[.uk] Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie to ... (ISBN 0964569329)

Misconceptions:
It's ridiculous to think that this book or any others that criticize public schooling are saying that all people working and teaching in the system are bad. Everyone knows there are terrific, dedicated people working in the schools, indeed most of us know some people like that, but they are often hindered by the system and the rules. It's a perfectly legitimate question for discussion whether the 'system' is good, bad, broken, fixable, or should be abolished. John Taylor Gatto is one of those dedicated teachers who greatly deserved the teacher of the year awards he was given, and HE says public schools should be abolished. Indeed, he had success because he didn't conform and do what the 'system' said to. I am a homeschooling mom of 8 who names all her kids after Bible names, but my main goal is a good education for my kids. With many American parents not sufficiently involved in their kids' lives, homeschooling is an awesome social trend that can only benefit the average family. I'm sure at least one of my kids didn't know much about the civil war at 12, but it's loving to learn, and having the tools of learning that counts. The 3 oldest have gone to college at 16 and done fine, and have been astounded at how much less history is known by the publicly- educated kids in their college classes. I was valedictorian from a private Christian school after attending public school as well, and now have been homeschooling and studying education for 20 years and am quite familiar with the issues and the lack of truly quality education in most public and private schools due to today's weak standards and time- wasting methods. If it's true that standardized tests with all their inherent faults are being dumbed down, how can it be exciting if test scores are up slightly? It just means the tests are easier and /or more kids are doing test prep. Yes some kids are learning much more math, but many are made to feel like failures and have no time to pursue their strengths, and all that math will help them little if they do not go into a math field and don't know enough history to be good citizens. I have worked with people who are completely brainwashed with the liberal philosophy of government. They just look at you dazed and have no earthly idea why they believe what they do about political issues. They are not thinking liberals who came to their conclusions by thoughtful reasoning, they are statist parrots who have no idea why they think policy X is good and can't conceive of someone having an argument against it. If they had made up their own mind about things, you could have a real conversation with them about it, but they can't defend their ideas, they just assume the whole world agrees with them. Their public schools did not teach them logic, philosophy, how to debate, the constitution, or even the reasoning for their liberal views. That is what scares me. My kids know to test what they believe, how to defend their beliefs, and that truth is knowable and discoverable, and not different for every person. Thank goodness we promote education for everyone now, including women and blacks, etc, but it is still legitimate to look at colonial education in terms of how well they managed to teach the ones they did choose to educate, compared to how well we do. If the public system does not usually have success with inner city kids and John Taylor Gatto does by ignoring the 'rules and proper methods of education' then maybe we should ignore them too. And regardless of how many wonderful Christians are in the public schools, there is much hostility toward Christianity in the school system. Court cases, NEA, ACLU, the absolute fits thrown if evolutionary assumptions are criticized, students forbidden to exercize their religion, etc. Christians suffer under a multitude of restrictions about what they can say and do while free sex is normalized and eastern meditation is actively taught and promoted. I personally was made fun of by the teachers in elementary public school 30+ years ago for bringing my Bible to school. It was something I wanted to do because of my own faith, not something I was told to do by parents or anyone else. Why did they think it was ok to ridicule a 5th grader about her Bible, when they were not nasty in general? Many thinking people are totally for learning for everyone, but believe the public schools are more of a problem than a solution. It's a legitimate position that should be argued out. It's not good enough that a monolithic, mind-bogglingly expensive, government- controlled institution that is raising our kids for us does have some success sometimes. The question to ask is, Is it actually good for people? (I don't think any giant institutions ever are, whether religious, business, charitable, medical, educational, or governmental. They are all dehumanizing.) Are the successes truly because of the system or in spite of it? Are there any better and less expensive alternatives? Yes, private schools, charter schools,one room schools, internet classes, formal and informal tutoring-- whether by a trained teacher or anyone with knowledge to share. All run by the teachers and overseen by parents or guardians, and the learners themselves, not the government or the 'experts.' It would be great if all those truly wonderful teachers would quit and start small schools or tutoring businesses of their own instead of supporting the public school system. Local governments could give out vouchers for people below a certain income that were useable for any school or class including college, if we want to support education with tax money. It would be up to each parent and student to vote with their money for the good schools or teacher. We should look at the big picture here and argue that, not just some of the details. And remember that questioning methods and institutions is not the same as indicting the motives of all the people involved. Even a failing teacher may be there because she cares about kids. But her love cannot change a damaging system that she has no contol over.

