We only have them with us a few short years. Our influence is great at first, but then is gradually diluted as they mature. Why would we waste precious time preparing our kids for college when we can clearly see the destructive results? Shouldn’t we be preparing them for life instead?
If you need more reasons, read this article entitled Leftist Eggheads Tout Report Claiming Higher Education Leads to Liberalism.
thefederalistpapers.org
Some say it started with John Dewey, others would say it started with Horace Mann. Either way, it has been a disaster, this public education system. Never, ever was it about true learning. From Horace Mann on it has been about social control.
Horace Mann (1796-1859), “The Father of the Common School Movement,” was the foremost proponent of education reform in antebellum America. An ardent member of the Whig Party, Mann argued that the common school, a free, universal, non-sectarian, and public institution, was the best means of achieving the moral and socioeconomic uplift of all Americans. The reform movement he led sought to create the virtuous republican citizenry needed to sustain American political institutions, the educated workforce required to expand the American economy, and the disciplined generation necessary to forestall the social disorders so common in American cities in the decades before the Civil War.
Social Welfare History Project
Can you see it? The words sound so beneficent, but they born out of an arrogant, authoritarian standpoint. “People” are incapable of knowing what’s best for them, they need someone who knows better. Horace Mann knew about the God of the Bible, he even tipped his hat in many of his addresses and writings, but it is obvious his mindset was not Kingdom-centered (could his references to Providence have been a way to put off the godly of his day?).
“Socioeconomic uplift” is where Antifa and BLM were conceived. The seeds of a force of young people who would be trained to throw off the mores of their parents were planted in the Common School movement in the 1830’s.
John Dewey helped things along, of course. A signer (and probably writer) of The Humanist Manifesto, he envisioned a dumbed-down society in which the Elite Class would direct those who were not qualified to direct themselves. Enter: Brave New World (Order).
Our institutions of higher learning are a huge part of this scheme. In this day, they are brazenly indoctrinating young people in NWO propaganda. They do this by:
- Accepting students who cannot read or write well. It’s much easier to convince someone who is too illiterate to search out the truth.
- Making it a requirement students live on campus in co-ed dorms for the first year. It is a well-known brainwashing technique to remove a person from everything familiar in order to re-order responses and thinking patterns. The “total experience” of rampant debauchery in the dorms is just a great side-benefit.
- Making certain every component of the first year courses includes indoctrination information, from English composition to algebra. Hit them from every side while they are feeling unsteady and unsure of themselves.
- Employing professors who are willing to persecute students for having alternate views. They must turn in papers for English Comp with the proper treatment of gender identification and the like. If not, there are consequences such as failed grades and open classroom shaming.
For a funny treatment of what happens on college campuses, read this article entitled: 7 Reasons You MUST Go to College if You Want to be Successful in Life
Babylon Bee
And here is the sad reality: parents whole-heartedly support this system. It must give the devil great revelry to watch us take 2nd jobs and mortgage our homes to send our children to such hellish institutions (and the so-called “Christian” ones have been compromised as well).
Sure, there are a number who escape what’s intended. They are strong enough to see through it, and often are great soul-winners in the midst of it all. But are we willing to gamble the future of our children on the improbable idea that our they will be among the strong ones?
Yes, our progeny will have to rub shoulders with those in the world’s system in just about every part of society, but without the impact they would be forced to endure in a freshman college experience.
Homeschooling is supposed to be about protecting and saving our children from a system that is meant to use them and cast them aside.
Do you agree?
Question is, why do we continue to homeschool as if we are preparing for college?
We probably don’t even realize it. We just go along with the scope and sequence schools follow and think we are giving our kids a great education. But we forget that these requirements were formulated by people with the mindset of Mann for a “socioeconomic uplift.”
Instead of preparing our kids for college, let’s prepare them for LIFE.
Let’s take all of what is considered education and remove the weeds. Here are some questions we need to ask:
What is most important for our children to know as eternal human beings created in the image of God?
