{"id":27,"date":"2007-07-22T03:35:48","date_gmt":"2007-07-22T03:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/?p=27"},"modified":"2010-05-07T03:36:20","modified_gmt":"2010-05-07T03:36:20","slug":"children-are-not-commodities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/children-are-not-commodities\/","title":{"rendered":"Children Are Not Commodities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: This is a slightly expanded version of my letter to the editor in response to a <\/em>4\/29\/07<\/em> article by the superintendent of a nearby public school district in north <\/em>Mississippi<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

In \u201cSchool districts not unlike farming operations,\u201d Steve Coker asserts: \u201cSchools are complicated, sophisticated learning centers these days, a far cry from the old reading, writing and \u2019rithmetic of by-gone days.\u201d This kind of disparagement of the three Rs\u2014which are the essential foundation for all other learning\u2014helps explain why so many high school graduates are unable to read, write, and use basic math well enough to function in college or jobs.<\/p>\n

A 2004 study by the U.S. Department of Education showed that nationwide, almost one-third of all freshmen entering college enroll in at least one remedial course. Mississippi employers and colleges spend an estimated $134.3 million on remedial education every year. One wonders how much \u201ccomplicated, sophisticated learning\u201d is really taking place.<\/p>\n

A more alarming aspect of Coker\u2019s article, however, is his assertion that \u201cOur product is the marketable skills of our children.\u201d He describes the quality control grading system for schools as a way \u201cto ensure that this special product has value in today\u2019s work place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Children are not seed corn. They are not commodities. They are not human chattel to be sold on the auction block to the highest bidder offering \u201cgood paying jobs with benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather, they are unique individuals with eternal souls.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why an increasing number of families are educating their children at home. An estimated 1.9 to 2.4 million children (K-12) were home educated in the U.S. in 2005-2006, and home education is growing at the rate of 7-12% per year.<\/p>\n

Home education allows customization of curriculum, learning environment, and pedagogical approaches. Home-educated students typically score above average on standardized tests, and they are commonly involved in a variety of activities such as field trips, Scouts, 4-H, politics, sports, church, and volunteer work.<\/p>\n

Research on adults who were home educated shows that they succeed at college at a rate equal to or higher than the general population and that they are active, productive citizens.<\/p>\n

Coker asks, \u201cWould you want a mediocre tomato if you could eat an exemplary one?\u201d He likewise asks if readers would prefer for their children to have an average or an exemplary education.<\/p>\n

Parents who want their children to have an excellent education would do well to consider homeschooling.<\/p>\n

The best-educated children\u2014like the best tomatoes\u2014are homegrown.<\/p>\n

Mary Jo Tate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note: This is a slightly expanded version of my letter to the editor in response to a 4\/29\/07 article by the superintendent of a nearby public school district in north Mississippi. In \u201cSchool districts not unlike farming operations,\u201d Steve Coker asserts: \u201cSchools are complicated, sophisticated learning centers these days, a far cry from the old … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eclectic-bibliophile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}