Or better yet, call Social Services and leave an anonymous tip that you heard a neighbor's child screaming and you think one of the parents was beating him/her. Then give your address for the address of the "abusive family." See how fast they show up at your door, and what sort of tactics they use to try to intimidate their way into your home without a warrant.
I don't have anything that dates back all the way to his lifetime, but I do have a final exam given to 8th graders in 1895, just 36 years after his death. I think it gives a pretty good idea of what the educational level was back then.
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour) 1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters. 2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications. 3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph. 4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run. 5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case. 6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation. 7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours) 1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic. 2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold? 3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare? 4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals? 5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton. 6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent. 7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m? 8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent. 9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods? 10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes) 1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided. 2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus. 3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War. 4. Show the territorial growth of the United States. 5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas. 6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion. 7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe? 8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, and 1865?
Orthography (Time, one hour) 1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography, etymology, syllabication? 2. What are elementary sounds? How classified? 3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals? 4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'. 5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two exceptions under each rule. 6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each. 7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, super. 8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last. 9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays. 10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour) 1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend? 2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas? 3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean? 4. Describe the mountains of N.A. 5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco. 6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. 7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each. 8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude? 9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers. 10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
Also, education doesn't have to cost anything more than the time to do it. You can get everything you need from public and/or college libraries; from phonics programs to Calculus text books, not to mention all the sciences, and the history that is in any public library.
"How could it be better to turn over a critical function of society to business or, worse yet, require parents to home school?"
1) It should not be turned over to business. It should be made the parent's responsibility, as it has always been in history, and as it is designated in the U.S. Constitution. 2) They can choose to homeschool, or they can choose to form a school and hire 1 or more teachers to teach their kids for them.
"How could it be better to put a higher financial burden on the people who can afford it the least -- single parents."
It would not put a higher financial burden on those people. In fact, they could homeschool for less than what they are currently paying in taxes for the public school system. I know several single parents who are paying their taxes for the public school system and homeschooling their kids, while holding down at least 1 full time job. It is not easy, but doing away with the government school system, and the taxes that support it, would make it easier, not harder.
I homeschool our 2 older ones, and will homeschool the 2 younger ones when they're older, for less than what we're paying in education taxes. In our state, our property tax goes to education, and part of the sales tax. Our property tax alone is almost $200 a year, plus we pay an additional 1% sales tax that goes to education; then on top of that, the federal government sends some of our income tax back to the state (with strings attached) for educational purposes. I homeschool 2 kids for less than $300 a year. And, could do it for even less than what I spend now, if I needed to do so (I buy educational games that we don't really need in order to make learning more fun). Even when the 2 younger ones get older, I don't believe I'll spend over $300 a year, because a lot of the material I'm using with the first 2 can be reused with the second 2. So then I'll be educating 4 children for less than what we're paying the government to run their schools. And our kids will have a much better education. They'll actually be able to read their diplomas (yes, they will get diplomas) and do math on a higher level than just the basics (a lot of government school kids can't even do the basics). They'll know REAL history. They read (or will read) the writings of the actual people from history (our founding fathers in particular), not some text book filled with lies about our founding fathers. They'll know the real story of Thanksgiving, not the fable that is currently being taught as fact in our government schools. They'll actually read and study the U.S. Constitution. Government school students are lucky if they read and discuss the preamble. And, they'll know that the Theory of Evolution is still just an unproven theory, not fact, as many of the government school students are taught today. They'll also know about the dinosaur fossil that was found inside a fossilized sandle print. (Have you ever seen an ape wearing sandals? I haven't.) They'll also know about the UNfossilized dinosaur bone that was found not too long ago. And yes, they'll know the Bible. Not what some Sunday School teacher, or preacher, tells them it says, but what it really says, because they will have read it and studied it themselves.
" a few extremists can't tell the difference between myth and scientific discovery."
You're right, there are some extremists who cannot tell the difference between myth and scientific discovery. Unfortunately, they are the ones in charge of the government schools. They teach the Theory of Evolution as though it is a scientifically proven fact, when it is not. Most homeschoolers teach the Theory of Evolution to their kids, as theory (as it should be). Therefore, you cannot legitimately say that "they don't want their children exposed to dangerous ideas like Evolution which might cause them to think for themselves," when they themselves teach it to them. The last thing the government wants is people who can think for themselves. They want our kids to grow up to follow their instructions blindly. That's what the school to work program is all about. They tell the kids what they will do for a living and then specialize their education in that field. Then they put them to work in that field when they're finished. At least that's how it's intended to work. I think there are enough people in this country who can still think for themselves to keep it from actually happening.
"Education is an important societal function."
Education is important, but it is not a societal function at all. Read the U.S. Constitution. It clearly says that the education of children is the responsibility of the parents, not society.
"We can not abdicate it."
We have already abdicated it, as a society, by allowing the government to take control of what used to be public education. We no longer have public education in this country. We have government education in it's place. They said, we'll educate your children for you and relieve you of that burden. We said, ok, thanks.
There are now many parents who have decided that the government is not doing a satisfactory job. So they have decided to relieve the government of the responsibility of educating their children. They choose to either send their kids to private schools, pay private tutors to teach them, teach them themselves, or teach them to be self learners. This is how it should be, according to the Bible and to our U.S. Constitution.
