Usually, when I watch a movie or TV show, I recognize that moment in the tale when things have gone right for the hero.  You know, that instant when good triumphs?  When evil is vanquished?  When someone gets the cat down from the tree and all is right with the world?

Of course, this presumes a clear cut hero, and a rather (sorry, my fellow authors) simplistic story to tell.  So in the story I’m about to tell, I’ll try to keep things simple.  In my tale, students in public schools are the beleaguered heroes.   After all…they show up.  And the bad guys.  Well, you know where this is going, right?  Teachers are the bad guys.  (My story mirrors life perfectly.)

A friend of mine, Russ, sent me a news clip with info from a former Wall Street Journal reporter, June Kronholz.  In it, she stated that 1 in 20 teachers are absent, every day of the school year, on average, across the nation.  In some school districts, such as Camden, RI, up to 40% do not show up to work each day.  Bolstered by their insane, voracious unions, these “teachers” take every possible off-day and then some.  Imagine a school where each day, four out of ten teachers are subs.  Or better yet, go to Camden and just take a look.

This costs taxpayers additional BILLIONS of dollars (teachers get paid even when absent – their unions have seen to that), and arguably creates havoc for schools and kids. (Should I say “more havoc?“)  But, well, you know, as the teachers of Chicag0 cried when they were on strike to get their pay up to a level over three times that of the average working Joe in Chicago…it’s all for the kids.

Uh-huh.

So the teachers are bad guys. (Bad girls too, I’m afraid.)  But which teachers?  Certainly they are bad teachers who, at a time when the nation is truly struggling with finances,  take advantage of perks other professions can only dream of…during their annual nine months of labor…that’s right, they only work 3/4 of the year, so I can understand why they need all that extra time off. And their average workday is, well, shorter than most employees in other professions, a fact their unions made happen and which they proudly brag about.  So, those teachers need their beauty rest.  (Some of them take days off to do important things, like,you know, renew driver’s licenses that can be renewed in the mail, and that sort of thing.)  How this helps and serves children?  Don’t ask me.  As a single dad who homeschooled 10 kids in my house for years (only two were mine), I can tell you flat out- I didn’t get days off.  I still don’t.  And there is no sub who can step in for me, damn the luck.  My days, including getting my own work done, were (and are) closer to 12-16 hours of work per, seven days a week.  And the pay is poor.  But then, well, dads don’t have a union, do we.

But what about the public school subs?  There are some 3 million teachers in the United States.  That means, at best, some 250,000-300,000 are out EVERY DAY.  That calls for a lot of substitutes.  Are the subs heroes, like the kids?  Ummm….

Now, when my favorite basketball team, the Lakers, blows out another team (not that often this year, but it still happens…), they pull out their exceptional starters and replace them with subs off the bench to finish the game.  That’s because they’re winning by so much, they want to protect those stellar and expensive players from pointless injury and exhaustion.  I get that!  I would do it, too!  In come the second-stringers, talented in their own right, but they aren’t starters.

But with teachers, well…they’re not stellar (though they are expensive), and they’re not winning anything.

No blow-outs for our public school teachers, nope.  They’re failing our kids, and doing so grandly.  Read other articles here and you’ll see what I mean.  Plummeting test scores, embarrassing and disastrous national drop-out rates, rampant unemployment for “grads” who have no employable skills, sexual and other abuses against students that should make a concerned parent or citizen seek for jail time for “teachers” taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us.  Nope, the teachers are losing BIG. Except for their unions, who continue to secure outrageous pay and abusive rights for people that really need to be unemployed.  (Exceptional teachers will find teaching work in the private sector.  There are a few.)  Their schools need to be closed.  Our “teachers” need to be introduced to the kind of jobs they are training their students to fill, you know, like at McDonalds.  I hear that Denny’s is hiring.  And Walmart is the world’s largest employer, right!

Teachers not showing up to work is a global epidemic.  Read James Tooley’s marvelous book, The Beautiful Tree, and you’ll discover this is so at outrageous levels throughout Africa, India, and in other parts of the world.  Who picks up the slack in such places?  Well, if the school is a state-run school, usually the kids babysit themselves, according to Mr. Tooley.  And say what you like, he saw what he saw.

Teachers the world over clearly feel entitled. (Read some of the communications I’ve received from teachers, like the one who whined about “show me the m0ney,” and being underpaid – and, and who didn’t even think to put out the lie that “it’s all for the kids” until the last sentence.)  Given teacher’s hideous track record, one can only gape in wonder at what on earth makes them feel they should be entitled as a group to do anything but clean the latrines.

