I just wanted to thank David Kupelian for his article on homeschooling. This is our second year homeschooling, and what a blessing it's been!

I never thought I would be a homeschool mom, but when I saw evolution being taught in my daughter's 6th grade politically correct science book, we protested in vain at her private "Christian" school and could not find any other schools in the area – public or private – that didn't teach it.

My first thought at homeschooling was, "How can I do this to my daughter?"! But God knows His stuff. Our whole life has changed. I ended up quitting my job in real estate, and although my husband was very leery at first, now even he seems impressed. I can't believe how big this is in our nation and how much it's growing.

Debra Toma

Damning indictment

I must tell you, Mr. Kupelian, that I have never read a more succinct and damning indictment of the progressive left and its seizure of our school and university systems to produce proletarian units instead of free-thinking Americans. … The schools are naught more than indoctrination centers designed to produce incrementally successive generations of the populace more compliant with government management (read, oppression).

Now that President Bush has achieved an electoral victory in the legislature, I am arguing that the two major goals – indeed the only ones that matter at this point in our history – are reclaiming the court system, and, by it, reclaiming our schools. That is our only hope.

Constructionists who will strike down the manipulation of the school system's elimination of our founding history and the politically correct, Pavlovian brainwashing of future generations of Americans must be the first goal, and we must insure that conservatives remain in power for the next 10 years at least for that to begin happening. And people must file suits. Repeatedly, and everywhere.
 Barry J. Hirsh

Beware of myrmidons!

David Kupelian has hit the nail on the head! We have a 6-year-old son whom we are homeschooling.

We sent him to a local church for preschool when he was 4 and 5 years old.

When he started kindergarten, we thought we would try our local government indoctrination center, but we would be involved and keep a close eye on his education. We learned very quickly that the principal(s) and staff were not interested in the quality of education our son received. They did not even show a heightened awareness for security for the children – even after 9-11. Anyone could roam the halls without being questioned, the entrances were left open (especially the side entrances), and there was no one around monitoring unauthorized activities or persons in the school.

We saw evidence right away of the dumbing-down aspect as there were five or six children in my son's classroom who could not speak English! What are our children supposed to do? Wait until these immigrants can speak English before moving forward!? Practically everything our son learned in preschool was thrown out the window, and it was like starting from ground zero. He already knew his A-B-Cs, and was reading – and he could count up to 100! The curriculum for the first grade was to teach the children what my son already knew!

The school staff seemed to place emphasis on the wrong things. For instance, the children were not allowed to enjoy their lunch period. If they became too loud, the "teachers" would play classical music to "calm" the children. Six-year-old children were expected to clean up the tables and sweep and mop the floors after they ate! What are the kitchen staff and janitors for, I wondered.

My wife was at the school practically everyday. She would help my son's teacher and she ate lunch with him everyday. When she noticed something that we did not like, she spoke to the principal about it. We voiced our concerns several times, but our concerns fell on deaf ears. She even spoke with other mothers about the various problems – and, just as you state in your commentary, they seem to think they have a great school. You are correct when you say that parents refuse to see the reality. They have been blinded by the propaganda spewed forth by the school boards and the politicians.

After approximately two-and-a-half months of this government indoctrination, we decided to pull our son out of school and to homeschool him. I must say that he has done well. He reads very well for a 6-year-old, and has learned how to break large words down and pronounce them. I was amazed one day when he sat down next to me and started reading the names of various dinosaurs. It impressed me that he was breaking the words down by syllable and pronouncing them correctly!

He is learning to write in cursive – and writing very well! Several mothers, whose children go to the school our son attended, have commented on how well our son writes. I have also seen their children's handwriting and, after kindergarten and five months of the first grade, they were still printing their names – and not very well at that.

I am telling you all of this to say that you are correct about our government schools. They are no more than indoctrination centers for our children – they teach dependence rather than independence, and they have gotten away from the basics of education and have embraced "new and improved" methods for teaching our children.

We maintained a constant presence in the school our son attended and we saw very early on what was going on. I believe homeschooling was the best decision we could have made for our son. He is learning more, he is learning faster and he does not have to wait for someone else to catch up to his level before moving on to new material.

I think your commentary is right on the money. It would be nice if the other parents could see what we saw and begin pulling their children out of the schools. Only then will the school boards begin to get the message. Until then, the schools will continue producing myrmidons.

Ferrell Gilmer

David is wrong about public schools. They are much worse than he states.

As a middle-high school principal in rural New York (outside NYC), I did not play ball with the hiring of lesbians and the elevating of one to the superintendence. I should have waited until I had tenure ... I was hired because it was convenient.

