Al Neuharth-Plain but Ignorant Talk
by Susan Ryan
Our family just returned from a working vacation in
On the trip home however, USA Today was all there was first thing in the morning and I was starved for news; skewed or not.
Friday had a special treat from
Right on. We have school age kids and as pertinent examples, they spread their wings with field trips to
In his commentary, Mr. Neuharth used the term, Parentitis. He seems to allude to it as a traumatic disease characterized by excessive worrying about your kids’ well being. Parentitis has been alleviated, according to Neuharth, in that now “first grade is not as big a deal”, since “6 year olds have had one or more years of preschool or kindergarten”. He upgraded the Parentitis disease potential all the way to the junior and senior years of high school and sending them off to college. And how many grade school or middle school parents would agree with that conclusion in the annual quest to NOT have tenured Teacherzilla looming over their child’s desk?
Focusing on the increasing trends towards state and federal shoves from both major political parties for universal preschool, I do have to ask this question. These calls for earlier ages for standardizing our children are not as big a deal for whom? Where would the little ones want to be?
I would think that institutional walls and early learning standards would make for some brand new feathers being ruffled, bent, twisted and potentially clipped on little ones’ wings. I’m talking about youngsters still with baby fat and often fresh out of diapers and needing restful naps. Those precious, eager ones who are always asking why, where, who, and how much. Their wings are naturally developed and their learning needs are immense, but so happily served with a visit to the library or our great outdoors or sitting in mom’s or dad’s or any other loved one’s lap reading a book.
Al Neuharth has a “concern about our educational system” and despite the dropout rate of the public schooled, his concern instead stumbles and bumbles past those failures into what he thinks homeschoolers are missing out on. (Homeschoolers typical response to that would be that unfortunately there is only so much time in the day and night.)
This news leader described homeschoolers as those who are “tied to their mother’s apron strings or father’s bootstraps”. Charming commentary fueled by a whopping dose of ignorance. Reminded me of Representative Barbara Currie’s quote in the July 16, 2006 Chicago Tribune article Sandbox Cum Laude regarding her 1979 legislation to start up a state pre-kindergarten program. From the Tribune:
“Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the ultra-conservative Eagle Forum and self-proclaimed leader of the "pro-family movement," "came down to Springfield with her friends, determined to kill it," Currie recalls. "Their position was that children belong on the kitchen floor at their mother's knees."
Yes, Representative Currie, at their mother’s (or father’s) knees or snuggling or out for a spontaneous trip to the park in the middle of the day is very appealing. No calls to the school before 10 am are necessary. No governmental oversight to determine proper parenting by folks like you.
I also think the
Fly, Al Neuharth, fly.
After reading his commentary, I could suggest destinations, but will instead be grateful for this opportunity. I can expand some on the flight from failures for many children’s education in public school classrooms. Choosing to homeschool heads straight into a world of unlimited educational opportunities and pursuit of interests.
As National Home Education Network president, Laura Derrick states in response to this article: “Children can’t fly if they aren’t free, and they aren’t free if the conformity of a classroom is the only acceptable path to education.”
