Day: February 24, 2011
Do We Really Need School?
“Do we really need school? I don’t mean education, just forced schooling: six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years. Is this deadly routine really necessary? And if so, for what? Don’t hide behind reading, writing, and arithmetic as a rationale, because 2 million happy homeschoolers have surely put that banal justification to rest. Even if they hadn’t, a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve-year wringer our kids currently go through, and they turned out all right. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln? Someone taught them, to be sure, but they were not products of a school system, and not one of them was ever “graduated” from a secondary school.”
From: How public education cripples
our kids, and why
By John Taylor Gatto
Listen to John Taylor Gatto as he discusses the roots of the public schools. He states that according to the creators of the public schools, “The family and tradition were the greatest obstacles to making a perfect society…a utopia ”
Honesty The Best Policy
I received this in an email and thought it was a good one to read to our children. It reminded me of the Lamplighter story “Clean Your Boots Sir.” The young boy in this story was promoted throughout his life because of his honesty. A totally honest executive or employee is worth more than gold to his company these days. Sadly, honesty is not valued in our society anymore…even many of our politicians cannot be trusted.
A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.
Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.
He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. “The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED.. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.
I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”
