The Educational Conveyor Belt

Time for a safety check!

I never considered myself a great student as a kid. I was somewhat quiet in school, which allowed me to get away with a few mischievous pranks, like the time we taped actual pig tails from the biology lab to all of the school doors.

I spent most of my middle and high school years feeling like I wasn’t smart enough. The only subject I enjoyed was Mrs. Melvin’s World History class because of her engaging and animated descriptions of historical figures. School got off to a rocky start for me. At the tender age of 6 the  government decided I would be bussed across town to the projects where I attended a different elementary from 1st through 4th grade. Where were government school surveys then! 

In 1965, my Mom immigrated to America from Germany. She was 19 years old and married to my Dad who she met while he was stationed in the army near her hometown. She grew up in a German refugee camp when her family was forced to leave Czechoslovakia after WWII. Her memory of school is of bitter nuns whose teaching style demonstrated Miss Trunchbull from the movie Matilda. They didn’t think a little girl from a refugee camp was capable of being educated, instead, their focus was to ensure militant obedience.

My parents didn’t attend college but they both had very strong work ethics and a deep love for America. My dad had a successful career as a chemical engineer. You could do that without a degree back then! My parents worked very hard and were very loving, but educational support was minimal with my Dad always traveling for work and my Mom not having had a great education herself. 

My mom did what most moms did, they sent their children off to school in the morning and received them back at the end of the day. Why? Because that’s what parents did. Why? Because that is what their parents did. What did I do when I had kids? I sent my children off on the school bus and met them at the end of the day with the other moms. Like our parents, we asked our kids the typical question, “What did you learn today?” And we all got the typical answer, “Nothing”. “What do you mean nothing? You were there 7 hours and learned nothing?” The response? Grumble, grumble. Now it’s 2 hours of homework wars, dinner, bath, bed, rinse and repeat. We were all on the educational conveyor belt and it never even occurred to us. 

Turns out I LOVE learning. I discovered that when I went to college. I was a total study nerd. I still am! I LOVE learning!! I began to question why I did not  love learning during those K-12 years. Absorb, don’t question, memorize, regurgitate, rinse and repeat. My SAT scores were abysmal. I shall take them to my grave. Nothing prompted me to be curious or excited about learning. Did I have a bad intake valve? Should I have been recalled? I want a do-over! After discovering the meaning of Classical Education, I have come to the conclusion that I was robbed of an opportunity to gain a more profound perspective on life, an earlier appreciation for the value of goodness, beauty, and truth, and a deeper understanding of “old world thinkers” like Aristotle, Socrates and Plato and their enduring influence on our modern world. Not to mention their relevant,  profound wisdom.  

We send our children off ALL day to a confined building where they are moved through classes, hallways, locker lines, and lunch room lines like a car on the assembly line. Is it a wonder they don’t hop off the bus singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and thanking us for ensuring their days are filled entirely with rote learning and conformity? Are we robbing them of developing a lifelong passion for learning, inquiry, and curiosity during their formative years? Once off the K-12 conveyor belt, they will become adults and we know our influence and control as parents becomes VERY limited at that point. 

So I ask you, to push pause, quiet your mind, close your eyes and visualize what your child’s day looks like at school. Is there something out there that could provide a richer experience for your child? Is your child being shaped and transformed by political ideologies or values that you do not share OR rich academic content, knowledge, and virtues that will allow them to build wisdom and to become flourishing, productive, independent citizens who are fulfilled and contribute beauty, truth and good to the world? Don’t we want something better for our children and grandchildren? Remember being so engrossed in your favorite childhood classic story and how your imagination soared? That is the good stuff. 

As parents, we have the ultimate authority over our children’s well-being and education. Most conveyor belts come with a safety interlock that will stop the conveyor if certain conditions are not met. In government schools, that safety interlock seems to be disengaged. Parents are the ones that need to act as the safety interlock for their child! It is time to pull our children off the educational conveyor belt and find better alternatives. Need help? Check out these resources on Educational Freedom to consider better choices for your child.

Cheers to the Good Stuff!