How about understanding God as He has revealed Himself in His Son and His Word? Then we could add all of the evidence of His truth in the natural world around us. This covers science and history.
What skills will they need to be successful HUMAN BEINGS, instead of successful employees (they will automatically be successful employees if these skills are taught).
Here we add in basic reading, writing, and math skills. They also learn how to change out a car tire. They know what to do if the lights go out. The can cook and sew and garden and budget. We give them the tools, then encourage them to THINK.
What will make them strong, moral, healthy people capable of building functional families?
They need to be taught the truth, then taught how that truth trumps our tendencies towards error and deception. We need to alert them to the dangers of self-centered living, and give them a vision of altruism. In so doing, we will plant the seeds for a generation of people who see how organic it is to work for the good of the family, then the Church, then the society at large by listening to the Holy Spirit and living out self-sacrificial servanthood.
This post lays out this idea in greater detail: How to Solve Homeschool Problems
This is a drastic proposal. It takes people of strong moral character to go against convention. Relatives, officials, friends, and neighbors take a while to get used to such ideas. But this fear of what others think is what “they” are counting on to keep us on track for the total annihilation of freedom.
“But Sherry, what about those fields that require a degree to enter?” I hear you saying.
Here are some thoughts:
- Is it really true there are no alternative routes to these fields? When we think of the cost, potentially an eternal one, our priorities change. The more I investigate, the more I am convinced there are more than one way to skin the cat of professional training.
- If it is about earning power, are there alternative fields that could yield the same results? My husband’s best friend in high school started at the age of 16 as a grocery stocker, and 20 years later he was running the store. His wage at the beginning in the 1970’s was a little over a dollar an hour, but in 1990 had grown to afford him a comfortable living, and all without the burden of college debt. There are many careers that are lest prestigious, but the earnings are greater than those requiring degrees, and without the crippling debt!
- If it is about doing something interesting, the sky is the limit. If one is willing to start at the bottom, with hard work and gumption a person can move up and into a career that is interesting and well-paying.
- Homemaking as an initial career is a great choice. Women who start out rearing children and keeping their homes in order go on to do other equally interesting and impacting things in their lives. It is a principle of God that the greatest are the servants of all!
Here’s another thing to consider: Will a young person even stick with their original career ambitions? How many kids wanting to become astronauts end up being very happy in numerous other fields? How much money is wasted on degrees that are never used?
I know many of you are nodding in agreement, but many others are feeling a bit lost. That’s OK. Many of us come to homeschooling thinking it’s all about workbooks at home, then find out it’s actually a revolution of our entire lives! I know I did.
Welcome to the party! Keep going, it gets easier, and way, way more fun as you go along. Before you know it, you will wonder why you lived any other way.
Just to get ideas flowing, Praxis is one company I found that seems to be a viable alternative (not sponsored). Here is a link to a page that discusses the cost–between 12000 and 15000; much, much more affordable than any college degree!
And…if you know of any other testimonies or alternatives, be sure and share them below. I always love it when you chime in with interesting and helpful information!
Sherry, I’ve been doing some of this same research on the history of education. In my home state of Massachusetts, education started with “The Old Deluder Satan Law” The mandatory education was originally for the purpose of being about to read scripture yourself so you couldn’t be deceived by Satan. My, we’ve gotten so far from that. I’m so thankful to be a part of the homeschooling movement. Thank you for this bit of encouragement. I am just getting ready to homeschool high school for the first time and was feeling a bit nervous about college.
Thanks for that link, Kristi. I know that they originally used the idea that kids needed to learn the Bible to get folks to support mandatory schooling. That’s the day true education died. Ever hear of John Taylor Gatto? His research and conclusions are most interesting and enlightening.
