HJL:
I am no scholar, but the Bible calls on us to evangelize. There is a philosophical call in JWR’s material to be productive at every level and to eschew being idly entertained. We may not sit in our respective holes and just watch.
The letter that follows brought this to a bright, shiny point in my mind:
Dear parents,
In his 1985 book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman considers the arguments of two books – 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Postman wrote,
“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture.” Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
“An Orwellian world is much easier to recognize, and to oppose, than a Huxleyan,” my father wrote. “Everything in our background has prepared us to know and resist a prison when the gates begin to close around us … [but] who is prepared to take arms against a sea of amusements?” Andrew Postman (son of Neil) in The Guardian online, February 2, 2017
Neil Postman argued that Huxley was right. America would become so immersed in amusement and entertainment that it would willingly, complacently, apathetically, “go down without a fight.” It seems that the prophet was on target, and we are suffering the consequences of a cultural love affair with technology (the most apparent being our smart phones) and social media. There does not seem to be an end in sight for this love affair. Therefore, it seems prudent to me to raise the level of awareness so that we might be awake and prepared to engage the “enemy.” If we are not on guard, we will unconsciously (or perhaps consciously) “amuse ourselves to death.”
I am reading The Vanishing American Adult, by Senator Ben Sasse. The author shares his observations about our culture (specifically, the age group in their college years) from his five years as a college president of Midland University. Sasse is the homeschooling father of three children and holds a Ph.D. in American history from Yale. He recognizes the disintegration of the American family, provides the reasons for delayed adulthood, and offers solutions to our cultural problem.
Although the author is a politician, he is first a husband and father, and the book is not political. It is a call for all of us to be engaged in teaching our children the importance of knowing what is good, true, and beautiful. It is a call for us to be countercultural (follow Jesus, not the culture), recognize the value of hard work and self-reliance, embrace production rather than consumption, and become lifelong learners who are truly literate and think critically and analytically. I hope that you will invest in a copy of The Vanishing American Adult and pray that it will inspire you as you nurture and train the souls entrusted to you by God.
With you on the journey,
Homeschool Leader
We started our homeschool journey a couple years back– three. As I see results and interact with the people involved, I have never been more convinced we are on the right track. The school is populated with bright eyes and fresh faces that do not hesitate to carry on a conversation with any passing adult at the school. There is a stark contrast in maturity level between homeschool and public school children that is increasingly evident.
I’m writing this and studying for my General Ham license while recovering from total knee replacement surgery on one knee. Sitting this still drives me nuts, but at least I am getting something done. We thank God every day for leading us to where we are. – S.L.
Comments Disabled To "Letter: A Letter To Homeschooling Parents"
#1 Comment By R. Henry On December 17, 2017 @ 12:16 pm
Finishing up 14 years of homeschooling this year and the family doesn’t regret a bit of it. And we have taken this responsibility to also mean teaching our child personal interaction skills as well- something that admittedly a lot of homeschoolers we have met seem to miss. Our child interacts with and has the respect of adults that he works with and has fun with kids of all ages as well.
Raise a child that you want to be around and others will enjoy being around. The “culture” raises (probably should just say “has”) kids that the parents all spend their time complaining about.
#2 Comment By Karen On December 17, 2017 @ 2:24 pm
“There is a stark contrast in maturity level between homeschool and public school children that is increasingly evident.” I/we agree 100%. In 1985, my husband and I home schooled our two children from the ages of 7 through 15. Upon our return to America in 1991 we most certainly saw the difference in maturity, knowledge, and confidence in our two children. We also ‘felt’ something had changed with the American people and our nation overall, but we couldn’t put our finger on it. I applaud those parents who struggle everyday to teach their children as it is one of the most difficult jobs along with rearing your children and keeping a home. You wear multiple hats. I am glad to see a correction in the type of education a parent chooses for their children. You are raising the future of America! Thank God.
#3 Comment By Homestead Hermit On December 17, 2017 @ 2:33 pm
Thank you so much for this article. Although I don’t and don’t plan on having children, I would, without a second thought, home-school them if I did. A challenge I have seen in some friends who DO home-school is, although they have their primary education at home, even their secondary education, such as public classes, have a strong influence. I’ve had reports of a good child falling prey to the influence and sway of peers even from attending dance class! And one parent who returned his daughter to public school in the high school years reported a rise in bad behavior (thank Heaven she straightened out and is now at the top of her class in college in Japan).
Any thoughts on how to combat the influence outside the home to keep our children on a moral path?