So absenteeism creates a gap for even more teachers, a sub-class we call “substitutes.”  That means, well, more jobs for teachers!  More members for teacher unions!  The unions love this set-up, and why not?  They helped create it.

Some common sense in an area sorely lacking:  Yes, we need more employment in the U.S. now, not less.  So arguing firing all teachers and closing schools might seem counter-productive.  After all, 3 million teachers PLUS administrators (well-paid), plus staff… lot of jobs.  But while pundits love to point fingers and play politics in America, and blame everything but the actual root cause of our struggles today, there IS  a root cause to America’s social and financial woes.  It is our utterly destructive, failed educational system, and the people who support it.

What are students trained to DO, exactly, by this system?  When are they encouraged by a cookie-cutter brainless approach to education to become unique, skilled, even productive?  They do not, unless self-motivated to do so.  And a self-motivated student does not need public school.  History is absolutely awash with examples of self-educated or homeschooled genius.

Our educational system is a disease with many symptoms.   One of those symptoms is a lack of new invention and ideas in America, as we lose ground to other countries doing it better.  Well, invention is a by-product of education.  Declining living standards for the majority is another symptom of the disease, as is increased functional illiteracy.  A lack of production is another symptom of the disease that is public schooling today.  And so, then, would be our national debt, in many regards.  After all, the more productive the nation and its people, the more income is made, the broader the tax base.

If you ignored all of this, AT LEAST PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PARAGRAPH.  Why should students ever learn to produce when their “role models”, their teachers, never have to?  Public school teachers are not held to ANY standard, even a moral standard!  Their failure is rewarded with high pay and amazing perks.  Even abusive teachers are protected to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal support by teacher unions.  School districts will generally do nothing to an 0ffending teacher or administrator other than move them to another school.  They can’t afford the litigation.  They can’t afford to take on the teacher unions.  Teachers even cheat to up their pay, as 170 or so Atlanta teachers did last year in altering student test scores to make it appear students were doing better than they were – and to secure bonus pay.

WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD A STUDENT LEARN FROM THESE EXAMPLES???  I guess, get into a strong union and any crime or failure or inefficiency is acceptable.

So, in steps the sub – another “trained and qualified” teacher- who knows the kids in that classroom, well, not at all.  Not a clue.  The sub is just tossed into the room and expected to teach something.  Of course, the sub has no idea what has already been taught or not taught.  A sub is really and famously just a well-paid babysitter.  And as Tooley has demonstrated, in some other countries, when the teacher does not show (as is very regular), the kids can go out in the playground and babysit themselves.  And they do.

So who really needs subs?  Who benefits from teacher absenteeism?  Not our heroes, the kids.  They do not benefit.  Though it might be argued that, given how badly education is done by public schools, the kids might well do better without their teachers.  (I would certainly argue this point, so long as the kids form homeschool groups and get on with the business of their lives.)  Do families and taxpayers benefit from this arrangement?  Clearly not.

Nope, the beneficiaries are teachers and their unions, period.  More time off for teachers.  More members for teacher unions.  More money pointlessly tossed out the window by tax payers, without any good results to show for it.

I once saw a video of a sub sleeping in the classroom as his class watched.  Why not?  He would not have gotten anything done with his eyes open.  And he gets paid, either way.  Just like the teacher he replaced.

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at Children’s Bill of Rights.

Let’s look at the rights and attendant responsibilities. First we’ll show the right, then in italics and in red, the child’s responsibility. I’ll follow each of these with my comments. I’ll keep the comment on each of these short.

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Right to Privacy

Every human being has the right to a reasonable amount of privacy, including children. Parents and others should knock and wait to be invited in before entering a child’s room, once the child is old enough to understand this.

A child should have the right to have his personal possessions considered private, within reasons. (Destructive or harmful objects such as weapons or drugs are not “private” for anyone in a family — everyone would need to know they are in the house.)

Every child has the right to have talks with whomever they need to, and to consider those talks to be private. No child should have to tell another about talks he’s had (written or spoken) with others. (This, again, is within reason. Dangerous “talks” with strangers on the Internet and elsewhere are not a part of this right. Parents have the responsibility and right to keep their children safe.)

You have the responsibility to have a safe room, to never bring anything dangerous into it or your house such as a weapon, drugs, or living things that your family does not know about.

You have the responsibility to care for your possessions, unless you do not want them anymore. You have the responsibility to know that if you break your things, your parents (or other people) do not have to replace them.

You have the responsibility to choose to talk to people who really do care about you, and not just “to anyone”. You have the responsibility to not “just complain” about things, but instead to try to make them better. You have the responsibility to see to it that your parents know whatever they need to know to safely take care of you, your house, and your family and neighborhood.