Yes, I just read his book, “Dumbing Us Down.” Very interesting!
https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/ob/deludersatan.pdf
Here is the actual Old Deluder Satan Law, if anyone’s interested in seeing this interesting bit of history
I wholeheartedly agree with what you’re saying!! My problem is that my husband, who is an anesthesiologist and extremely smart (full ride to college), and three of my five children (college graduates – nurse, financial administrator, & marketing consultant) insist that our youngest son needs high school and college in order to succeed in life (they don’t necessarily mean financially but being happy). Even if you don’t use your degree, it at least opens doors in other areas b/c it shows initiative and tenacity. I agree with that, but what about all the other negative “stuff” that comes with it? We homeschool all of our children until high school because their father and they want them to experience what it’s like in the real world. At least all of their education outside of homeschooling has been private schools, and when the three girls went to college, they were told that they had to live at home and commute to one of our city’s colleges (Xavier University). They’ve seen too many people who don’t get a college degree end-up at a job that they’re always changing b/c of either hating it or the company folding at some point. My family tells me that since I am at home most of the time, I do not know how hard it can be out there and that I need to trust their experience. Now how in the world am I supposed to reply to THAT?? They tell me that I got lucky that my husband makes enough money so that I don’t have to work. No one is nasty or disrespectful, but I am always seen as naive b/c I don’t know what it’s like “out there” (and if I hear that one more time, I’m going to scream ). What’s a mom to do ?
This last part of your comment really bothers me. I am saddened by this mostly for you. You ARE living in the real world. You deal with the real world every day. My personal opinion is that there is a lack of respect for you in this…you don’t have to sound nasty to not have respect for someone.
Maybe you should research trade schools for your son and see what he’s interested in. If they start talking about how that won’t make him happy, maybe ask them where does happiness come from? Money? Prestige? Things? They will all pass away, but the things of God are forever. He doesn’t need college to make money. Unless he really wants a job that requires higher learning. But there’s ways to do that without debt and without having to be at a physical school. And really—it’s up to HIM. If they’re going to treat him differently because he goes a different route, there’s a deeper heart issue with them…and that’s what needs addressed.
I am so sorry you’ve had those comments.
This is so good, Emily. These are the values we need to continue to embrace, the ones that are missing in our current culture. What did Jesus say? What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul. If we surrender totally to God and ask Him for a fish, He isn’t going to hand us a stone. He is the best Father we could ever think of, and His ways are above our ways. By His leading entire new ways to do things can open up before us!
I understand your situation, because I have been there 😛 I had to trust the Lord and let it play out, and now it is sadly becoming all too obvious that college is one of the ways they are destroying us. We sent a few of our kids to college at first, actually they lived at home and went to community college. There was some good that came out of it–God doesn’t waste anything–but also a lot of damage was done.
As for not being in the “real world,” this sounds like the devil attacking you, not the people saying the words. It often takes someone outside looking in to see things more objectively. This is the unique perspective stay-at-home moms can bring to the conversation.
What’s a mom to do? We stay loving and pray–that our children are protected, that the enemy is thwarted in his plans, that our loved ones will wake up. It’s not only about our kids, it’s about the entire country and the world.
Through much prayer my parents came to the conclusion to homeschool us when my sisters and I were in 5th (twin) and 3rd grades. They had planned to give us the option of going back to school in high school, but through various reasons we decided to stay homeschooled. We were surrounded by friends who’s professions were anesthesiology, nursing, and doctors; who sent their kids to private schools with the expectation of going to prestigious colleges. At first they looked down on us (not intentionally. Most of the time they didn’t even realize they were acting that way) until they started actually asking us what we were learning and having conversations. They found out that we actually had a more thorough education and were able to articulate well what we were discussing on a certain subject—better than most of the kids they knew. My parents prepared us for life, but also gave us an education and opportunities that would help us get into college IF THATS WHAT WE WANTED; and most importantly if that’s what we believed God had for us. They always told us that education didn’t stop after school ended and that the most important thing when trying to find a job was: do something that helps pay the bills and (if possible) you enjoy. Most importantly—glorify God. A lot can fit into that.
I think how I would answer the whole “you’re not out in the real world” is this: yes, you are. As a mom, you wear a lot of hats and have to understand a lot of things and are interacting with the real world every time you step out your front door. And you don’t get paid for the work you do…but you still have a job every day. Last time I checked moms that worked at home as “just moms” didn’t live on another planet.
