Are You OK With That? Question #2 - Common Core

Being a Christian in a non-Christian institution is just the tip of the iceberg of problems that families face when it comes to public schools. Common Core, standardized testing, worksheets, political agendas - these all play into the lives of the children in public schools as well. (And, I haven't even touched on a whole host of other issues that face our children as they get older such as teen pregnancy, sex, drugs, peer pressure, etc.)

But, I digress. Today's "Are You OK With That?" question is about Common Core.

What is Common Core? According to her book, They're Your Kids, Mrs. Sam Sorbo defines it this way: "Common Core is the name of the new standard, and although proponents insist it is not a curriculum, it imposes conformity on curricula while promising improved learning and more standardized materials."

Mrs. Sam Sorbo also goes on to relate some interesting facts about Common Core:

• It was primarily designed by non-educators.
• It's the biggest overhaul of the education system ever.
• Forty-five states adopted it before it was written because of the money promised by the federal Race to the Top funding program. The standards were not tested first because it was adopted before they were even written.
  
  Would you pay a contractor before he completes the work you've hired him to do? What about paying him before he even submits a bid? That's just nonsense.
• Common Core also involves changing the way in which topics are taught.
  
  Mrs. Sorbo goes on to share in her book that, "Common Core insists on teaching young children very complicated ways to solve multiplication problems that older generations performed with the simpler standard algorithm." My friend shared her son's math paper on Facebook asking for someone to help her figure out the problems. I wish I could say that I was able to help her but I couldn't figure it out myself.
• With Common Core's expected level of standardization, students who move from one community to another may expect the same education - the same subjects, covering the same materials, taught the same way. 
  
  Is all this "sameness" a good thing? Just think about it. Do all kids learn at the same rate at the same time in the same way? I should think not.

Follow the Money Trail:

I recently read an article titled "When Education is All About the Money, Not the Kids" and it confirmed for me that Common Core is all about corporations making money. Follow the money trail and you'll find the real reason behind why states adopted this program before it was even published. The states were not only promised federal money (aka our tax dollars), the corporations selling the materials were making tons of money - a "$9 billion dollar revenue stream" according to the article. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was one of Common Core's key financier. They have "millions of dollars at stake in Common Core testing technology and computers".

The article also mentioned an undercover video where journalist James O'Keefe interviews a prominent publishing executive from Houghton-Mifflin who claims to "hate kids" and declaring that Common Core to be a moneymaking scheme.

This is the actual video that was published in January 2016:

James O'Keefe was also interviewed on the Alex Jones Channel. He brings up very points that all of us, as parents, need to be aware of.

I bring up these "Are You OK with That?" questions simply because families need to be informed. I know they are hard to answer because I really struggled with all these issues when we decided to take my own children out of public schools. Answering these questions may also leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure about what your choices are when it comes to your children's education. 

What Can YOU Do?
That's where I come in! You have MANY choices and you can find support, direction and encouragement throughout your education journey (it's not only your child's journey, it's yours as the parent, as well and that's exciting!).

I've begun the "Database of Resources" section of my blog to help you get started. Think outside the box a bit and realize that learning doesn't always happen 8 am until 3 pm Monday through Friday. I know of one homeschooling family whose children stay with a friend during the day since both parents work and then they school in the evening. I've also met a single mom who works from home and is homeschooling her 4 boys. There are many Christian private university model schools where the children attend two or three days a week and then they complete the work at home with the parent, friend or family member.

It's not so much what you know. It's what you're willing to do on behalf of your child. 

• Be informed.
• Research your educational options and choices.
• Be open to new ways of thinking about learning. 
• Choose a better education for your children (whether that be home school, private school, university model schools, and everything in between!)
• You can do it!

If you'd like to know more about Common Core and what you can do to stop it, read more on the Home School Legal Defense website here.

Your desire for change must be greater than your desire to stay the same. ~Unknown

Happy Homeschooling,
-Christi

Are You OK With That Question #1

Are you OK with a non-Christian secular view being taught and promoted in public schools?

