Children Getting Too Personal

[Nick_Loves_Abba]

Of course your local high school might not have had the (well deserved) reputation as the drug distribution center for SouthEast PA. That's part of what gave me a great hatred of Republicans, and their "Family Values." Our county was the only one in PA to go republican in 2000, and the school had a drug use rate that surpassed the inner cities'.

Drug use isn't as dangerous as ignorance/stupidity, and they don't HAVE to go hand in hand.

There's lots of drug use at my school too, but I don't believe that to be a risk for the future of America, no. I believe that the biggest risk for America's future (aside from Mr. Bush) is how extremely ignorant these kids I go to school with are. Many of whom don't do drugs, many of whom don't fornicate. Fornication and drug use doesn't endanger society NEARLY as much as ignorant people do. I don't mean ignorance for the people who are less educated because of lack of experience, but ignorant because they just don't care to know anything besides trucks and cracking simple jokes.

So if you want your child to grow up a decent person, teach him the power of knowledge and give him a thirst for it, and raise him with morals. All you can honestly do for your kid is teach him between right and wrong, give him a solid foundation of life buolt upon compassion, sympathy, and integrity, and he/she will be fine.

Sheltering your child will just plant a seed of curiosity which has a good chance of sprouting once they move out of the house. I wonder how many people were sheltered as children, and then once they got out into the real world particiapted in all the things they never had a chance to experience as a teenager.

But what do I know, I'm only 17.

 

[flicka]

But what do I know, I'm only 17

You know alot actually...good post

 

[Londongirl]

Christian schools can give false sense of security. I know when my son started kindergarten I put him in a private christian school because I was so terrified of sending him to a public school. Then within a couple of weeks my best friend's little girl was accidentally left in another building while they went to chapel. This lasted for an hour or more. She was 5 years old & was terrified! She hid in the bathroom in the dark the whole time! They did no head counts & didn't realize she was gone until they came back. The whole time he was there everyone fed the idea that it was worse than what was going on there. They just didn't see what was going on right under their noses. Also, in a christian school there is more of what each teacher personally believes to be right and that is taught daily instead of the school having a strict set of teaching guidelines. I'm talking generally, of course. But this school even turned this one child down that was in 3rd grade that had hair that was considered too long. When I took my son out & put him in public school that year he wound up being one of his best friends & they have been ever since. He one of the nicest kids you'd ever meet. At the same time these junior high girls in the school were showing their cleavage. I think that is just stupid! I worked there the year before & I know they were tough on the ones that didn't need it & easy on the ones that needed help.

 

[Nick_Loves_Abba]

So basically where-ever you go there's going to be bad eggs, and unless your mum or pop safe-guard you under their wing until you're 21 years old you're going to be exposed to the elements.

 

[Firscherscherling]

Well then you had the added benefit of a sheltered, wealthy, private school environment. You weren't in any more or less of a diverse crowd than I was in high school. LOL Sheesh, next time let me know up front when we're not going to be on the same page. We're not talking about children of privilege here. We're talking about kids getting whatever the public school system can scrape from the bottom of the barrell. We're talking about kids being exposed to God only knows what (especially in the inner-city schools). We're not talking about kids being blessed enough to have the best of the best teachers.

I think your posts are aperfect illustration of the points others are making. You are making sweeping generalizations about the public school system. You are making statements of fact based on second, third and fourth hand information. You are apparently not open to other possibbilites other than your own sheltered view.

 

[Firscherscherling]

Really? What exactly is the quality of a child's public education? One teacher per forty or more children to a classroom. Students get advanced to the next grade level simlpy because there isn't enough room to hold them back. Did you know that many students who get accepted into public colleges have lower than a sixth grade reading comprehension level? Anyone can be a teacher these days. Overcrowding in the public schools means students are the ones who lose.

Funny. The children in my kid's school are, in general, excellent students with involved parents and very very good teachers. There's approximately 20 kids to a class. They are learning things that I didn't, like computer science.

I have many many friends with children of all ages in public school. These kids are doing great. The question isn't can or if they'll go to college, it is which of the many colleges that want them will they go to.

Such an insult to the millions of dedicated parents, teachers and educators across our country who are working their butts off to educate our children.

 

[Firscherscherling]

Not to worry about your child. The fact that you are so worried and so involved is an indicator that your child will be OK. The children in toruble are those whose parents have too little time or too little interest to be involved.

Look around at teh young professionals and tradespoeple all around you. Are they all social degenerates? Hardly. They are the product of our schools.

And yes, our kids do learn more in school than they did 20-years ago. Things like computer science, advanced calculus, physics....

 

[AgentX]

Hi,
I'm kinda new, so hellos all around.

I think one of the worst things that can be done to a child is home-schooling. The reason is not necessarily the educational experience, but the lack of social interaction and the sheltering. High school is a time when young adults should be discovering who they are. I don't mean having sex or doing drugs. I mean talking to people and working with people of all sorts.

Teenagers will be adults and out in the "real world" soon enough. Contrary to what the media may say, public high schools are not cesspools of sin. Most of them are pretty good. Why shelter your children from a world they need to learn how to live in?