I am combating the influence of too much entertainment by never having had a smart phone and getting off the Internet. Although there are, of course, so many websites and information that are useful, I, like so many, have a hard time breaking the addiction. I gave up the Internet for 1 1/2 years as an experiment a year ago. I got back online to try and find like minded folks to hopefully stay in touch with when i get back offline in February. Although I feel I should be stronger at breaking the addiction, it’s not. I found it much easier to just be offline and, when I need to get online, take a trip to the local library. I was much more productive without the “drug” close at hand much like it’s easier to not tempt oneself with food or alcohol when trying to live a healthier lifestyle. I also don’t have cable/satellite TV.
An inspirational tool I’ve discovered while back online to boost my interest in being away from entertainment is the writings and videos of Karen and Paul Fredette of Raven’s Bread Ministries. They are Christian hermits who put out a wonderful newsletter. Their messages are food for thought for those who are seeking a life closer to God and have great insights on how to do that away from a materialistic, entertainment addicted society.
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#4 Comment By CORD7 On December 17, 2017 @ 3:13 pm
From Pinocchio
(picture him with donkey ears)
“Take him back! He can still talk!”
#5 Comment By Ladywest On December 17, 2017 @ 5:23 pm
Because the author shared, I now have two new books to read. This is such a great blog.
Orwell and Huxley both had deep prescience and until recently I thought Huxley was more so. I now think they were two sides of the same coin when I read two days ago that the government has directed the CDC to not use 10 words or phrases
it doesn’t like. Such as “evidence-bases” or
“science-based.” For a scientific organization yet! It’s become that bad. Well, maybe they can use them internally (there’s still hope), just don’t use them in in official reports.
So, home school your children, but please let words mean what they mean from the dictionary and with a little luck it will be a real dictionary and not something called Wikipedia found online. My age (73) is showing.
#6 Comment By VT On December 24, 2017 @ 9:31 pm
You haven’t read either? Both are basics for freshman/sophomore highschoolers
#7 Comment By M.S. On December 17, 2017 @ 9:16 pm
Thanks for the letter,
I have a 4 year old and I have found myself increasingly having to raise him as a single parent.
I have looked into the homeschooling curriculem by Ron Paul and will start homeschooling in earnest.
As for your references to Orwell and Huxley reminded me of my personal dillema in finding good childrens educational material.
When I would visit the public library my intuition would tell me that the vast majority of the books written recently contained a hidden political narrative which I objected to.
Perhaps because many of the Arts graduates/authers have unconsciously projected their worldview upon the reader. In this case small children.
The point is that there is no “Orwellian” book banning yet, in my neck of the woods; However their is an abundance of literature that I would consider useless, and corrupting upon young minds.
Right now our childs educational library consists of a pictorial Bible, nature and wildlife reference books, and a big Farming manual.
In reference to your article, I find that I need to be switched on at all times when I am with my child. Especially when in comes to televised material.
Sometimes it can be exhausting but at the end of the day, I reap great satisfaction knowinig I raised him that day, perhaps guided by the hand of God, and the good people of my community.
My 2 Silver coins worth
Godbless
#8 Comment By Charles K. On December 18, 2017 @ 12:32 am
Ben Sasse is indeed a politician. Unfortunately he is a neo-conservative. All neocons are progressives, all progressives are socialists. Ben Sasse is no different than John McCain or Lindsey Graham or for that matter Susan Collins. These people are not to be trusted.
His book may be a fine book, well thought out and well written. But politically the man is scum. Like the neo-liberalls the neocons only represent the party, all hail the party, or is that just Seig Heil.
As an aside, did we really need a new conservatism? I thought the old, paleo, conservatism served us all quite well, thank you very much.
#9 Comment By RV On December 18, 2017 @ 3:14 am
M.S.
Go to a regional curriculum fair. Worth the day and the dime. Shop coops. They are full of people that care. Rarely do we pay full price for a curriculum book or manual because of the network.
#10 Comment By M.S. On December 22, 2017 @ 1:39 am
Thankyou RV, I will look into your suggestion
#11 Comment By RV On December 18, 2017 @ 3:16 am
Cannot disagree about Sasse. I was quoting the letter so I left it in. The other was too important. Optimistically, maybe the blind pig has found an acorn. Who knows.
#12 Comment By Momma at the Hillbilly Homestead On December 18, 2017 @ 2:31 pm
We finished our home education journey a couple of years ago. One thing I found that save us financially was a couple of used books stores in our area that have a home education section. We have picked up curriculum numerous times over the years. Then we can try a “new” one without the expense of the new price in case it doesn’t work for our family. We also joined a co-op that had a FB page where members could post things for sale. Better yet, the local library was a great resource for history and science subjects. Word of warning….a lot of the time the public library’s resources had a liberal bias slant.