It is important that a child is aware that his privacy is being respected. It provides him a sense of self-value. But it is also important that he realize he is a part of a family, sharing a home with others. This fact implies responsibilities. That is the story of civilization – people living in close quarters and sharing the joys and burdens of society. Living with others requires boundaries and rules. They include good self-policing of what one brings into a house where others live. This care should extend beyond living things like animals, weapons and drugs. It should include friends who are ill and contagious. The child is as responsible for the welfare of his family as are the parents in this regard, and should learn this lesson by a fairly young age.

A child must understand that very little is “owed” to him. The child’s possessions should always be his, they are not communal or “family” possessions. But if he doesn’t care for them and they deteriorate or break – that’s his problem, by the same rule. His possessions are his. If others choose to replace them of their own accord, that’s great. No one, however, is obligated to do so. This is an important life lesson for a child to learn.

Today, with the Internet and schools and such, a child is capable of talking to (in one form or another) many people. Some will be known to the child and his parents, but many others will effectively be strangers. The lesson of Little Red Riding Hood perhaps means more today than ever. “Don’t talk to strangers”. In the Internet age, that is a very important lesson to learn.

What’s more, privacy… Read Entire Article…

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at Children’s Bill of Rights.

Privacy

Every human being has the right to a reasonable amount of privacy, including children. Parents and others should knock and wait to be invited in before entering a child’s room, once the child is old enough to understand this.

A child should have the right to have his personal possessions considered private, within reasons. (Destructive or harmful objects such as weapons or drugs are not “private” for anyone in a family – everyone would need to know they are in the house.)

Every child has the right to have talks with whomever they need or want to, and to consider those talks to be private. No child should have to tell another about talks (written or spoken) with others. (This, again, is within reason. Dangerous “talks” with strangers on the Internet and elsewhere are not a part of this right. Parents have the senior responsibility and right to keep their children safe.)

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“Alone time” is very important, no matter how old you are. We all need some time to ourselves. Often, such “down time” is when we do our best thinking. It may be when we get rest that we urgently need. It may be when we read or study things that we want to know about, and so improve ourselves. It may be the part of the day when we restore our sanity. Regardless of how such time is used, it is essential.

A child in your house is living “under your roof”. And we’ve all heard the speech, right? “So long as you’re living under my roof, so long as I’m paying the bills, you’ll do as I say”. Most parents find themselves with chagrin and horror, uttering this stuff at one time or another to their children. We know it’s nonsense, but we can’t help ourselves. I know that I heard it from my step-fathers. I know that I said it to my children, for which I can only apologize in retrospect.

A child’s room should have a door. That door should be able to be closed. Once the child is old enough to not hurt himself while alone, the door should be allowed to be closed. A closed door is an indication of a desire for privacy. Privacy is more than a right, it really is a necessity, and it should be respected.

Living with others is a dicey business at best. The privacy thing often all too easily gets shoved aside in favour of… Read Entire Article…

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

Happy New Year, everyone!

May this be a stellar year for you and yours.

May this year’s homeschooling be filled with triumph, adventure, and the faces of your children lit on a daily basis with inspiration and understanding.   May you witness your children as they

May your families grow closer and stronger, and your hopes for your children all see the light of a bright and wonderful day.

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at Children’s Bill of Rights.

Let’s look at the rights and attendant responsibilities. First we’ll show the right, then in italics and in red, the child’s responsibility. I’ll follow each of these with my comments. I’ll keep the comment on each of these short.

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Right to be Involved in Decisions Involving the Child

Every child has the right to have explained to him, in a manner easily understood by the child, any pending decision that is being thought about and that would change the life of that child. The child also has the right to have his own ideas and opinions about such decisions, and to express them. The child has the right to be consulted regarding any decision that will change his life.

You have the responsibility to listen and to work to understand when decisions being made are explained to you. You have the responsibility to express your opinions and ideas, but in a calm and respectful way. You have the responsibility to remember that your parents (or the adults you are dealing with) are “in charge” in such cases.

Children are not property. They are feeling, thinking human beings. They deserve an explanation that they can understand when their world is changed in some way by those who have the power to do so. At such times, it is the child’s responsibility to attempt to remain calm enough and sane enough to really listen. A true discussion should occur, with both sides calmly expressed. The adult should explain why things are being done as they are and what the compensation to the family will be that will benefit the child as well. The child must understand that adults (parents) have the right to live their life.

