Heeding Einstein's educational opinions... or Hitler's?

Let our pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself, but that he is public property. Let him be taught to love his family, but let him be taught at the same time that he must forsake and even forget them when the welfare of his country requires it. - Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence

Questioning Compulsory Education
by Michael Haislip

A brief history of compulsory education

Somewhere during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the idea arose that it was morally imperative to provide public-funded education to children. With this being America, anything that is morally imperative quickly becomes legally imperative. Thus, compulsory public education was forged in the cauldron of the progressive social movements of previous centuries.

Early on, public education was simplistic, focusing on basic language and math skills. Much of America was still agrarian, and in those rural areas, education wasn’t nearly as important as knowing how to pick cotton or how to harness a mule. Compare that to today’s prevailing opinion that public education is an unassailable right of every child, as if God himself had descended from the clouds to decree, “All children shall attend kindergarten. And quit using my name in vain, goddammit.” What were the forces behind that shift of focus? How did we end up with the current decaying education system?

Wealthy industrialists–the Fords and Rockefellers and Morgans—were the primary forces behind the current system. Along with these businessmen, progressives such as Frederick Taylor, father of the social efficiency movement, and Horace Mann, the cheerleader of compulsory education, pushed governments and industry to model their schools after the Prussian model of education. The Prussian model was a massive state-run school system that churned out obedient workers, soldiers and citizens. A small percentage of children attended realschulen (real school), where they learned to be the supervisors of the masses. The remaining attended volkschulen (people’s school), where they learned how to be obedient and how to fit into the militaristic Prussian society It succeeded, eventually morphing into the Nazi Germany school system.

The system was fascist in nature, and all people were viewed as tools of the state. According to John Taylor Gatto, New York City Teacher of the Year from 1989 to 1991, “after 1900 the new mass schooling arenas slowly became impersonal places where children were viewed as human resources." Gatto continues, "human resource children are to be molded and shaped for something called ‘The Workplace,’ even though for most of American history American children were reared to expect to create their own workplaces.” Gatto wrote again in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that “virtually every single one of the founders of American schooling had made the pilgrimage to Germany, and many of these men wrote widely circulated reports praising the Teutonic methods.”

It is foolish to think that schools are anything other than training camps for patriotic, working Americans who love the flag, pay their taxes and support their troops. Public school advocate John Dewey, a major influence during his day, gave a number of speeches outlining his and others’ hopes for education:

• “Anyone who has begun to think, places some portion of the world in jeopardy.”
• “The teacher always is the prophet of the true God and the usherer-in of the true Kingdom of God”

So, what is the purpose of compulsory education? It is a system to mold children into obedient tools of the state.

The state of American education

I recently read in the paper that my former high school will begin classes on August 5th. Doing some quick calculations, I figured that gives the students 2 months of summer vacation—8 weeks. That’s less than a semester to recuperate from a coerced 8 to 3 routine with no pay. It’s as if I locked someone in a room for seven hours a day, never compensated him, made him believe that the experience was a reward in itself, and told him it was all for his own good. That’s what public school has become.

Somewhere along the way, the original Prussian principles became so engrained into society that no one had to consciously focus on them. They had become habit, and, thus, they had become entrenched to the point of dogma. In America circa 2004, questioning the necessity of compulsory schooling is akin to making fun of cancer victims. The American student no longer works toward self-sufficiency, but instead hopes that Corporate USA will bless him with a job. Why don’t high schools teach more business classes or encourage entrepreneurship? Why are students told that they will be worthless if they don’t earn a diploma? People have developed a master/slave mentality, just as the original planners had hoped. It is learned permission seeking, and it makes students obedient citizens. Students must ask permission to perform a basic biological function--using the bathroom. Students must ask permission to check out of school early. Students must ask permission to walk in the halls. Students can’t even take an aspirin without teacher supervision, as if there is a pandemic of aspirin abuse. Remember, kids: no talking, no gum chewing, no asserting basic freedoms.

Ask a teacher about why their job is important, and you’ll receive moralistic answers about helping kids, making a difference or other save-the-world crap. They never mention the pay check, the long summer vacation or other perks. The average rookie teacher salary in 2001 America was a respectable $30,000 according to the American Federation of Teachers. The average vacation time for a teacher is 4 months per year. Sounds like one hell of a desk job to me.

