehopw only managed to get a hold of about half the kids at the school and most whp were there werent even aware of the threat. There was alot of police there and since not many student were there, I headed home.

[Plindsey88]

Pretty Scary. And unfortunately I can see more of this becoming the way of our world. I have 2 words for the future. Home Schooling.

Don't get me started on Home Schooling!!! I mean really if you are willing to home school your kids, why don't you home dentist and home doctor your kids as well.

Are you actually comparing what goes on in public school classrooms to medicine?

Come on... Let's be serious...
[b]
Babysitting... That's all it is...[/b

If it were not for fact that our economy has become dependent on the two-income household, the internet would have done away with the public school system a long time ago...

Babysitting? Glorified Babysitter? Yeah I have heard it all...and it usually comes from those who are quick to point at the public school system in the country and then vote against levies and have no clue how to 'fix' the problems.

You are right lets homeschool everyone. Spread ignorance from generation to generation.

That was not meant as an insult to you, and I'm sorry if you took it that way, BUT...

The concept of a public school system, as it currently exists in America, goes against every principle which we, as Americans, tend to uphold... I mean, if we're going to approach education from the capitalist perspective, then you have to have a system in which there is competition. Let the market determine which schools are doing the best job, and let the ones that are under-performing go the way of the dinosaur. That's the overriding principle by which our society is driven.

We have spent how many decades, now, fighting against the ideas of communism and totalitarianism, which are precisely the principles which govern the public school system, today... It's welfare... Plain and simple... It's socialism at its finest... No competition... Just government-sponsored welfare... And like all government-sponsored welfare programs in this country the system is - how should I say? - well, I guess I can't use the words I'd really like to use... Let's just say the system is broken... And it's broken because there are no reasonable alternatives out there... There is no real competition... Kids are forced to attend whatever pitiful excuse for an institution they happen to live closest to, and most of them have ZERO desire to be there... I wouldn't either, quite frankly...

If you want to fix the education system in this country, you have to start with competition... If school funding is based on school performance, and students have the choice of which schools to attend, the system will fix itself...

Until we get to that point, we'll continue to produce the hands-down, most uneducated, ill-prepared high school graduates of any modern, industrialized country in the world.

[joelamosobadiah]

I'm an ignorant sociopath?

[moonhead]

I'm an ignorant sociopath?

who said anything about ignorance?

[joelamosobadiah]

I'm an ignorant sociopath?

who said anything about ignorance?

You are right lets homeschool everyone. Spread ignorance from generation to generation.

[BGbootha]

Pretty Scary. And unfortunately I can see more of this becoming the way of our world. I have 2 words for the future. Home Schooling.

Don't get me started on Home Schooling!!! I mean really if you are willing to home school your kids, why don't you home dentist and home doctor your kids as well.

Are you actually comparing what goes on in public school classrooms to medicine?

Come on... Let's be serious...
[b]
Babysitting... That's all it is...[/b

If it were not for fact that our economy has become dependent on the two-income household, the internet would have done away with the public school system a long time ago...

Babysitting? Glorified Babysitter? Yeah I have heard it all...and it usually comes from those who are quick to point at the public school system in the country and then vote against levies and have no clue how to 'fix' the problems.

You are right lets homeschool everyone. Spread ignorance from generation to generation.

That was not meant as an insult to you, and I'm sorry if you took it that way, BUT...

The concept of a public school system, as it currently exists in America, goes against every principle which we, as Americans, tend to uphold... I mean, if we're going to approach education from the capitalist perspective, then you have to have a system in which there is competition. Let the market determine which schools are doing the best job, and let the ones that are under-performing go the way of the dinosaur. That's the overriding principle by which our society is driven.

We have spent how many decades, now, fighting against the ideas of communism and totalitarianism, which are precisely the principles which govern the public school system, today... It's welfare... Plain and simple... It's socialism at its finest... No competition... Just government-sponsored welfare... And like all government-sponsored welfare programs in this country the system is - how should I say? - well, I guess I can't use the words I'd really like to use... Let's just say the system is broken... And it's broken because there are no reasonable alternatives out there... There is no real competition... Kids are forced to attend whatever pitiful excuse for an institution they happen to live closest to, and most of them have ZERO desire to be there... I wouldn't either, quite frankly...

If you want to fix the education system in this country, you have to start with competition... If school funding is based on school performance, and students have the choice of which schools to attend, the system will fix itself...

Until we get to that point, we'll continue to produce the hands-down, most uneducated, ill-prepared high school graduates of any modern, industrialized country in the world.

I have to admit, I agree with just about everything you said, I would love to see competition enter the world of public education. Of course I would love to be a teacher and be able to hold out for more money to a school that knows what I can do.

I took offense to the babysitter comment, simply because I work very hard at what i do (even if I seems like I am on here all the time). Anyway, yeah lets see the schools open up to competition! You got my vote

[BGbootha]

I'm an ignorant sociopath?

who said anything about ignorance?

You are right lets homeschool everyone. Spread ignorance from generation to generation.

I apologize if this offended, one of my main problems with home schooling is the total lack of academic standards. A parent can simply pass along thier knowledge or lack thier of to thier children and receive an 'equivalent' degree! I have seen well used history books that are nothing more than propaganda warped textbooks. I have seen and read home-school biology books that begin with a chapter on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I have seen history books with a total absense of the holocaust. I am not saying this 'education' happens in all homeschool situations but it happens way more than we think

[knapplc]

I'm an ignorant sociopath?

who said anything about ignorance?

You are right lets homeschool everyone. Spread ignorance from generation to generation.

