Comments on: NE legislature’s contempt for ALL parents?

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:23:50 +0000

Thank you for writing about this. I never called them Class I schools. We always called them country school, and we were very proud of ours. When our kids went to town for high school, they were always in the top ten percent. We had 3 different towns that our kids went to. I have not done the background work that you have, but I think if you check, you will find that the “powers that be” were already trying to get rid of them in the 60’s. The part about these “activists” that really bothers me, is that they never give up. I keep wondering about our education system, because of what I read. I am new to the computer, but I am constantly amazed by the writing. It seems that spelling, grammer, punctuation, and using the correct word is no longer important. I can only assume that the incorrect word usage is because of spell check. If this is not common, why do I see it in newspapers also? Do they still have editors? I don’t have kids, but I completely agree with what you have said about parental authority. It seems from what I see, that anyone can tell you how to raise, educate, discipline or feed your children. This seems like a specific symptom of a general attack on freedom. Do you think that we are moving more rapidly than in the past to Communism?

By: Dana

Dana — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:17:21 +0000

Cristina, you are right. My husband was talking to someone yesterday and his response was to shrug his shoulders and say, “well, it doesn’t affect me.” So my husband mentioned the possibility of taxes and then he listened.

It is kind of sad.

By: Dana

Dana — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:15:11 +0000

Sunniemom, I agree. But what is really sad is that our system is working. It is one of the best in the nation, and what have we done? Left local decisions in the hands of local school boards.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that parents with kids in public school are quite as likely to be on multiple e-lists discussing how to approach this legislation. So this may well pass before anyone realizes what is at stake and the result will be as difficult to get rid of as Class I schools were to attempt to save.

By: Cristina

Cristina — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:36:11 +0000

Wow. Isn’t it amazing how easily we shift away from democracy?

I’ve been concerned about the degradation of parental rights ever since I had kids and realized that everyone has an opinion about my parenting skills.

Now my state has decided it will not provide special education services to homeschoolers (it is provided to private school students). We are still responsible for telling our school board how we will provide services, but the public schools aren’t giving it. Doesn’t this sound like a set-up to force children back into school? How long before parents of special needs students have CPS knocking at their door?

I wish parents of public and private schoolers would realize that homeschoolers are merely the front line against the undermining of all parents rights. It is not an us and them situation, homeschoolers are simply the easiest target for the limitation of parental rights.

By: Sunniemom

Sunniemom — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:34:52 +0000

What often comes to mind when I read these educational proposals is that they are attempting something that is bound to self-destruct when they bind themselves solely to results.

What I mean by that is one cannot hold the ‘tool’ responsible for its use. I can have the best, most expensive hammer they make, but if I never use it, or use it to dispose of the neighbor’s obnoxious dog, is that the hammer’s fault? It seems to me that educrats have this build-a-better-mousetrap mindset of new curriculums and programs and reducing class sizes and accountability methods… but if those who use the system don’t take care of it and nurture it, is the system EVER going to be successful?

This is why parental choice is important, allowing and even forcing families to decide how they want to go about providing an education for their children. When you have a PS system that is the default, requiring no thought or planning, and it’s ‘free’- thus limiting or eliminating one’s personal investment in the system, then is it any wonder that so many have a “So what?” attitude about school. School sucked for them, so if it sucks for their kids, then they will have the same cultural experiences as every other kid, and “So what?”

I have always wondered why so many folks barely plan for their children’s education, but they will plan exhaustively for home ownership, or their dream car or vacation, or retirement.