The latest innovation in many school systems is “year-round schooling,” which is a cute euphemism for “we own your children while our teachers earn more money.” Back to my old high school – the local school system has been shortening summer vacation for years. They take a few days here, a few days there, and make up some bureaucratic reasons why it is necessary. Gradually, vacation time has decreased from 3 months during my younger days to the current length of 2 months. If the trend continues, kids will be attending school year round. Teachers and administrators are ecstatic about it. Although I’m sure the teachers appreciate a long summer vacation, they are not getting paid for it, either. Let’s assume a teacher makes the average beginner’s rate of $30,000 per eight month school year ($3750 per month). Add another 3 months to the work schedule, and that rookie teacher now makes $45,000 a year—and extra $15,000 each year. No wonder we have such a nationwide push for increased school years. More time in school means more money in teachers’ pockets.

The massive government-business-education complex has created ways to force student compliance. Student’s freedom of movement is now being threatened by many states in the form of No Pass/No Drive laws. In order to keep students from exiting the coercive public education system, states will withhold licenses from dropouts. In even more extreme cases, state politicians in various states have proposed that students not meeting certain GPA and attendance requirements should be denied the right to freely move about and associate. I quote from Missouri House of Representatives bill HB 1698:

“Driver's license applicants under age 18 must show high school enrollment, attendance rate greater than 85%, and minimum GPA of 1.75 or satisfactory progress in alternative education program.”

Yes, if someone wants to leave the government education monopoly, the politicians will do everything in their power to stop him. God forbid anyone try to learn on their own.

The aftermath

What have been the results of compulsory education, a concept now over 100 years old in America? What has happened to the targets of this bureaucratic weapon of mass control?

Albert Einstein wrote of his school experience:

"One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year... It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty."

Einstein wrote the preceding passage early in the twentieth century. Almost 100 years later, the situation has progressively worsened. Rather than being excited about new developments in science, philosophy and technology, the products of compulsory education shun such topics. For years, students were taught that science was something read about in a textbook with no practical influence in their lives. Students were taught that philosophy was something that only ancient Greeks studied. Instead, we should be teaching children to inquire about the nature of the universe, to question the common knowledge, and to forge their own philosophies. Mindless regurgitation of facts and zombie-like adherence to rules are the paramount concerns of public education today.

Occurrences of mental disorders among children have increased. Schools are breeding grounds for depression, paranoia, social anxiety disorder and numerous other problems. Is it any wonder? Children are thrown into a pressure cooker of hormones, social expectations and government regulations with very little guidance. Those students with a genetic predisposition to mental disease will undoubtedly increase their chance of developing the disease. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “in 1996, more teenagers and young adults died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined.” 1996 is the most recent year for which suicide data is available. When asked why they are considering suicide, the depressed youths often cite social isolation, bullying at school and numerous other school-related issues. For something that is supposed to benefit society, it seems to be failing miserably.

The body of the coerced student suffers as well. Due to constant social jockeying and sexual tension between the sexes, schools inflict a steady low-to-mid level stress upon students, which causes the body to secrete cortisol, a stress response hormone. Increased levels of cortisol eventually lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and a diminished immune system.

Clearly, public school is a threat to public health. I suggest we quarantine it until further notice.

What to do about it

Let me suggest the two following options for those disaffected with the current system.

1. Start home schooling

As a response to the worsening intellectual suppression in public schools, home schooling has emerged as a viable alternative for progressive parents. Rather than ship their children to concrete holding pens, home schooling parents take direct responsibility for their children’s knowledge. Home school allows children to learn in a comfortable, non-competitive environment, an environment without social ladders or stifling rules. Home schooling is a return to the pre-compulsory days, when children learned more in five years than most adults learn in twenty years of public school.

2. Drop out

If you are still in school, the simplest (yet most drastic) way to quit the system is to physically quit the system. Don’t like school? Get a spine and stop going to school. It is that simple. If you are in high school, go and get a GED. You won’t spend nearly as much time, and there is no practical difference between a GED and a regular diploma. The key in these scenarios is to spend your energy building alternative systems that benefit you. People do not need school. They can--and do—learn on their own. Walk away. Ignore them. Exercise civil disobedience. Be your own person.

“And what is a good citizen? Simply one who never says, does or thinks anything that is unusual. Schools are maintained in order to bring this uniformity up to the highest possible point. A school is a hopper into which children are heaved while they are still young and tender; therein they are pressed into certain standard shapes and covered from head to heels with official rubber-stamps.” -- H.L. Mencken