I apologize if this offended, one of my main problems with home schooling is the total lack of academic standards. A parent can simply pass along thier knowledge or lack thier of to thier children and receive an 'equivalent' degree! I have seen well used history books that are nothing more than propaganda warped textbooks. I have seen and read home-school biology books that begin with a chapter on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I have seen history books with a total absense of the holocaust. I am not saying this 'education' happens in all homeschool situations but it happens way more than we think

I agree with the sentiment of what you're saying, BG, but let's not pretend that public schools are any better. They may have academic standards or at least more stringent academic standards than home schools, but every year public schools churn out graduating classes full of kids who can't read, have little or no skills in math, have no sense of history or it's impact on their lives, little or no grasp of the sciences, etc.

I was fortunate enough in my public school system to have several excellent, dedicated teachers who did their utmost to instill the knowledge they possessed into their students. I was unfortunate enough to have several teachers who clearly loathed their students and who had zero interest in giving us on iota of knowledge that they may possess.

I also know several people who have been home schooled. Several of them are barely functioning idiots, and I am constantly amazed that their parents, who are NOT the brightest bulbs in the pack, even considered “teaching” their children at home. I suppose ignorance breeds ignorance, though. I know two people who I consider to be absolute geniuses who were home schooled, though. Coincidentally, both of their parents were (or at least appeared to me to be) extremely intelligent people with a diverse knowledge base. This is pretty rare, but it served these people reasonably well.

[joelamosobadiah]

I apologize if this offended, one of my main problems with home schooling is the total lack of academic standards. A parent can simply pass along thier knowledge or lack thier of to thier children and receive an 'equivalent' degree! I have seen well used history books that are nothing more than propaganda warped textbooks. I have seen and read home-school biology books that begin with a chapter on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I have seen history books with a total absense of the holocaust. I am not saying this 'education' happens in all homeschool situations but it happens way more than we think

OK, well, I wasn't offended at what you said at all. I disagree with you very much, but I wasn't offended.

I do have a few points though.

First off, yes, parents can pass off their knowledge (whatever it may or may not be) to their children and they can receive an equivalent degree. However, what is wrong with this? If the parent is ignorant and doesn't put forth the effort to teach their children properly, it is just hurting their child down the road. It's not hurting society any more than the children that are coming out of public schools. There are numerous children coming out of public schools (note I didn't say the majority or a TON of them, but they are there) that can't read. I have read books from people that have graduated college with never being able to read. So the conception that ignorance can't and does not come out of public education is false. It happens both places.

This is meant as NO offense for you as a teacher or any other teacher. There are very good teachers out there. Just wanted to say that just in case.

Another thing is that if a person is a Muslim, its very likely they will send their child to a Muslim school. Same for Catholics, etc. Why not Christians? You seem to think that its wrong for a Christian parent to teach their children Christian values in their own home and teach it as truth when they do believe it to be truth. I and my parents are Christians. My dad has taught in Christian education for the past 25 years. He taught my mom in a Christian school, my older sister graduated from a Christian school from under my dad, I have graduated from under him, and he is currently teaching my three younger siblings in the school. This is about as close to homeschooling as you can get (combine that with me and my sister being homeschooled up until third grade). My sister graduated with a 4.0 GPA with an honors diploma. If you want to call that a fluke for having an easy curriculum, then fine, but she took the ACT and scored a 28. She also clepped out of two semesters of college English. She got a 4.0 GPA through two semesters of college before going to a Bible College. I graduated six months early from high school with a 4.0 GPA and honors, scored a 30 on my ACT, getting me out of a semester of Math and Science in college and I have a 4.0 GPA through two semester of a public college. I am not saying that to brag or anything, but to help me prove a point. Both of us were taught from a Christian curriculum that taught Creationism. It explained evolution as well and I have read supplemental information and have since decided for myself that I don't believe evolutionism. I am not blindly following anything. I have made choices for myself. So your view that teaching things from a Christian world-view equals a bad education is false. I have seen numerous occasions where this has happened besides in my own family.

Bottom line is that I wouldn't exchange my education for anything in the world. People say that if you don't expose your children to the "bad" in the world and let them choose their own way then they won't succeed in life. I was sheltered, but now am out on my own in college and work and I can say that I wouldn't exchange my education for any education that anybody I meet had.

There is also the myth that people who are homeschooled or in a private school can't meet people and will be socially inept, but I have MANY friends and have no problem meeting people or talking to people. If you ask anybody that knows me even a little they will say that I am outgoing and by no means awkward around people. Not to say that this doesn't happen, but it is in the vast minority from my experiences.

As Knapp said above, I have met people who weren't properly homeschooled. If they had the strong convictions that they didn't want their kids in a public school, they should have sought out a private school to send them to or get them a tutor because they didn't have the schooling themselves to teach them. These situations are though in the minority of the group I have been around.

Anyway, I wanted to get that off of my chest and have been wanting to on several occasions. Don't think I am ignoring you if you reply, but I am heading out to work in a half hour or so, so might not get a chance to reply to any rebuttles that may come my way.

And now I am most certainly out of time to get the cereal battles going.

[Omaha Red Sox]

I apologize if this offended, one of my main problems with home schooling is the total lack of academic standards. A parent can simply pass along thier knowledge or lack thier of to thier children and receive an 'equivalent' degree! I have seen well used history books that are nothing more than propaganda warped textbooks. I have seen and read home-school biology books that begin with a chapter on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I have seen history books with a total absense of the holocaust. I am not saying this 'education' happens in all homeschool situations but it happens way more than we think

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