This becomes particularly dicey when such actions as divorce are… Read Entire Article…

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

I wanted to share a video that was brought to my attention this morning.  It shows how much money is REALLY being spent on New Jersey High Schools, and discusses where it may be going to.  The organization sponsoring the video doesn’t really interest me, as they seem to be involved in public schools and perhaps “fixing” them – which I believe to be not only impossible,  but unnecessary.   I think public schools should go away.   (Oops – just lost the interest of all those public school teachers who will do anything – ANYTHING – to protect their astonishingly destructive jobs.)

But the rest of the video is eye-opening.  One thing I like about it is that state legislators from both parties are on to the unbelievable waste of resources in their state.  What will they DO about it?  Hmmm.  Yet to be seen.

If you live in New Jersey, this should be fairly disturbing to you!   Money is tight, today!  Resources are hard to come by!  Budget cuts for everything imaginable are under serious discussion by government at every level.  This video quickly and simply makes it clear that an astounding amount of waste…and perhaps theft…is occurring, to the tune of many billions of dollars in just a few school districts in the Garden State alone.  With little or no oversight.

Who profits by this?  Well – who should be doing the oversight?  We could start with them.  Hey, Mr. Oversight…where’s the money going?!  Do your job!  Or perhaps, you are all-too aware of where the money is going. Mr. Oversight?  Maybe your real name is “Mr. Overlook?”   Hmmm?

I was shocked when I saw the Dept. of Education stated that some $550 billion a year is spent on public education every year. (It’s higher now.)  I thought when first exposed to this figure that it had to be wrong, had to be high.  But now, I think they’re lying.  It’s WAY to low.  And if teacher unions continue to have their way, things will continue to get worse.  Much worse.  As mentioned in the video (and get this one right), the average teacher in Jersey makes a salary in the $50,000+ range – but that does not include their benefits and perks, or the fact that this is pay for only 9 months work.  Benefits that kings would envy drive the cost way up, per teacher.   And given that there is no real oversight of each teacher’s work, no real evaluation done of their success/failure rate with students, and no recourse with teachers who do a bad job or worse, abuse children, except to move them to another school and so, hide the offender…well, New Jersey public school children pay the ultimate price.  As do public school children throughout the country, and as I’m discovering to my horror, really, throughout the world.

If you pay taxes, you really do need to see the video.

If you live anywhere and you still support public schooling, perhaps you will reconsider.  This video adds up very simple, readily found per-classroom costs for public High Schools in N.J.  It shows you where they got the numbers.  The numbers aren’t hidden, aren’t arcane.  But what happens to the money being spent most certainly IS hidden.

As you watch this, think about all those striking teachers in Chicago and elsewhere, paid tens of thousands a year more than other working folks in their city per year, with perks the average Joe can only dream of, working only nine months for that pay, and failing their students on a grand level, to an almost 50% drop-out rate in many districts.  Think of those crocodile teacher tears, the pictures of striking teachers crying out at the top of their strident voices that they were striking “for the children.”  Think about the one teacher who broke down in tears in front of a classroom of kids, complaining about how the teachers are overworked and underpaid, in the hopes that they would go home and spread the word to mom and dad.  Think about all the lies teachers and teacher unions have put out there for decades about their “value” to society”, and why should be willing to pay any amount of money because it’s all “for the children,” when in fact, it was all for the bank accounts of teachers sometimes collecting many hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement, the same in perks, etc.  Think about how you’ve been lied to over and over, and how these people have bilked the American people on a grand level – as levels of literacy drop, unemployment skyrockets, and it becomes ever clearer that our schools have not only failed, but placed the country in a hole it may take generations to dig out of.  Start to wonder where all the money might be really going.

And for heaven’s sake, get angry about it!  Then start writing others, share the news, get moving!  Write your local politicians.  Write Jersey and complain to it’s governor, let’s see if he really plans to do the right thing.  Maybe he will.  Jersey has gone through rough times of late – of all states, it can ill-afford this kind of waste at this time.

Skip the intro to the video if you like, get into the figures.

Take a look:  Click Here

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I am a proponent of homeschooling.  (You have probably figured that out.)  I’ve authored two books about education which help make very clear the strengths of homeschooling when compared to schooling of other forms.  That is particularly true of my book, Poor Cheated Little Johnny.  My second book, Universal Private Education, lays out defined methods that one can use to successfully homeschool. I have also created a series of ten courses to be done at home by parents who wish to homeschool.  These courses each highlight an aspect of homeschooling and help the parent master skills and ideas they can use to truly triumph in teaching their children.   I hope that some of these resources might be of value to you.

Finally, I provide a second blog that talks purely about how to homeschool, Homeschool Hows & Whys.  Take a look, it’s free!