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Eye Eye - Focus

"The eyes are the windows to the soul", a quote attributed to William Shakespeare. I have often heard it used as an observation from the outside looking in. That you can tell a lot about a person from their eyes, but lately I am also thinking that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they say the world looks to them, how they seem to view the world. From the inside looking out the world does not look the same to everyone. Tests can be performed to determine near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and color blindness, as well as a host of other physical differences, but sometimes the emotional differences affect our lives just as greatly if not more and they can be much more difficult to detect. For some people the world is disorderly, everything that is "out of place" is a huge problem, they can barely function without creating complete "order" in every area of their influence. For others the mirror adds countless pounds, no matter how much they lose they see themselves as weighing too much. Still others see everything as "obviously" there to in some way please or displease them, or perhaps they are sure that they see it all just the way it is and in turn know it all and it is their calling in life to share that knowledge at all times. Then there are those that don't see the chaos, it doesn't occur to them that their lives lay practically in ruins and that they are surrounded by the potential of so much more, but it has all become invisible to them as they walk the well worn paths of their daily existence. The blindnesses we have are not always detectable to ourselves or others, but in many ways they can affect every aspect of our existence. I don't know what all my vision discrepancies may be, but I do know that I see value in most things and most people, not everything, not all, but a missing button does not usually get a shirt thrown out, rude behavior does not automatically remove a person from my circle of friends. Perhaps my life would be cleaner and less dramatic if I had less tolerance for the "fixer uppers" of the world. I have my limits, there is safety to consider, and quality of life, and growth to account for. Some days I have far too much "junk" laying around waiting to be useful or mended, some days I allow far too much unkindness to be dished out in my direction, but mostly I find great satisfaction in patience, creativity, and "trash to treasure", but not always, sometimes there needs to be seasons of purging. Are these things taking up so much space that life is being hindered? Are these relationships destroying more than they are encouraging? I don't have to keep everything. I don't have to be "best friends" with every difficult person. Most things have value to someone, somewhere, but it doesn't have to be me, it doesn't have to be here. It can be hard for me to focus on the best and let the rest go.

TGIF!!!!

Seriously! It has been a loooooong week. I am looking forward to hanging out with friends tonight at a wild and crazy party that will be oh so kid friendly. Tomorrow I will get hugs from my Dad and Grandma. Sunday I will get hugs from my Mom. And Monday life will be back to normal.... wth is normal? I don't even know anymore but I think it has something to do with coffee with Patti and FB at 9 am, chore routines, peaceful afternoons, errands, calendar engagements, cozy evenings with the love of my life in our little cabin with our sweet children and perhaps we will get started again with homeschooling. Which is actually always in progress, the children are always learning, and creating, and growing, and I am confident they will be wonderful adults, because they are wonderful people, but it is my job to gather up the proof of the pudding and guide the tide of environment and assess the learning skills and encourage the progress. That must be what is normal around here. But today is Friday!!! And there are friends! And a party! And s'mores! And my man! And life is good!

anyone lived in a pretty how town

(This is one of my favorite poems, I love its lilting grammar rebellion)
by E. E. Cummings
anyone lived in a pretty how town (with up so floating many bells down) spring summer autumn winter he sang his didn't he danced his did Women and men(both little and small) cared for anyone not at all they sowed their isn't they reaped their same sun moon stars rain children guessed(but only a few and down they forgot as up they grew autumn winter spring summer) that noone loved him more by more when by now and tree by leaf she laughed his joy she cried his grief bird by snow and stir by still anyone's any was all to her someones married their everyones laughed their cryings and did their dance (sleep wake hope and then)they said their nevers they slept their dream stars rain sun moon (and only the snow can begin to explain how children are apt to forget to remember with up so floating many bells down) one day anyone died i guess (and noone stooped to kiss his face) busy folk buried them side by side little by little and was by was all by all and deep by deep and more by more they dream their sleep noone and anyone earth by april wish by spirit and if by yes. Women and men(both dong and ding) summer autumn winter spring reaped their sowing and went their came sun moon stars rain

Uncertainty

Yes, another blog today. I tend to write as a stress reliever. The baby is down for a nap, and the older children are finishing a movie. Patti so sweetly came down this morning and helped with a few chores, and that was a tremendous relief. A few moments to drink another cup of coffee and an adult conversation were an added bonus.

And I know I am not that scary, but I am pretty offended by those that decide to coddle to the obvious monster because they seem to be worried that her next temper tantrum might be thrown in their direction. Whatever. My hypocrite radar is working.

On a lighter note.... ahhh, I don't feel like a lighter note at the moment... maybe I will blog again yet today. Oh wait, I know what the lighter note is, I actually have a few friends that are particularly looking forward to being visited by and coming to visit me while I am accompanied by all 11 children! Seriously good friends, that is all I have to say for now.