Btw—there are a lot of jobs in the “blue collar” fields that are becoming nonexistent because people think they’re too good for them because they have a college education. We need plumbers and electricians. We need LICENSED people in those fields. My husband is an electrician and he can’t tell you how many unsafe unlicensed people work in his field. It’s scary. AND—those in those fields get paid more a lot of times than those with college degrees. Without all the debt.
This is so, so true. Yes, there are fields that are wide-open that are interesting and well-paying. And, there are other avenues to enter into engineering and the like. What we need is a group of people who will get together and formulate alternatives to these hellacious institutions so that people who want to be nurses, doctors, lawyers, etc. have alternatives. I do believe that in the end true change will be up to us.
Have you heard of Hillsdale college? They are a college that doesn’t take any money from the government, therefore they are able to teach how they see fit. This means it’s mostly conservative and not indoctrination. We get there pamphlets in the mail and have appreciated reading their stuff.
That’s great to hear! We need to develope a data base for alternatives, don’t you think?
I think that would be very beneficial—especially for those who are trying to tread through the waters of high school. That can be such a tricky time.
Something that might be a good thing is as parents encouraging a Gap Year. A year between high school and college that people take to either do some volunteer work, a job, or a specific gap year program. There a quite a few Christian/biblical based ones that are really good. They help disciple , develop character and maturity, etc.
I was part of one and it has been one of the best things I ever did.
Very good idea, Emily. I think a lot of young people would benefit from such a program.
I love this idea for a data base and I second Emily’s comments about Hillsdale. They have free offerings for an easy email sign up, a great option for parents/kids in high school looking to take an online course.
Thank you for chiming in–I keep hearing good things about Hillsdale.
This writing is so right-on. Refreshing. I’m a veteran homeschool mom and I couldn’t agree more! : )
Thank you! Our original idea was to prep ours for college, but we quickly discovered our error…
This leaves me with a lot to pray about. My oldest just turned 16. He took his ACT last year and got a 34 so decided he was ready to enroll in the community college for engineering this coming fall. He really wants “a challenge”, that is what he always says 🙂
I feel like I don’t really know what direction to steer him now. I guess my thought process has been that engineering classes will be pretty straight forward and objective?
Thank you for challenging my thoughts on this.
My husband and I met at an excellent Christian college, and both of us remember those years as some of the best of our lives. We were encouraged to develop opinions and hone our gifts under the authority of the Word of God, the education we received grew our ability to think critically and bring down worldly strongholds, and the Christian friendships we formed there influenced our lives for good in lasting ways. Our son is at our alma mater now and is having the same experience we did. We’ve seen him mature by leaps and bounds in his Christian thinking, practice, and conviction in the 2 years he’s spent there as he’s been taught by Christian professors who are reinforcing what Mom and Dad taught him for years and as he’s interacted with smart, enthusiastic, believing peers who engage in challenging, compelling conversations over dinner. Not all colleges are “hellacious institutions.” When our son began college, we didn’t have the money to send him there for 4 years (nor do we have the money to do so for his 4 siblings), but God has provided for him one year at a time and today, halfway through, he’s still debt-free. Do your homework to find good colleges and ask God to provide — it can be done!
That’s great to hear, Rachel. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. I think yours is one of the few. I am posing this to those who may not be aware of the dangers of the typical college experience.
Apprentice.university is an alternative.
HSLDA helped start https://www.phc.edu/
Apartment maintenance including a swimming pool operator certification is a blue collar idea.
Thank you for these valuable links–that is a great idea, is in demand, and most probably pays decently.
This is a needed conversation in the homeschool community. Thank you for this post and your research! My oldest is only 8 but my plan is to take an offensive position if they would like to go to college. I want them fully prepared for the onslaught of worldly thinking! Apologies, worldview, Bible classes, economics…I want to study it all with them.
This is the best way–educating yourself will be an effective way to prepare. Be encouraged; you are doing a great job!