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at The Children’s Bill of Rights

Right to decide his own interests, practices, studies and pursuits

Every child has the right to have constructive interests of his own. Every child has the right to expect family and friends to support those interests. Every child has the right to the time and reasonable resources that are needed to develop and practice his own interests, and to have them be considered a part of his education. This includes interest and study in the arts, in religion, or in any particular subject.
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There is a dire tendency in nearly all institutionalized forms of education to limit what a student is to study. As an example, over the past thirty years in the United States, the emphasis in education in public schools has increasingly skewed toward science and math. This is being promoted as an “effort to keep America competitive”, as if only science and math studies would accomplish such a thing. This emphasis has resulted in the steady de-funding and de-emphasis of arts programs, and many elective programs.

This sad restricting of “approved” studies obviously will not and does not align with a large number of student’s interests and needs. We’re not all born to… Read Entire Article…

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at Children’s Bill of Rights.

Let’s look at the rights and attendant responsibilities. First we’ll show the right, then in italics and in red, the child’s responsibility. I’ll follow each of these with my comments. I’ll keep the comment on each of these short.

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Right to Determine Interests, Practices, Studies and Pursuits

Every child has the right to have constructive interests of his own. Every child has the right to expect family and friends to support those interests. Every child has the right to the time needed to develop and practice his own interests, and to have them be considered a part of his education.

You have the responsibility to look around, be interested, and to try many things. You have the responsibility to be honest about the things you are not interested in, so that your parents and others do not waste time helping you learn about them. You have the responsibility to take the things that do interest you seriously, have fun with them, but to also really make an effort to learn about them.

One doesn’t grow or learn much if one is unwilling to look at things. Experience is the best teacher. And experience is a deeply personal thing. Some people yearn for and reach for it, even as young children. Others shy away from experience. Being willing to look at and experience the world around us is actually… Read Entire Article…

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Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at Children’s Bill of Rights.

Let’s look at the rights and attendant responsibilities. First we’ll show the right, then in italics and in red, the child’s responsibility. I’ll follow each of these with my comments. I’ll keep the comment on each of these short.

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Right to Their Own Ideas and Beliefs

Every child has the right to their own beliefs and ideas, including the right to involve himself or not in any given religion. This is the child’s right, regardless of the beliefs of his family, or of others around him.

You have the responsibility to be honest about what you believe or do not believe. You have the responsibility to respect other people’s beliefs, even if you do not share them.

This one is largely about respect. We are asking that the child respect whatever it is that he believes or does not believe, and that he stands by it until something in life occurs to change his mind. This is a form of self-respect.

Belief is an entirely intimate and personal phenomenon. In learning to protect and respect his own beliefs, a child learns to develop and appreciate his own abilities and perceptions… Read Entire Article…

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students

The following is part of a series of articles on the rights and responsibilities of children and of families. On our site, we’ve published a Children’s Bill Of Rights, with all of the sections in the bill. You can take a look at Children’s Bill of Rights.

Right to their own ideas and beliefs

Every child has the right to their own beliefs and ideas, including the right to involve himself or not in any given religion or set of practices. This is the child’s right regardless of the beliefs of his family, or of others around him.

Every child has the right to his own creative ideas, and to express them through the arts or in other reasonable ways, as the child wishes. The child has the right to express those ideas free from degradation, critique or attack from others.

Every child has the right to his own reactions to ideas presented to him. The child also has the responsibility to learn enough about such ideas that he can determine for himself whether or not they are right or wrong for him. But the child’s reaction to any idea presented to him are his and his alone, and he has a right to it without reprisals or punishments.

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Much of this has been discussed in earlier articles, particularly the first paragraph. Let’s focus on paragraph two, first.

It’s funny how many people tend to denigrate in some way the idea of a child going into the arts. There are just a few areas a person can spend a life in and participate in the very highest goals and accomplishments of a culture. These tend to be religion, science, politics, education and the arts, and not necessarily in that order. It’s not that other professions are not important or valued, they are of course. But what remains of a civilization, what we remember it for, is generally contained in these areas.

What remains of many ancient civilizations is largely their arts.

A song that people love will be sung far longer than any tank will roll. We still study the beautiful architecture of the Babylonian ziggurat. Shakespeare wrote his plays some 400 years ago, and Sophocles penned Oedipus around 2,500 years ago, and yet they seem as fresh and important today as they must have then.

The history books are filled with great artists, just as they are filled with religious or political leaders, great scientists, great creators of ideas. In looking at a child… Read Entire Article…

Homeschool Under Siege - Human Rights Blog for Home School Teachers and Students