Is the Public School System Endangering Our Children?

Watching my children become more and more discouraged, disinterested and stressed over school, my husband and I knew we had to do something.
We did not want them to lose their natural inquisitiveness and love of learning. We also came to believe the public system to be more dangerous than beneficial, so we decided to pull them from Public School and Home School them. We have never made a better decision.

At the High School level the public school system seemed to have very limited class choices and no emphasis or even encouragement towards entering College. Academics seem to have been replaced with character development and tolerance, of which neither was evidently in practice. The school system is rampant with ridicule, sexual deviance, drug addiction and violence. The rules and laws they have in place for handling violence within the school are ridiculous.
The law states that if you are attacked, do not fight back yell out and await help. What help? The law also states that a teacher may not under any circumstances touch a student; therefore they can not actively breakup a fight. If a student is attacked and defends themselves, they are ticketed and fined $125.00; it is so tragically ignorant, it's comical. Is a human being really expected to allow themselves to be beaten, possibly to death without making a move to defend themselves? It goes against the laws of nature and common sense.

Beyond the impractical and endangering rules supposedly put in place to make the school environment "safer", there are the kids themselves. I truly believe that as a society we have let our children down. Where in the teen world of; two working parents, Degrassi, MTV as supervision and "Brittneyspearsology", are today's youth supposed to learn morals, values and self-control? Nowhere it seems. The drama, sex, gossiping, drug abuse, violence and clicks in high schools today, make daytime soap opera's look like an episode of Little House on the Prairie.

There truly is no time for instruction within the "halls of learning". Teachers spend most of their day disciplining the bad kids, calming the emotionally challenged kids (who have been placed in regular classes for some politically correct reason), breaking up fights over who slept with who and confiscating drugs. Teachers simply do not have the time to teach, they are to busy being referee, counselor and police officer.

Home-Schooling our kids has given them access to a much broader range of courses, they love having a say in what to study that follows their individual interests, and debating everything with gusto! Even Algebra is fun with a math genius in the house. We decided on a modified 4x4 system, and it is working well. The kids spend a lot more time studying, researching and learning, than they ever did in traditional school. I love when they pick up on something and go after it on their own for more information.

I take them with me to buy text books and supplemental materials, so I know the format is one they will be comfortable with, and it's fun to look though the extracurricular subjects and contemplate which to pick for the next 4x4 session. We are getting to know our children better, they are safe and hopefully we are encouraging them to be strong, kind, independent and confident individuals that will take the world by storm as adults.

Public School, while a choice is just that- a choice. Home-Schooling can be a highly rewarding choice for both parents and children alike. If you consider home schooling your own children be sure to become familiar with the laws of your state, and do not be afraid to try different teaching methods and curriculum. I believe it is time for our children to get back to learning, instead of being loosely supervised for 7 hours a day. Oh, and I love that they no longer need to worry about which side to take in the latest "drama" or what brand clothing they are wearing least they be "blacklisted" by friend and foe alike.