While promoting my new book, I’ve repeatedly argued that foreign language requirements in U.S. schools are absurd and should be abolished. For two distinct reasons.
Tag: education
The Freedom to Quit
The freedom to quit is an essential aspect of an unschooling lifestyle. Frankly, I think a four-year-old should be able to quit anything, whether he’s unschooled or not. That’s about gentle parenting, not any education philosophy. But for unschooling, the freedom to quit–as long as that freedom does not negatively impact someone else–is a vital part of Self-Directed Education. We should connect our children to resources in their wider world, expose them to new and different opportunities, and be very clear about participation policies when signing up for things so we have the freedom to quit.
Is Education Worth It? My Opening Statement
Is the education system really a waste of time and money, as my new book claims right on the cover? This is a strange topic to debate with Eric Hanushek. Why? Because if Hanushek had absolute power to fix the education system, education might actually be worth every penny. Hanushek is famous for focusing on what schools teach rather than what they spend – and documenting the vast disconnect between the two. If you haven’t already read his dissection of “input-based education policies,” you really ought to. Hanushek, more than any other economist, has taught us that measured literacy and numeracy are socially valuable – but just making kids spend long years in well-funded schools is not.
There is No “Third Way” Between Cooperation and Destruction
Every such “third way” turns out to be at best a dead end of stagnation, and at worst a highway to social disintegration, and sound economic knowledge is the most reliable means of avoiding both.
For Preventing Abuse, Public Schools Are Not a Good Model for Homeschooling
Horrific crimes and violent acts tug at our collective heartstrings. When other humans are harmed, we rightfully feel empathy and anger. We should use these moments as opportunities for reflection and conversation, but we should be careful to not make policy based on emotion. Some are using the egregious case of alleged child abuse by a California family charged with starving and torturing their children in a so-called private school to call for greater regulation of all homeschooling families.
Reduce the Misery
I believe in reducing unnecessary misery. That’s why I don’t want you violated even if I was violated in the same way in the past. This is a HUGE stumbling block for so many people.
The Church of America
“Perhaps we should read the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause — ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion’ — not as a mandated separation of religion and state but as a non-compete clause.”
You Are The Obstacle to Peaceful Coexistence
It’s wrong to initiate violence. Using force against people is only justified when it is used to stop an actual aggressor. That is true in rich, pretty neighborhoods. It is also true in poor, rundown neighborhoods. It is true where there is a lot of violent crime. It is true where there is little or no violent crime.
UPDATED March 2018: The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast
I am very pleased to announce The Homeschooling and Liberty Summit, which begins February 1st, and continues through the end of the month. It is an absolute honor to be involved in something of this magnitude, along with so many giants in the liberty and unschooling world. Ron Paul, Peter Gray, Pat Farenga, Pam Laricchia, Tom Woods, Thaddeus Russell, Scott Noelle, Skyler Collins, and the list goes on!
Question Everything, Not Just the Alternatives
If you want to go to college and still be accepted by your family/friends, you don’t need a good reason for attending. The world will gladly accept your decision and praise you for it without the slightest bit of scrutiny. If you want to pursue an alternative, however, get ready for the most intense interrogation of your life because people will finally begin to care about all sorts of questions they’d never dare pose to a college student or college administrator.