Too anti public schools for me:
While the author points up what must be problems in the public schools, he never lets up. He is too anti public schools for my blood. I read a little over half of it, and I put it down. Didn't need that much negativism. A little lighter would have been better.

Read and Weep:
We all regret what has happened to our schools. Many of us are mystified by what has happened, others are in denial. Naturally there is the desire to defend the idea of public education while ignoring what goes on in the schools themselves. The author makes a strong case for taking your kids out of the local public school as soon as possible. One has a hard time convincing people that things are bad, especially when Timberlake comes home with straight 'A's. Consider this, though: Chinese, Korean, and Indian children ace America's SAT math test at age 12. They come to America with no English and can get a perfect score on the SAT math test on the strength of what they have learned by the 6th grade. Consider this too: foreign born kids with little English get straight 'A's in their social science and English classes, set their sites on Ivy League colleges but read on the 5th grade level. I tutor seniors in top suburban high schools who are 18 and have never read a book in its entirety. They poke around at the text, can't comprehend the "classics" they are required to read, but get 'A's on essays which ask that they put themselves in the story as a character and tell their own personal story, instead of showing mastery of the text assigned. "If you had been Ann Frank, what would you have taken up to the attic?" Naturally there are no wrong answers. You may love the public schools, but foreign employers are on to this and are avoiding our graduates. American teachers, once highly sought after, are now the last hired by international schools because we have the reputation of not knowing our stuff. Even the Chinese hesitate to take on high maintenance American teachers who act unprofessionally and don't know basic grammar. The author has rightly zeroed in on a national catastrophe that we must face.

Author obviously not educated in a public school:
Actually, I can tell this author was not educated in a public school. He doesn't know his history and he is blatently ignorant. Americans are better educated than ever! More people graduate highschool than ever before. More people go to college than ever before. More people know how to read and write than ever before. America has the best school system in the world for two reasons. #1 It is mandatory. #2 It is inclusive. In our country, people are required to be educated. In many countries, only the wealthiest or brightest students ever get a chance to continue education past the first few years. We educate all students regardless of special needs or income disparities. We don't do a perfect job, but we do a really good one. When reports air on the news that say America is #7 on the list for math/science. Consider that everyone's scores and achievement are included regardless of intellectual or social status. In many of the other countries, only the best and brightest get to go to school, so their results are sure to be higher than a country that requires all of its children to go to school. Ideologies like this author's come from ignorance. Yes, I must say it again. Homeschooling is really the scary trend. I met 5 kids yesterday that were being homeschooled from age 7 to 14. All of them named after biblical characters. Their mother wouldn't send them to a government school. The 12 year old didn't even know who won the civil war. Is this the future of our youth? Public schools are for the public good.

If you're a parent, you must read this book:
I purchased this book with the intentions of making an informed decision about how we are going to educate our two small children. This book has so much information about the deterioration of the public schools that it is scary to think about what will become of the next generation. After reading this book, there is no way in good conscience I can send my children through the doors of a public school in the condition that the system is in. One of the facts mentioned is that the US consumes 90% of the worlds Ritalin to treat ADD/ADHD. Ritalin and aderal are both schedule II drugs, meaning that they are in the same category as cocaine and heroin. He also mentions that there is NO diagnostic test, no blood test, MRI or CAT scan available to diagnose ADD/ADHD. That this is a Canadian and US fad in to pacify our children as they sit bored to tears in dumbed down classrooms. He also gives a check list to see if parents should be concerned about their child/ren along with a list of danger signals. A partial list includes: *Does your child/ren say s/he hates school? *Does your child find it difficult to look an adult in the eye or to interact with children younger or older than they are? *Does your child seem fixated on designer labels and trendy clothes for school? *Does your child come home from school tired and cranky? *Did the nurse or guidance counselor suggest that your child has some strange three lettered disease and should now be given Ritalin or some other drug? * Is your child constantly frustrated with school and homework? Joel Turtle gives reasonable solutions to working parents and single parents as well. This book is a MUST read for anyone concerned about the education that our children are receiving in the public school system. If you don't buy it, check it out at the library!! You can also visit his web site at www.mykidsdeservebetter.com