Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Pennies From Heaven


I was talking to the *mom* of an 8 year old at the park yesterday:

Mother - I was helping my son with his math work and I realized that THEY didn't even teach him what each coin was. He kept confusing nickels and quarters. I literally had to GO AND DIG OUT SOME COINS AND TEACH HIM WHAT EACH ONE WAS WORTH! Can you believe that?

CaptiousNut - Well why the #&%$ didn't you teach him that yourself when he was younger?

Okay. I didn't really say that despite the urge to do so.

But this is the type of foolishness that pervades the culture. Parents defer the responsibility of raising their children to a government bureaucracy and then helplessly rail against the results.

I think I may have helped convince someone (else) to homeschool their kids the other day and that feels really good.

If, before I die, I could somehow provoke thousands of families to educate their kids *outside the system*....I think then I would die a happy, accomplished man. I guess this is developing into my life's purpose or something. Good luck to me!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bill Gates says that this is the future of education.Check it out--it will blow your mind! http://www.khanacademy.org/

Just Vegas said...

Hmmm, I didn't *want* to like your blog but I kinda do. ;)
You're bookmarked. I'm relieved to find someone of intelligence posting curriculum suggestions. The crap we have this year is ridiculous but I'm definitely switching next year!

Anonymous said...

When my son was two, I would throw a quarter or other coin on the floor, and we would race for them. He had to tell me the name of the guy on each. He still remembers what he called "gambling for Washingtons" 20 years later.

Hey, I tried

CaptiousNut said...

Anon,

C'mon....that's so old. In fact I blogged on Khan Academy before Bill gates knew what it was.

See my prior post from 1.5 years ago.

No biggie. Someone sends me a link to Khan every other week or so it seems.

Bill Gates is an elitist hypocrite. He made his fortune and was self-educated *outside the system*....but he tells everyone else today to eschew the path he took.

See - Do As I Say, Not As I Did.

CaptiousNut said...

St,

"Bookmarked"?

That's like some chick in college giving me the *friend speech*!

CaptiousNut said...

Anon,

My kid will walk by a quarter on the sidewalk. I'll tell him to pick it up but apparently he doesn't see any value in it so I'll have to, and have actually twisted his arm to do so.

Just Vegas said...

You mean because I'm not subscribed? Gotta give it some time!

Anne Galivan said...

Awesome stuff! What I mean is that I love hearing you describe leading others to home-school as your purpose. My #1 purpose in my life is the legacy I am leaving the world (and the Lord) by raising kids whose standard is the Bible, who are influencers and not sheep, etc.

Secondly, I am, as I told someone the other day, a "homeschool evangelist." That is why I started my website a year ago. To teach other parents not only that it is possible to home-school but that it is the best education method bar none.

Keep up the good work in the home-schooling community!