The Choices We Make Can Last a Lifetime

My father told me many times while I was growing up that there are two things you are born with and one you can achieve in your lifetime. Everyone is born with honesty and integrity, and everyone has the ability to achieve a good education. Many of you as parents have transferred your children to either private schools or charter schools to make sure your children are getting the best education you can provide. Some of you may have gone one step further and begun homeschooling your kids. Homeschooling is a very involved process; many parents don’t feel up to the task, which is why companies like Accelerated Academics have come to their rescue and provided the resources and help they need to succeed.

The reason for this shift in education trends, in my belief, is that schools are moving away from the well-rounded education the older generations received and are currently collapsing into a one-size-fits-all approach. Class sizes are bigger, sometimes unruly, and there is a new, sometimes inept, common core curriculum. STEM classes (science, technology, engineering and math) are now mandatory, while the arts and humanities fade into the background. With college competition at its fiercest and test scores now the linchpin of school funding, we’re burning out our kids by teaching them not to learn but to pass a standardized test. A greater emphasis is on cramming and forgetting information than on retaining it and growing as an individual.

Another reason for this shift away from traditional public schools is the degree of social engineering now integrated into classrooms. For example, some school systems implemented bans on the pronouns "he" or "she," asking instead that students refer to their classmates as "xe" or "xer." There are now 58 gender identifiers to cover the spectrum, and if you use the wrong one in speaking with someone, that could be viewed as a form of micro-aggression—students could be punished or even suspended. Religion has become another flash point within our schools. God is now all but banned on campus. Students have been suspended for bringing a Bible to class, and praying before the big game is no longer allowed at a public institution.

Instead of focusing on academics and studying history or math, schools are prioritizing gender identities and social equality. And while we certainly don’t want outright discrimination or bullying to plague our schools, this increased attention on social—some might say political—issues detracts from the whole reason children attend school in the first place: to learn.

This is just the tip of the colossal iceberg of reasons for placing your child in an education program that shares your values, has a curriculum engaging to your children’s interests and offers a well-rounded educational experience. What you do now will prepare your child for the lifetime of challenges they will inevitably face over the next sixty years. So take a look around and see if there might be something better for your child—it may be the greatest gift you can give them.

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