I agree totally. I've had some interesting discussion regarding this basic issue on email lists and even in my own home. Our republic can only be sustained so long as the character of our people is sustained. As that slips, the slide into tyranny is inevitable.
In most cases, what we see happening to our schools and institutions is in response to demands from the community. Universal preschool is another step in this direction, and it has broad support from parents. Here in NE, we just amended our constitution to allow for the creation of an endowment program for future early childhood programs.
Most people are too busy pursuing their careers and vegging out in front of the tube to care about these issues.
Apathy is just as bad as actively working toward these ends.
The failure of the school system to impart history, other than to use it as a vehicle to tear down our heroes, is one of the reasons I've tried to teach as much of it as I can to my kids. So much so, in fact, that my younger daughter, when she was about 7 or 8, when asked where we spent vacations, answered: "We go to dead guys' houses" In response to the shocked looks she'd add--"Yeah, wherever we go, Dad finds some dead guy's house to drag us through".
As war is too important to leave to the generals, a well-rounded education is too important to leave to the educators!
Dana, You are so correct, the "state", in this case pre-K schooling, should not take the place of parents who could teach so much more and that teaching would be with true love and concern.
Tony, I hadn't thought of that aspect of teaching; but you are so right. My folks took us on "field trips", if you will. I saw Ft. Willima Henry, and all along the New England area as we followe the trail of "dead people" from the Revolutonary War. It was an awesome way to become part of our history. It didn't hurt that we had a Revolutionary War Cemetary, a very small one, only a block away from our house.
Thanks to both of you for adding your thoughts.
The "state", that which so many rely on to increase children's appreciation of American culture, in fact provides just the opposite; my 4th-grader's history lessons all have the same theme which is basically brown man good, white man bad. Every story gets spun this way: Thanksgiving, Civil War etc...
My 8th grader was taught last week that the internment camps of WW2 were "basically the same" as the concentration camps of Nazi Germany.
More state intervention ("free preschool") will only increase the level of this taxpayer-funded indoctrination into America-hating.
Dave,
About the only way to make sure that your children are given proper perspective is to review on a daily basis that which was handed out at the "state" school and make the necessary corrections at home.
Commenting by HaloScan