Thank you Sherry!
This is a great conversation. Thank you, ladies.
My eldest (13) was dead set that she wanted to be a veterinarian, and I know she would make a great one. I was so nervous about having to prepare her for college. We discussed the dangers and costs of 8 years of school, and she was still determined that this was what she wants to do.
We live in a very small town (I’m not sure if that makes a difference). I know it was God guiding me, and I had her write letters to a few local vet clinics, asking to volunteer. She has spent this last year volunteering at a local vet clinic with a wonderful vet, who was also homeschooled. After talking to other vets who work there, and realizing just how much they dont teach in vet school now, as oppose to what was taught to the older vets, she is reconsidering becoming a vet. She likes the work the vet techs do much more, and there just so happens to be a vet tech working in the clinic who never went to college, and instead was personally trained by the vet she started working under straight out of high school.
She has also met and interacted with many other animal lovers on different paths, and it has open her mind to other career paths she had not even considered that dont require college.
So…..if you pray and look hard enough, there are still apprenticeship/training options available out there. Get out there and talk to people…better yet, have your children talk to people and explore options as well. Thanks to the flexibility of homeschooling, our children have the opportunity to get actual real life training/experiences, so they can make better decisions about their future. This is the type of problem solving that we Christ-led homeschoolers were made for 🙂
Amen! Thank you for sharing this account of real-life learning. This is how it should be. My grandmother wanted to be a doctor, and in the 30’s and 40’s it was possible to become a doctor without college! (She worked as a nurse while she studied everything she could, but just before the war married and went on to be a mother who worked as a nurse to help pay the bills, all without any college at all). I hope we can get ahold of the entire education system and open more avenues so that the social engineers no longer have a chokehold for the brainwashing of our youth.
@Emily, Yes! I just started taking free classes through Hillsdale College. They offer online educator classes at no charge. It’s pretty awesome! I just discovered them and I like what they stand for.
Here is my college experience:
I went to a public elementary school, once In fourth grade I peed at my desk because the teacher held the bathroom passes and I was difficult to obtain them, nice. I was homeschooled in middle school and high school, I graduated early and started at the local college at 16.
I lasted one year, taking only classes that seemed interesting to me because their degrees all seemed useless and stupid. I honestly could not believe the laughable environment this college provided.
I was told in the admissions office that I’d better go to class and get good grades because “if you and another person apply for the same job it will go to the person with the higher gpa”. Sure, This has obviously turned out to not be true at all. The 18yo girls sitting next to me in western civ got 25/100 on these like 6 grade tests, I did so well in that class I didn’t have to take the final.
It was so BAD I could only take a year and I refused to go back. This has turned out fine for me, I worked As a manager in the oilfield for a while, let me tell you because you can THINK for yourself you’ll do absolutely fine. I have four children now and stay home, which is much better, the right and just role for a woman.
I will say as well, my two younger siblings also attended and both graduated from this college, with degrees in political science. It turned my brother in to a rabid utopian socialist, he finally married a woman who was 10 years older than him (38) and neither of them want children. My sister fared a little better but her husband was the glory child of public school and college (an engineer with 0 social skills), both got vaccinated, stopped attending Church, no children but they have a vicious “rescue” dog child. Our family has been torn in two, my parents are heartbroken at how this has turned out.
I beg and plead with you don’t sacrifice your children on this altar of education, it’s the wicked idolatry of our whole generation.
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but loose his own soul?
This is so compelling! Thank you for sharing your story, so many of us have undergone some of the same heartaches. But, thankfully, there are also victories such as you are experiencing–praise God
Sherry I so appreciate your wisdom, this is a Godly ministry and I thank Him for you ❤️❤️❤️
Your message has encouraged me to have more children, anyone reading please pray for us and my husband for his Heart to be softened and for his eyes to be opened to the truth.
Much Love in Christ,
Linda Taylor.
Lol also my proofreading is terrible, Please pardon those errors.
You did just fine–thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to comment 🙂 Praying now…