Equal Poverty For All: A Miserable Goal for Education

Yvette and I got to do one of our favorite things over the weekend. We attended a homeschool conference in Moore, Oklahoma where we showed Schoolhouse Rocked and spoke on a few panels. More importantly, we got to connect with homeschooling families. We always leave these conferences encouraged and energized.

We were once again struck by how many NEW homeschooling families were there. One of the most important things that COVID-19 did was open millions of parents’ eyes to how desperately public schools were failing. And many parents chose to bring their children home for good!

By What Measure?

But is the public school system actually failing? From the consumer perspective – that of the student, parent, and taxpayer – it’s clear we are not getting what we desire. Students are provided with poor academic outcomes. Parents have their authority undermined and their trust betrayed. The American taxpayer watches as every year school spending increases while school safety declines, test scores decline, and the anti-Christian, anti-family, and anti-American values being taught in the classroom result in moral decline, political unrest, and cultural chaos.

From the perspective of the founders and the architects of the system it should be understood that government schools are a raving success. The worldview and values taught in the classroom are adopted by the majority of the students and the system produces millions of mostly compliant workers who will continue to pay taxes and won’t overthrow their leaders. Further, they will continue to feed the system with fresh generations of disciples to repeat the process.

I often say, “public schools are the world’s most effective evangelistic organizations.” The vast majority of disciples who pass through the system come out dedicated, unquestioning adherents to the religious worldview of the schools – regardless of the religious upbringing they receive at home or church. 

“The model for utopia…equal poverty for all”

John Dewey

In order to understand the true aim of the public school system and what they are succeeding at, let’s look at what the father of progressive education, John Dewey, had to say.

Here are a few excerpts from the excellent book, Crimes of the Educators (2014) by Sam Blumenfeld and Alex Newman.

“John Dewey (1885-1952) is generally lauded as the father of progressive education” (p. 1). 

“Dewey stated that the only way to undermine the capitalist system was to get rid of the emphasis primary schools placed on the development of high literacy and independent intelligence” (p. 1).

“Destroying the brainpower of a nation is an act of war against that nation” (p. 4).

“Dewey admitted that the reading program he was proposing would not be as effective as the traditional method” (p. 7).

“The plea for the predominance of learning to read in early school-life because of the great importance attached to literature seems to me a perversion” The Primary-Education Fetich by John Dewey (p. 8).

“The model for utopia…equal poverty for all” (p. 9).

Co-author of Crimes of the EducatorsAlex Newman, is a regular guest on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast and a speaker for the Homegrown Generation Family ExpoYou can hear more from him on this topic here.

(Hat tip to Dr. Douglas J. Pietersma for sharing these quotes.)

As homeschooling parents we have the perfect opportunity to fight back. We have the privilege of training our kids’ hearts and minds in truth, day by day. In the words of Deuteronomy 6:5-7, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Meeke Addison, co-host of Airing the Addisons on American Family Radio, recently joined Yvette Hampton on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast to talk about how to train our children for the cultural battle that they will inevitably face. She explains why we need to keep a close eye on politics, pop culture, and the church; and how to equip our kids to effectively engage in and transform culture.

We pray that the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry is a blessing to you and your family. Here are a few ways to be involved in this important mission…

Post Thumbnail photo credit, Yves Alarie on Unsplash.com

Public Schools Openly Promoting Islam

“September 11, 2019 (Thomas More Law Center) — The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national nonprofit public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has uncovered evidence of a well-orchestrated Islamic propaganda campaign aimed at teachers in school systems throughout Michigan and several other states.

Concerned about a two-day mandatory teacher-training seminar on Islam conducted by a Muslim consultant hired by Michigan’s Novi Community Schools District, TMLC filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the workshop.” – LifeSiteNews.com

Those who believe that education is “neutral” are tragically deceived. There is no such thing as a religiously or morally neutral education. Education is discipleship. ALL EDUCATION IS WORLDVIEW TRAINING.

“DIVERSITY” is the RELIGION of public schools. Under the banner of diversity many religious and philosophical worldviews are promoted as valid, but none of these are based on the TRUTH of GOD’S WORD. Public schools enthusiastically teach secular humanism, materialism, blindnaturalism, socialism, communism, multiculturalism, transgenderism, homosexuality, New Age thought and eastern mysticism, and list list goes on – with the glaring exclusions of Christianity or Orthodox Judaism, which are defamed as foolish and hateful.

Now, public schools are openly promoting Islam. This is happening across the country, and has been steadily increasing since 9/11, when weak-kneed politicians felt compelled to sweeten every reference to Islam with the phrase, “religion of peace”. Whether Individual Muslims are peaceful or not, Islam is not a religion of peace and it is not a path to salvation, and to actively promote it within our schools is to feed our precious children yet another false worldview that leads to destruction. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (ESV)

Luke 6:40 says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (ESV) Who is teaching your children? What is their worldview? Remember, when your children are fully trained they will be like their teachers.

Ready to take your children back? Stream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free tonight and learn how. After you have watched the movie, download the Free Homeschool Survival Kit. This free 70+ page resource will give you the encouragement and tools you need to start strong and finish well. 

For more examples of religious indoctrination in public schools read, Religious Instruction (Indoctrination) is Prominent in Public Schools, from the Schoolhouse Rocked Blog.

For more examples of Islam being promoted in public schools, check out the following articles:

Christian student challenged a school history lesson on Islam and lost in court – The Washington Post

Texas school’s Muslim prayer room prompts outrage from state attorney general’s office – ThinkProgress

Teaching Islam: Deconstructing Myths and Clarifying Truths – PBS Teachers Lounge

Chatham Middle School Students Are Taught that Islam is the True Faith; Two Mothers Pilloried for Making It Public – Thomas Moore Law Center

Reports of Islamic Indoctrination Spread to Georgia Public Schools – ACLJ.org