Most of our Founding Fathers, including Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, like most average colonial Americans, spent few years, if any, in formal grammar schools of the day, yet they knew how to read and write well.
Most voluntary local grammar schools expected parents to teach their children to read and write before they started school. Most colonial parents apparently had no trouble teaching their children these skills.
At least ten of our presidents were home-schooled. James Madison's mother taught him to read and write. John Quincy Adams was educated at home until he was twelve years old. At age fourteen, he entered Harvard. Abraham Lincoln, except for fifty weeks in a grammar school, learned at home from books he borrowed. He learned law by reading law books, and became an apprentice to a practicing lawyer in Illinois.
Other great Americans were similarly educated. John Rutledge, a chief justice of the Supreme Court, was taught at home by his father until he was eleven years old. Patrick Henry, one our great Founding Fathers and the governor of colonial Virginia, learned English grammar, the Bible, history, French, Latin, Greek, and the classics from his father.
Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, and Florence Nightingale were all taught at home by their mothers or fathers. John Jay was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers, a chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and a governor of New York. His mother taught him reading, grammar, and Latin before he was eight years old. John Marshall, our first Supreme Court Chief Justice, was home-schooled by his father until age fourteen. Robert E. Lee, Thomas Stonewall Jackson, George Patton, and Douglas MacArthur were also educated at home. Booker T. Washington, helped by his mother, taught himself to read by using Noah Webster's Blue Back Speller.
Thomas Edison's public school expelled him at age seven because his teacher thought he was feeble-minded. Edison, one of our greatest inventors, had only three months of formal schooling. After leaving school, his mother taught him the basics at home over the next three years. Under his mother's care and instruction, young Edison thrived.
If Thomas Edison was alive today as that child of seven, school authorities would probably stick him in special- education classes. Poor Thomas would waste his precious mind and be bored to death until they released him from school at age sixteen.
So it turns out that many of the famous Americans our children now read about in their dumbed-down public-school textbooks were either homeschooled, never set foot in a government-controlled public school, or thankfully only went to a public school for a very short period of time.
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 an Ezine, newsletter, or other website only if you include Joel Turtel's complete contact information, and set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..I was changing Ford's diaper the other day when he... Read More
Attention all parents of teen-agers. Here is an important, groundbreaking... Read More
Does the homework battle so typical with your hyperactive or... Read More
My son is 6 yrs old. He came home the... Read More
Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate... Read More
We are all familiar with the stories that most students... Read More
My thirteen-year-old daughter recently called me up to say she... Read More
Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus... Read More
Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent or teacher more... Read More
The legend and myth of the Tooth Fairy is a... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
Despite serious reductions in funding for arts programs in... Read More
As Mother's Day approaches I would like to give a... Read More
There are many useful jogger stroller accessories out on the... Read More
Spare the rod, spoil the child!This philosophy's been around a... Read More
Sometimes dreams really can come true! May 8th - 11th,... Read More
Mealtimes together deserve an important place in any family. Around... Read More
When parents help their children learn to read, they help... Read More
Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is... Read More
21 Reasons I Love Being A DadWhat you will read... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
Are you considering a car wash fundraiser for your group?... Read More
There are many reasons for treating your twins as individuals... Read More
In June, elementary school children across North America cheered as... Read More
Like anything else in life, there's a method to the... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..A fun way to build your child's imaginationWriting is still... Read More
4 traps to avoidTrap 1 - Parents need to realize... Read More
I was reading "A Modern Infant Armada", a humor column... Read More
This is one of the most common questions asked of... Read More
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived... Read More
Family meetings provide opportunities for feelings to be aired and... Read More
Working with adults (as well as children and teens) for... Read More
The ADD child exhibits a series of behaviors that are... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
I really like all natural remedy for Attention Deficit Disorder... Read More
The Greatest Gifts in Life, which are always created for... Read More
It's back to school time again. Does the thought of... Read More
I will cherish this moment. I will not let it... Read More
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience... Read More
Nanny 911 Interview with Montel WilliamsI saw an interview with... Read More
A small town, somewhere in the world, was managed by... Read More
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD.... Read More
Rule #1 Make Every Bite Count!Everything your child eats should... Read More
As a hypnotherapist, I am acutely aware of the power... Read More
Life is comprised of pieces of time sprinkled with pivotal... Read More
Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is... Read More
When a couple steps forth with a baby in tow... Read More
"Setting the alarm on Sunday mornings is inhuman?..God should know... Read More
When I was pregnant, we knew that we had some... Read More
Q: My husband and I are at a loss as... Read More
Parenting |