A Few Stolen Minutes in Bohemia

Babies just don't care. They don't care if you are tired, they don't care if you haven't finished your coffee yet, they don't care if you haven't had a shower today, they don't care about your needs. But they definitely do care about their own needs, if they have a whim or fancy it is the most all important matter of business and it must be tended to immediately! Or else they will scream their head off so that whatever it is you are doing becomes less consequential then whatever it is that they want to do. I must say that I do not consider this quality of babies to be one of the more charming aspects of the life phase we all journey, but it comes with the territory. I happen to be boss of this territory and quite experienced with the demands of the little narcissists, they laugh at me when I holler back, they don't know what to think of the woman that waits, the woman that knows they are just fine and will be just fine for 5 more minutes while I finish whatever important task it is that I am doing. Right now it is finishing my coffee.

Then I will dress the baby, and take the baby for a walk, and find out what is going on with the newly hatched guinea keets. We had a broody hen in the guinea coop, and the kids just came in hollering that we have baby guineas!!!! We have baby guineas!!!! I wasn't sure if the eggs were fertile because I can't tell the male guineas apart from the female guineas, but the guineas apparently know the difference :) And in spite of all the very observant folks around here we were also very surprised to find out that this newly hatched brood is not from the cooped hen!!! There was a secret broody hen that is now proudly displaying her month of confinement!!!! I have no idea what to do. I have heard that mother guineas are not the most nurturing creatures and that many people raise the keets apart from their mothers, I think that is probably the best idea considering that we already have too many guineas in my opinion and they will be nearly impossible to catch pretty soon. So....... I will finish my coffee and tackle all problems in the correct order of importance. Well, at least I will try.......

Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler was a turn of the century writer (1835-1902). He was a free thinker, meaning he did not fit neatly into any particular category of thought. What came to be known as his greatest influential work was a novel that he would not publish so as to protect his family. It was published postmortem. I have been enjoying many of his quotes, thought I would share a few of my favorites.....

"Be virtuous and you will be vicious. "

"Neither irony or sarcasm is argument. "

"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but a little want of knowledge is also a dangerous thing."

"A man's friendships are, like his will, invalidated by marriage - but they are also no less invalidated by the marriage of his friends."

"A skillful leech is better far, than half a hundred men of war. "

"All truth is not to be told at all times."

"Brigands demand your money or your life; women require both."

"For truth is precious and divine, too rich a pearl for carnal swine."

"Half the vices which the world condemns most loudly have seeds of good in them and require moderate use rather than total abstinence."

"If the headache would only precede the intoxication, alcoholism would be a virtue."

"Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man."

"It is not he who gains the exact point in dispute who scores most in controversy - but he who has shown the better temper."

"It is tact that is golden, not silence."

"Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only."

"Letters are like wine; if they are sound they ripen with keeping. A man should lay down letters as he does a cellar of wine."

"Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on."

"Life is one long process of getting tired."

"Lying has a kind of respect and reverence with it. We pay a person the compliment of acknowledging his superiority whenever we lie to him."

"Morality is the custom of one's country and the current feeling of one's peers."

"One of the first businesses of a sensible man is to know when he is beaten, and to leave off fighting at once."

"Opinions have vested interests just as men have."

"Some men love truth so much that they seem to be in continual fear lest she should catch a cold on overexposure. "

"The Ancient Mariner would not have taken so well if it had been called The Old Sailor."

"The best liar is he who makes the smallest amount of lying go the longest way."

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too."

"There is such a thing as doing good that evil may come."

"To know God better is only to realize how impossible it is that we should ever know him at all. I know not which is more childish to deny him, or define him."

"Vaccination is the medical sacrament corresponding to baptism. Whether it is or is not more efficacious I do not know. "

"We all like to forgive, and love best not those who offend us least, nor who have done most for us, but those who make it most easy for us to forgive them. "

"We are not won by arguments that we can analyze but by tone and temper, by the manner which is the man himself. "

Naptime

I am tired today. I always get somewhat pensive when I am tired. Everything seems a little bigger, and a little harder, but I know that, so it doesn't bother me so much now that I know myself and have a better idea of what my limitations are. Being a stay at home Mom has many, many advantages. A personal pay check is not one of them, but sleep can be. Children play hard and are constantly growing, they need rest too, especially after a great sleep over at Mimi's and a super fun day at Knoebels! I used to feel so guilty for resting in the daytime, but now I see it as a part of my paycheck, a perk, a bonus :) There are lots of perks and bonuses, spending time with my children, developing wonderful relationships with them, watching them develop wonderful relationships with each other, peace.... I suppose not all homes have the peace, but it is usually here, and it is so sweet. I have always been a homebody, my calling so to speak, and a bookworm, and have always had a great fondness for watching things grow, still do. We all stay busy, learning, observing, caring for the home, but things are never done, never tidy, we never see the bottom of the to do list. That used to bother me too, but now I see it as a sign that we are alive, we are working together, we have a great home with wonderful projects and lots of room to grow. So, perhaps a few more weeds will be pulled, a few more towels hung on the line, a few more dishes washed, a few more goats milked, a few more chickens fed, a few more dust bunnies swept, a few more items organized, a few more school days logged, the dog bathed, the supper created, the phone calls returned, the bills paid, the eggs gathered, the feeders filled, the beds made, etc., etc., etc...... just right after a nap.