This first question in my "Are you OK With That?" series is one that didn't even cross my mind before sending my kids into public school. I had simply accepted the fact long ago that the school would teach the basic academics and my husband and I would be instilling in my children the love of Christ and what it means to be a Christ follower.

Trying to separate these two areas in a person's life is pretty much impossible simply because who I am in Christ affects all areas of my life, at home and outside my home. If I'm teaching my children what we believe to be truth according to our faith at home and then they are being taught an entirely opposite agenda at school, how do we as Christian parents combat that? That's a big conflict we're asking kids to face every day when they enter the doors of public school.

Recently I listened to a talk by Andrew Pudewa titled "Conquering Corrupt Culture By Raising Christian Communicators" and I had a huge "Ah ha!" moment. I was finally able to put my finger on what exactly the conflict was. According to Pudewa, it's the non-gospel of "relativism" being taught in schools: the belief that there are no absolutes when it comes to truth; that people can define their own truth. In other words, every student can have their own "truth" and we have to agree that everyone's truth is equally valid. How can we have two contradictory truths and have them both be true?

Think about it this way - every discussion with the teacher, every interaction with peers, every textbook that is approved is based on this fundamental idea that truth doesn't really exist, it's all just a matter of opinion. 

Pudewa goes on to give some rather startling statistics based on the book Already Gone. According to the book,of the "self-professed, Bible-raising church-going Christian families, 60 to 80% of their kids within one year of leaving home will stop attending church and will leave their faith".

Interestingly enough the statistics are opposite of those who home school their children. 80% of these children are still practicing their faith and sometimes even involved in missions work of some kind.

What do you think is the difference between the two? It's the programming of the public schools.

Well meaning parents think (like I did), "I'll put them in public school but then teach them the truth at home." But did you know that if a child goes to public school from kindergarten through grade 12 they will have had 14,400 hours of this "relativism message" being taught?

That's 14,400 hours, in my opinion, of the wrong message. How could I possibly undo that message with just a few hours of Wednesday night activities and Sunday church service? We can't.

My husband and I were handing over our children and thousands of hours of their time (and our time) for programming we didn't even believe in. Oddly enough, we didn't even see it at first. 

When I first withdrew my son from school, my number #1 reason was because I was tired of the battle. After spending countless hours volunteering at the school, in meetings with the school teachers and administrators, in PTA meetings and such that it finally dawned on me - why am I wasting so much time and energy when I could have him home with me and spend quality one-on-one time with just him? What a revelation!  And, getting all those hours back to include teaching him to understand and appreciate our faith in Jesus Christ was a bonus!

Now, teaching our faith to my children is my #1 reason for having them at home with me. I want my children to do all things for the glory of God. Whether they're learning math, science, history or any other subject, it's all created by Him for Him. 

Our history books include Biblical stories. Bible stories are no longer disconnected from history but they are part of history. (You'll never find Bible stories in public school textbooks.)

Our science books include the book of Genesis and explains how the world was formed and the different theories on how the world was formed. The "Big Bang" being taught as a theory, not an absolute truth (it's being taught in many schools as truth).

So, the question still remains, "Are you OK with a non-Christian secular view being taught and promoted?"

I would be remiss to not ask you one other question as well: "Are you OK with giving thousands of hours of your child's life (and your time) to the public school for their programming?"

I found that answering these questions with a resounding, "No" was easy for me but finding the solution of what to do next was more challenging.

That's why I've started putting together a Database of Resources for other families that might be looking for better education solutions. There are SO many out there! Take a look and begin to discover the joy and freedom in making a choice - don't just accept that public school is all there is. You have a choice on how you spend your time and your child's time. You only raise them once and you'll never get those hours back. How do you want to spend them?

I welcome your comments and feedback. If you have questions about resources, specific curriculum, or if you just want to know how to get started in homeschooling, please let me know.

I hope you'll take the time to answer these tough questions and then plan a course that is best for you and your family.

Blessings,
Christi