Many public schools not only fail to educate our children, they can also be dangerous places. These schools are a natural breeding ground for drugs and violence. Children are packed into classrooms with twenty or more other immature children or teenagers, all the same age. Here, peer pressure becomes socialization, pushing many children into using drugs and alcohol.
Put twenty teenagers in the same room, or hundreds of teenagers in the same school, and you have a breeding ground for violence. Young boys and girls have raging hormones and budding sexuality, and male teenage testosterone levels are high. Teenagers are in the half-child, half-adult stage of life and often lack judgment and are emotionally immature.
Pack these teenagers together into cramped little classrooms, six to eight hours a day, and you have a mixture that can lead to trouble. It's inevitable that violence will break out-it's built into the system.
Also, even the most conscientious teacher is usually too busy and overworked to give children the individual attention they need. Critics of home-schooling often say that home-schoolers don't get proper socialization. However, so-called socialization in public schools is often cruel and violent. Bullying, peer pressure, racial cliques, sexual tensions, and competition for the teacher's approval all create a stressful, sometimes violent environment.
Compulsory-attendance laws also contribute to violence in the schools. In most states, these laws force children to stay in school until they are sixteen years old or graduate high school. Teenagers who hate school, or are aggressive or potentially violent sociopaths, can't leave. As a result, they often take out their hatred and aggression on other students. Those children want to learn are forced to endure bullying and violence by these troubled teens.
Also, the law is on the side of violent or disruptive students who are classified as "disabled." In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Based on this legislation, in 1988 the Supreme Court ruled that schools could not remove disruptive disabled children from classrooms without a parent's consent. If parents don't consent, teachers are out of luck. Those 'disabled' children who are socially impaired, can't get along with other kids, or sometimes turn violent, therefore fall under this category. Of course, this adds yet another layer of potentially violent children who teachers can't remove from class.
Violence in public schools can literally kill your child. In the 2000-2001 school year, students were victims of about 1.9 million nonfatal violent crimes such as rape, assault, and robbery. This figure equals about 9,000 violent incidents every school day throughout America, or about one every three seconds.
Public schools are also a drug pusher's heaven. Thousands of teenagers, pushed by intense peer-pressure, smoke, drink beer, and try marijuana or hard drugs. Schools put hundreds of children together in one big building or courtyard. Mix in overworked or indifferent teachers who have little time or desire to supervise extracurricular activities. That's why drug pushers circle schoolyards like vultures. Where else can they find groups of vulnerable victims all herded together for their convenience? Is it any wonder that drug and alcohol use is a major problem in public schools?
In the 2001-2002 school year, 34.9 percent of tenth-grade students surveyed said they had smoked cigarettes within the past year. Fifty-one and two tenths percent said they had drunk beer, and 33.4 percent said they got bombed on that beer. Also, 29.8 percent of the same tenth-grade students said they had smoked marijuana within the past year, and 78.7 percent of these marijuana users said they got "bombed or very high" on it.
When children are home-schooled, parents can advise and watch over their kids. At home, there is no peer pressure to try drugs, as there is in public schools. Drug pushers don't hover around private residences.
Parents should therefore ask themselves: Do my children belong in violent, drug-infested public schools? Are there other education options for my children? In "Public Schools, Public Menace," I discuss many quality, low-cost education options parents can use right now if they decide to take their children out of public school.
Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children." Contact Information: Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, Email: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, Phone: 718-447-7348. Article Copyrighted ? 2005 by Joel Turtel. NOTE: You may post this Article on another website only if you set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
maide service in Lincolnshire ..I will never forget the day that my daughter's sixth... Read More
Have you heard the song; "I Hope You Dance"? It... Read More
In a single dose of children's television, I was bombarded... Read More
Saturday mornings. Cold cereal and Scooby Doo. How many parents... Read More
Hope, excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in fresh haircuts... Read More
"The greatest gift I ever had Came from God, and... Read More
In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of... Read More
The key to lifelong learning is reading and writing. When... Read More
Perhaps I could make a lot of money by founding... Read More
1. New Word of the DayIntroduce your preschooler to a... Read More
As our children grow, they will be going to schools... Read More
Love, love, love. It makes the world go round. It... Read More
A common theme over the past 20 years has been... Read More
Managing money is one of the most critical skills we... Read More
I will cherish this moment. I will not let it... Read More
In seminars I am often asked about pocket-money and whether... Read More
What makes parenting so challenging at times? One widespread research... Read More
"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think... Read More
In today's fast-paced society, many families depend on some form... Read More
With the beginning of the new school year coming VERY... Read More
Children do what feels good to them and follow their... Read More
We take it for granted that children know how money... Read More
Attention all parents of teen-agers. Here is an important, groundbreaking... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
I've learned numerous, important lessons on life, motherhood and men... Read More
cleaning lady near Deerfield ..Yesterday my husband Wade took the day off (that's one... Read More
Minus all meningitis thoughts. The flu symptons were strong. Headache,... Read More
The distressed adolescent often has feelings of abandonment, emotional detachment,... Read More
Winifred or Willow? Thomas or Troy? The name you choose... Read More
Is it hard to communicate with your teenager about issues... Read More
When David was nine and Laura was twelve, the battles... Read More
Have you ever experienced one of those days when you... Read More
Ah, there is nothing like being an expectant mom. Along... Read More
For first time parents choosing a swing set or outdoor... Read More
1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply)2. Wipes3.... Read More
No matter what you say or do, your kids will... Read More
I was changing Ford's diaper the other day when he... Read More
Despite the theory that people have kids because they want... Read More
According to the American Sleep Association 70% of all babies... Read More
It was at that time when our marriage was falling... Read More
Words are truly powerful things. They are something that becomes... Read More
Are you a frustrated parent who sometimes finds it is... Read More
My name is Duncan and I'm 2 years old. I... Read More
Jason Meridith's two-year old son whines when he wants more... Read More
Kitchens are where everything happens. It's not just where meals... Read More
Ever feel like you're out of the loop when it... Read More
Many families do not want to believe their child is... Read More
Just as every snowflake is unique, so is every child.... Read More
"Family Matters" was the headline that caught my attention in... Read More
If you really want to get your children to eat... Read More
Parenting |