Last evening, last week, last month.... moments with loved ones...

Sometimes my night owl self kicks in and I get nostalgic 'til the wee morning hours.... you can join me if you like, but be warned, things might get sentimental.

Tonight we took our children to a hibachi grill for the first time. Hibachi grills are fascinating experiences and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.


We were joined by my mother-in-law, and father-in-law, and sister-in-law and niece. We decided it would be great fun to put my niece on the spot, so to speak. As you can see here, no one minded wishing her a "Happy Birthday" a few months late!!!

We followed up supper with some mini golf. The evening was perfect for it. A balmy night with laughter and love and fun and good memories that will likely last a lifetime.






As I see how quickly my own children are growing up, I am reminded to cherish every moment at every stage that we are gifted with sharing with the children that cross our paths. Someday we will probably be vague memories to them, but the good feelings, and the love that we have for them will hopefully plant seeds that will help them to have a positive outlook on the world, and the assurance that they are loved by many.

A few weeks ago we were privileged to be able to watch my sister's older children while their Daddy had back surgery. Aren't they adorable?


And a few months ago I was honored with a visit from my Mom and her Mom, my Grandma. These are the ladies who raised me. They are strong, intelligent, and beautiful. I hope I have inherited their genes for youthful aging, can you believe that Grandma is 90?!!! While I was growing up Grandma lived next door, that was a gift that I only now realize the value of, and my Mom was always my best friend, time has tested and tried our relationship, but I am so pleased to say that it is stronger and deeper than ever, and God has been very, very good to me. The older I get, the more I realize how blessed I have been my entire life, and how God has worked everything out for good. It really helps me to trust Him with the future.



And the man that has made all my dreams come true!!!! My life is perfect because of YOU, Darling!!! Thank you for the sensitivity, thank you for the sweetness, thank you for being such a good provider, thank you for your strength, thank you for your patience. We were made to be together. Now all I wish for is safety, and health, and longevity, for all of us, and the blessed continuation of all that we are working at. God is so good!!!! And you reflect Him.

Meet Kohlrabi

One of the more pleasant thoughts of the day... kohlrabi. This vegetable in our garden is new to us. "Kohl" meaning cabbage, kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family, but has the texture more of a potato. Last night we fried slices of it in olive oil and seasoned them with a little salt and pepper, I thought it was very good, but in my opinion most fried foods are delicious, thus the appeal of "Carnie" food! Tonight we were more nutritious about it by adding diced kohlrabi to a steamed rice dish. Again, I thought it was very yummy. I was not unhappy to read that it is high in Vitamin C and Potassium and is reputed to improve circulation and increase energy!! Yipee! Fortunately we have about six more plants ready for harvesting :) I wonder how we should prepare it next? Oh, and for the record, the rest of the family does not mind it, but you will rarely catch any of them raving over a vegetable in general. I have to praise them by saying that they all tried it last night, and I did not hear a single complaint when it was served again tonight. They are all far more inclined to eat a vegetable, common or uncommon, if they have watched it grow in the garden.

Post Holiday - Pre Dreaminess

It takes a lot of work to have fun! The swimming, and bonfires, and picnics, and sleepovers,and parties were all absolutely wonderful, but I am actually looking forward to my somewhat regular routine again today, (with the exception of course of an afternoon Matinee at the movies a little later today). We have gotten some wonderful news that some of our dear friends are moving into the property behind ours, so the already friendly neighborhood is going to get a lot more fun very soon! They have three little boys, well, two at the moment and one due in 5 weeks, so the gender ratios will get evened out around here! That is good news for Chester at this point. As the children were swimming next door yesterday we were chatting with those sweet neighbors about the good news. Apparently both the neighbors have a love of dirt bikes, so visions of tracks racing between the properties were dancing in their heads. I can't say I have a huge love of dirt bikes, but I am delighted at the thought of the community camaraderie and had a lovely sleeping dream of our utopian neighborhood. Definitely not a bad feeling! So in the future when our goats holler their echoing "MAA", and our guineas let out a chorus of cackles it may be drowned out by the sound of roaring engines! Seriously, I do not mind not being the loudest neighbors, I am totally looking forward to the fun! God is good!