My case is and was: Would I want my children taught by someone who was teaching against my family values? NO!

Now that I am a director of special education in another school district, I am constantly pressured to violate the law for convenience sake. I have read all the state-education and family-court laws and federal laws (IDEA, the Federal Register Part 300 & 301) and guidelines governing special education. I am very well versed in both Special Education and Regular Education Law in New York State.

However, when I took a very hot legal issue to the superintendent who has the authority to cost me my job, certification and get me personally sued, he wanted me to simply sign off on the paperwork. I carefully explained the laws from the state and federal government that would be violated but he didn't care. The solution: Get rid of the special-ed guy – it's easier to find someone without ethics.

As a school administrator for the last four years, I have become increasingly disillusioned with ethical issues of school administrators. All too often children suffer as a result of the politically correct movement.

On another note: School unions are killing education. It's not important that the children learn a thing as long as the teacher is happy. I don't have a problem with tenure, but I think things have gone too far to the teachers' side and against children.

Don't forget about pre-professional sports in high school. Typically, they eat up 2 to 4 percent of your annual budget. NO books, but plenty of Friday night sports action.

I agree with David Kupelian's article 100 percent. All of my younger years, I would tell people: "I didn't learn anything in school, my parents taught me!" Now, at age 41, and after 3 years of homeschooling my two children, I have come to understand why I've always said this.

My husband and I homeschool because we felt God calling us to do so. I can also say our own years of feeling anxious and uncomfortable in public school added fuel to the fire.

My prayer is that more parents will open their eyes and hearts to do what is best for their children and stop seeking after material things. The two-income household has many parents in bondage to this world and unable to raise their children for God, even when they know taking them out of public school would be the best for them. Unfortunately, the best for the children would infringe on the parents' time, i.e., time for self. I want "a career" or "a bigger house" or "a better vehicle" comes before what is best for their children.

I can honestly say that God will take care of all of these other things if we will "seek first the kingdom of God."

If your kids aren't in the government schools, I just don't understand the following:
 

• How will they ever learn that they evolved from slime?
   
• How will your little boy ever learn how many earrings fit in his left nostril?
   
• How will your kids ever be taught the death education taught at Columbine the year before the shootings?
   
• How will your sweet, precious little girls ever know the experience of sex-with-anything experimentation?
   
• How will your kids learn about the wonderful religions of the world like New Age and witchcraft?
   
• Sure, your kids will not only be able to read their job applications, they will even be able to fill them out, but think of how bad this makes government school graduates feel! Have you no compassion?
   
• Your children will not learn how to consume massive quantities of drugs via Ritalin training!
   
• If you homeschool, then you'll be disciplining your kids instead of drugging them. How cruel!
   
• When you spank, you mess up their bottoms for a few seconds. When you don't spank but drug them with Ritalin instead, you mess up their heads for life. Why would you want to harm their bottoms for a few seconds when the alternative is so much better according to the leading authorities on child-rearing who know much better than you how to be a parent?
   
• Which is more important: Sentence structure or environmentalism? Polynomials or lesbianism? Get your priorities straight!
   
• When your kids interact with adults, they will have eye contact, they will answer in complete sentences, they will be polite, their countenances will be pleasant and happy. Why do you want the worst for them? A government school graduate knows that the proper way to address an adult is to look at your shoes, utter several "uhs," and wonder why this adult is speaking to you.

I expect these points will force you to rethink things. There's still time to change your kids' educational venue!

David Kupelian has eloquently stated what parents don't want to hear, including many Christian parents. I have been caught up in this education battle for several years now, trying to expose the "reforms" for what they are. Even the pastor of my Lutheran Church and many parishioners failed to see the danger for our children.

Not only do they say to my kids school is fine, they also have convinced themselves that since they know what they are dealing with, they can work the system. Their kids will be all right.

Sadly, they have utterly failed to recognize the spiritual warfare going on in the public-school system. They plan to use their earthly intelligence to pick good teachers, ask questions, choose classes and the like – all the while convincing themselves that by their "involvement" they will save their children from the consequences.

Brainwashed and lied to

The Christian schools and some private schools – as well as homeschooling – are all we have to fight the good fight against government schools.

Until there is a fundamental shift away from trying to destroy boys' lives, and until "diversity" and "zero tolerance" are discarded for the three "R"s, and until the homosexuals are driven from our government schools, there is little hope for most children. They will be brainwashed and brought up to believe the same lies we were told – and so many more!

David Levin

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