The Case for Separation of School and State

[Harry Mathews]

 

America was a free and thriving country, the envy of the world, well before compulsory state schooling was instituted.

Take a deeper look here at how the state came to control education, why it shouldn't, and how millions of people are taking back their educational freedom.

1. How did the government get so involved in education to begin with? It wasn't always this way. The United States was founded, formed, and grew to international prominence and prestige without compulsory schooling and with virtually no government involvement...
2. Why shouldn't the government be involved in education? The Short answer: Government schooling stands in direct opposition to the liberty this country was founded on. It fosters unquestioning obedience, acceptance of authority, herd mentality, and dependency...
3. Doesn't the government have a direct interest in an educated populace? Yes, the government does have a direct interest in an educated populace — one that is educated just enough and in ways that will perpetuate the goals and existence of the government...
4. Can't we just reform public schools? I know a lot of good teachers. Let's start with the teachers, then we'll address reform. There are lots of great teachers out there, all too many of them trapped in a system that prevents them from fulfilling their potential and their dreams. They're bogged down...
5. How would people pay for private schooling? What about vouchers? Here are some of the ways people would pay: Most people are more able to pay for education than they think. Parents would set priorities and plan for schooling just as they do for a home or a car...
6. What about the poor? What about irresponsible parents? Before we venture into this very important question, consider this: government schools already fail the poor in some of the most spectacular ways — illiteracy, dangerous schools, the worst teachers, low expectations, and...
7. What about special needs students? As with the question about the poor, we must consider that a large portion of special education students are being badly served in public schools... Many special education students don't belong in the classes they've been assigned to...
8. What about tolerance and diversity? The ultimate irony may be that today's educators cry tolerance and diversity when public schools were originally instituted to wipe these things out, to make one homogenous, think-alike (even if they couldn't make them look alike) herd of citizens. School founders objected to...
9. Who will keep the private schools accountable? Parents. When parents pay for the schooling, they have a direct stake in the results. If they aren't getting their money's worth, they can take their kids out and choose from the many other options available — another school, home schooling, a mix, tutors...
10. Is this really practical? Can it work? We're not starting from scratch here. The revolution has begun. It's only a matter of time. The utopian dream of controlled public schools is dying, as all utopian dreams do. People wish to live their own dreams, make their own paths, achieve their own success...

http://www.schoolandstate.org/case.htm

[shimauma]

our government has become the nursemaid that keeps her patient sick enough to keep her job.

[Harry Mathews]

Smimauma, that we very well put! Reminds of the movie where the woman breaks a writer's legs so he will have to finish the story he is writing so she can read it? Can't remember the name of it.

[shimauma]

You're thinking of Misery. I got mine from the Shirley Temple movie about Heidi of the Swiss Alps.  Her grandpa got guilted into sending her to live in the city "because it was better for her" than the isolation she was in.  So she goes to live with a family that has a sick daughter Heidi's age. The nursemaid insists that this sick daughter should not play or have sunlight or eat anything but gruel and keeps her in a wheelchair. Heidi starts playing with the girl on the sly, exposing her to sunlight, helping her to walk again. When the nursemaid finds out what Heidi is doing, she conspires to sell Heidi to gypsies.  Our government is like that nursemaid, wanting to keep us feeble in the dark, controlling our diet, our exercise, our lives.  We need a bunch of Heidi's to invade the government.

[Harry Mathews]

Shimauma, you are wise beyond your years