My $.02

 

[Newsboy1900]

public school is fun if your rich and perfect and look the right way sure -_-

 

[Newsboy1900]

it depends on the way of the kid does he have alot of friends etc i would had loved for someone to home school me because the school i was in was just horrible so bad i had to quit etc

 

[SqueezetheShaman]

public school is fun if your rich and perfect and look the right way sure -_-

Oh c'mon. all ya need is a healthy self worth. It isn't about looks and money, but if you have that attitude, you are already headed south.

 

[Newsboy1900]

lol well from the schools i have been to that shows what worth you are i dont believe it im just saying Thats what others do and did

 

[Blessed75]

Oh c'mon. all ya need is a healthy self worth. It isn't about looks and money, but if you have that attitude, you are already headed south.

Aim, I normally back you up but do you remember us saying at one time, in order to be popular you had to be blond, tanned and have big boobs? I mean, we were kidding......but we weren't. kwim? It's so easy to say that when you've been outta high school for 10 years ya know? I agree with what you said but remember - we were there once too and felt exactly like that......... btw - ANSWER MY PM!!!!!!

 

[Nick_Loves_Abba]

I don't know maybe my high school is different, but popularity isn't really an issue that anyone cares about anymore. Everyone hangs out with their own group of friends and no one places the people in the popularity ranks anymore (atleast in my HS). Which is how it should be.

 

[DianeCourt]

I think this is a tough decision. I understand that you don't want your kid to be exposed to a lot of these bad things, but the teen years are the transitional period from being completely sheltered and parented to being a little bit more knowledgable about the world.

I imagine you have taught him your views and morals. If he encounters things that trouble you or him, be completely honest. Explain what X is, why these people are interested in X, and why X is bad and, in your view, why he should avoid X. (X being anything you view as bad...premarital sex, superficiality, drugs, etc.) If you are honest and open with him about your views, rules and your reasons for these views and rules then I think high school will be a growing experience for you both. He's going to encounter pretty much everything you don't want him to at SOME point in his life. The only thing you can do is guide him through the mess. Personally, I think it's better to discuss and be clear on these things when your child is in high school and close to home. You don't stand much of a chance when you've never been through any of these things and he's miles away in college.

 

[Word of Peace]

Obviously the doc isn' aware of TLC, discovery channel, the science channel. Just to name a few. There is a lot of quality programming on television.

Yeah, but it's better to avoid the TV and get these programs on video. My family has a sizable library of education programs that originated on TV, and that we can watch at our leisure.

And I get the feeling a public school would provide a better education because, well, they're trained professionals.

Not surprisingly, homeschoolers score much better on average in academics than public-schooled and even private-schooled kids. They are also more motivated learners - a quality of TREMENDOUS importance in determining how much they will learn. Furthermore, the depth of their knowledge does not need to be limited to that of their parents. I am living proof of this. I have gone 'way beyond my parents' education in most areas. I am continually learning, I find it fun, and I'll in all likelihood continue to do so for the rest of my life.

Children do not need to be exposed to bad influences to know to avoid them, any more than they have to jump off a cliff or watch others do it to know that it's dangerous. I don't think that constant exposure to bad influences and constant presssure to buckle to those bad influences is a necessary part of socialization. Socialization is simply the ability to get along harmoniously with other human beings, which includes skills/concepts such as manners, tolerance, ethics, etc. It naturally includes an awareness of different viewpoints and lifestyles - a vital key to understanding the human beings who hold them. Homeschooling definitely does not preclude socialization. The majority of homeschoolers are well socialized.

 

[msjones21]

Suspicions confirmed.

That was a low blow, Lillith. I would think someone of your level of intelligence would be far above such petty and worthless insults. God bless you.

 

[Doctor PHMG]

God willing if I don't die first If I get to live on my own I will have no television at my house.

television is full of depravity, sin and homosexuality WRAPPED IN A GLAMOROUS PACKAGE AND YOUR CHILDREN ARE BEING CORRUPTED BY IT!

I learned that in orthodox Jewish houses they have no televisions. I respect them highly for that and I admire their will power to resist the sinful temptations of the devil worshippers who control our mass media, and their tool which I call "the devil box"

 

[msjones21]

God willing if I don't die first If I get to live on my own I will have no television at my house.

But will you have internet access?

 

[praying]

God willing if I don't die first If I get to live on my own I will have no television at my house.

television is full of depravity, sin and homosexuality WRAPPED IN A GLAMOROUS PACKAGE AND YOUR CHILDREN ARE BEING CORRUPTED BY IT!

I learned that in orthodox Jewish houses they have no televisions. I respect them highly for that and I admire their will power to resist the sinful temptations of the devil worshippers who control our mass media, and their tool which I call "the devil box"

ohh there are a whole host of things on tv that are educational, uplifting and entertaining without being all the things you said which no doubt that exists. To not have TV in this day of global communications is like not having a phone. It is a very vital source of information in times of emergency.