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 Private
Concerns
J. Kevin Tumlinson
I'm just going to say it - the public education system of
this nation is going down the toilet. Now, I can already hear the caterwauling
and indignant complaints. Dissenting opinions are welcome, but let's face
facts.
Over the past couple of decades, we've watched the quality
of education in our schools collapse. Students are being force-taught
federally mandated information so they can pass a standardized test and
yet they are still woefully unprepared for college or the workforce. The
group of policy makers for our education system is largely comprised of
men and women who have never been in the classroom and who probably remember
high school as a tortuous, jock dodging experience.
Morale is low - both on the part of the students and on
the part of the teachers. Our educators are facing the daily dilemma that
they are slowly being weeded out. The government prescribed education
system, as it mutates and degrades, isn't looking for teachers. It's looking
for willing puppets who will marionette the federal line, whatever it
may be.
The answer is private education.
Now let me straighten this out. When I say "private
education," I'm being all-inclusive. I mean not only private schools
but home schooling as well. I know there can be drawbacks. Your child
might not have the same social opportunities as children in a public school.
But with drugs and violence running rampant, how much contact do you want
them to have with these people? And if your child wants to participate
in sports, you'll have to put them on community teams. But is there really
that big of a difference? Kids still learn teamwork and discipline, and
they still get a great deal of physical exercise. Plus they meet new friends
that they can socialize with. Win-win situation, if you ask me.
I'll admit it; I'm down on public education. I've been on
the inside for a while now and what I see is starting to sadden me. More
and more we're drifting away from the real purpose of education - to EDUCATE.
Now, public school is turning into one big test preparation course. A
test, by the way, that could make or break your child's scholastic career.
Do you really want your child's future determined by a bunch of people
who haven't been in a classroom in thirty years?
Pull your kid and put him or her in a private school. Or,
if you have the dedication and drive, put them in home school. Yes, it's
going to be expensive. Yes, it's going to be more difficult. The value
of this, though, lies in the fact that your child will actually get an
education that is more valuable in terms of "actual learning."
They can go on to college with the confidence that they are capable of
working hard, learning, growing, and becoming something better than they
were.
A good friend of mine once said, "Don't let money stand
in the way of your education." There are plenty of programs out there
that will help out. Scholarships, charities, private organizations and
even local churches are often more than willing to help pick up the slack
on a child's education. Ask neighbors, family members and friends for
a charitable donation, if you have to. Heck, sell blood, pawn your DVD
player, throw newspapers in the mornings - whatever you have to do, get
your kid out of the sinking ship that is public education.
If you instill in your children a love for education, they
will continue to learn throughout their lives, and you will have given
them treasures well beyond your financial means.
J.
Kevin Tumlinson is a writer and a schoolteacher living in Lake Jackson,
TX. His education is very private.
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