One reason public schools get away with educational failure, year after year, is because they are run by school officials who passionately believe in what they are doing. As the great English writer C. S. Lewis wrote, "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. Those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
Public-school true believers often fall into this category - for over a hundred years, education "experts" have been tormenting our children with public schools, allegedly for the children's benefit. Like all true believers, these people believe that they know what is best for our children and society, and seek to enforce their beliefs on parents.
From the 1850s to the 1920s, public-school activists such as Horace Mann and John Dewey worked to create a public-school system like the one they admired in Prussia (Germany). Mann and Dewey considered public education a religion, with a holy mission to mold children and society. Simply teaching children to read, write, and do math was too commonplace a goal for them. Mann and Dewey wanted the schools to have total control over children's lives. This meant removing parents' influence over their children. Mann put it this way: "We who are engaged in the sacred cause of education are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages to our cause."
Dewey also had a utopian vision for America and he wanted the common schools to achieve his vision. To create a socialist America, public schools had to mold generations of children into the habit of obedience. In his Pedagogic Creed of 1897, Dewey wrote, "Every teacher should realize he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of the proper social order and the securing of the right social growth. . ."
Public Schools Expand Their Control Over Our Children By the early twentieth century, public schools had expanded their functions into areas undreamed of in the 1850s. Schools took on the role of social agencies, with nurses, social centers, playgrounds, school showers, kindergartens, and "Americanization" programs for immigrants. Public schools became a major agency for social control.
Unfortunately, today's public schools are fulfilling Mann's and Dewey's socialist vision with a vengeance. There is hardly any area of children's lives that school authorities don't push to control or manipulate. Politicians and public-school apologists in many states are now pushing programs that would make kindergarten compulsory. Public schools also now spend billions of dollars for psychological counseling, school-lunch programs, parent welfare-outreach programs, special-education classes, bilingual classes, early-childhood programs, drug and sex education classes, as well as programs for millions of "at-risk" or "special-needs" children.
This government-knows-best philosophy is the deepest reason why public schools get away with educational murder and can never be fixed. Many public-school apologists believe that your children's education must be dictated by local governments and school authorities. By implication, they believe that parents are an annoyance at best, and at worst a danger to their children's proper education. That is why public-school true believers will never voluntarily give up control over our children. They see themselves as noble idealists who know what is best for our children. That is why these "idealists" have contempt for parent's rights.
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
Dear Vijay,I worry about not being a good parent. My... Read More
Memorabilia ? Children can create enough artwork for an entire... Read More
Ever blown your top to your children, only to regret... Read More
1. The Law of the BeastAs parents we need to... Read More
In 1996-97 we were contracted by VAXA International of Tampa,... Read More
While on a recent trip to the grocery store, I... Read More
After giving up my profession to become a wife, a... Read More
As the kids go back to school, you can go... Read More
For over fifty years, public-school officials and politicians have tried... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
One of the questions I ask in parenting presentations is... Read More
The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering... Read More
There are few thoughts as terrifying as the abduction of... Read More
Have you ever watched your teenager make a mistake (that... Read More
More and more kids these days are diagnosed ADD, ADHD,... Read More
"The best blush to use is laughter: It put roses... Read More
Here's a scene: A parent "might suddenly grab a happliy... Read More
Everyone in a private practice setting who works with children... Read More
Q. My teenage son is turning 16 early next year... Read More
I never dreamed that I would be in a position... Read More
The popularity of EEG Biofeedback Training continues to grow both... Read More
What's new and effective in the treatment of Attention problems?... Read More
"I wipe my baby's chin with my college diploma and... Read More
Many children who suffer from the psychological effects of child... Read More
Imagine yourself lying flat on your back, totally strapped down... Read More
best value cleaning service Northbrook ..Plus size children and overweight children need patterns and clothing... Read More
Before my daughter was born my house was... Read More
Are men to blame for the divorce problem in this... Read More
As parents, we love our children and want to do... Read More
Well first off, please to don't institute the ? hour... Read More
What is child sexual abuse? Any sexual activity that is... Read More
Now is an excellent time to have your child's vision... Read More
Though you can cover even very long distances by car... Read More
Many companies advertise their products as being educational. How much... Read More
Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate... Read More
It's back to school time again. Does the thought of... Read More
Strollers offer a wonderful and convenient service to parents and... Read More
Anyone can become a parent; there are no tests or... Read More
This may come as a surprise, but many parents are... Read More
This may come as a surprise.But despite all the advances... Read More
All babies cry, but if yours cries a lot, isn't... Read More
"What age should my child start school?"This is a common... Read More
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience... Read More
Summer Survival The... Read More
Time management is an organisational concept traditionally associated with adults... Read More
In the wonderment of childhood, it is easier for a... Read More
Parents, when you help your children learn to read, you... Read More
Is there a way to build a robot to help... Read More
Do you know what these famous people have in common?Alexander... Read More
"No thank you. Don't bother to send me the report... Read More
| Parenting |