>Being an outcast implies being a member of an underprivileged minority. Here's Webster's definition: Main Entry: outcast Pronunciation: 'aut-"kast Function: noun Date: 14th century 1 : one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society) : PARIAH 2 [Scots cast out to quarrel] Scottish : QUARREL - outcast adjective No where does it mention being a member of an "underprivileged minority." By Webster's definition, I was an outcast through most of my school years. But by your definition, I couldn't possibly have been an outcast, since I am white and my family could not have been considered underprivileged in any way. I can assure you I was an outcast. I was "refused acceptance" by my peers from 2nd grade through 5th grade. During 6th grade, 1 girl accepted me, and we became friends. The others never did accept me. So is Webster wrong and you right?
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Or better yet, call Social Services and leave an anonymous tip that you heard a neighbor's child screaming and you think one of the parents was beating him/her. Then give your address for the address of the "abusive family." See how fast they show up at your door, and what sort of tactics they use to try to intimidate their way into your home without a warrant.
I don't have anything that dates back all the way to his lifetime, but I do have a final exam given to 8th graders in 1895, just 36 years after his death. I think it gives a pretty good idea of what the educational level was back then.
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that
have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give
Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal
marks of Punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and
show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of
Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3
ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it
worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for
tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for
incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per
acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a
Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is
divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by
Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of
the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton,
Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, and 1865?
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet,
phonetic orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of
each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling.
Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in
connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi,
post, non, inter, mono, super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite,
site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein,
raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and
indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of N.A.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia,
Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of
the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the
ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give
inclination of the earth.
Also, education doesn't have to cost anything more than the time to do it. You can get everything you need from public and/or college libraries; from phonics programs to Calculus text books, not to mention all the sciences, and the history that is in any public library.
"How could it be better to turn over a critical function of society to business or, worse yet, require parents to home school?"
1) It should not be turned over to business. It should be made the parent's responsibility, as it has always been in history, and as it is designated in the U.S. Constitution.
2) They can choose to homeschool, or they can choose to form a school and hire 1 or more teachers to teach their kids for them.
"How could it be better to put a higher financial burden on the people who can afford it the least -- single parents."
It would not put a higher financial burden on those people. In fact, they could homeschool for less than what they are currently paying in taxes for the public school system. I know several single parents who are paying their taxes for the public school system and homeschooling their kids, while holding down at least 1 full time job. It is not easy, but doing away with the government school system, and the taxes that support it, would make it easier, not harder.
I homeschool our 2 older ones, and will homeschool the 2 younger ones when they're older, for less than what we're paying in education taxes. In our state, our property tax goes to education, and part of the sales tax. Our property tax alone is almost $200 a year, plus we pay an additional 1% sales tax that goes to education; then on top of that, the federal government sends some of our income tax back to the state (with strings attached) for educational purposes. I homeschool 2 kids for less than $300 a year. And, could do it for even less than what I spend now, if I needed to do so (I buy educational games that we don't really need in order to make learning more fun). Even when the 2 younger ones get older, I don't believe I'll spend over $300 a year, because a lot of the material I'm using with the first 2 can be reused with the second 2. So then I'll be educating 4 children for less than what we're paying the government to run their schools. And our kids will have a much better education. They'll actually be able to read their diplomas (yes, they will get diplomas) and do math on a higher level than just the basics (a lot of government school kids can't even do the basics). They'll know REAL history. They read (or will read) the writings of the actual people from history (our founding fathers in particular), not some text book filled with lies about our founding fathers. They'll know the real story of Thanksgiving, not the fable that is currently being taught as fact in our government schools. They'll actually read and study the U.S. Constitution. Government school students are lucky if they read and discuss the preamble. And, they'll know that the Theory of Evolution is still just an unproven theory, not fact, as many of the government school students are taught today. They'll also know about the dinosaur fossil that was found inside a fossilized sandle print. (Have you ever seen an ape wearing sandals? I haven't.)
They'll also know about the UNfossilized dinosaur bone that was found not too long ago. And yes, they'll know the Bible. Not what some Sunday School teacher, or preacher, tells them it says, but what it really says, because they will have read it and studied it themselves.
" a few extremists can't tell the difference between myth and scientific discovery."
You're right, there are some extremists who cannot tell the difference between myth and scientific discovery. Unfortunately, they are the ones in charge of the government schools. They teach the Theory of Evolution as though it is a scientifically proven fact, when it is not. Most homeschoolers teach the Theory of Evolution to their kids, as theory (as it should be). Therefore, you cannot legitimately say that "they don't want their children exposed to dangerous ideas like Evolution which might cause them to think for themselves," when they themselves teach it to them. The last thing the government wants is people who can think for themselves. They want our kids to grow up to follow their instructions blindly. That's what the school to work program is all about. They tell the kids what they will do for a living and then specialize their education in that field. Then they put them to work in that field when they're finished. At least that's how it's intended to work. I think there are enough people in this country who can still think for themselves to keep it from actually happening.
"Education is an important societal function."
Education is important, but it is not a societal function at all. Read the U.S. Constitution. It clearly says that the education of children is the responsibility of the parents, not society.
"We can not abdicate it."
We have already abdicated it, as a society, by allowing the government to take control of what used to be public education. We no longer have public education in this country. We have government education in it's place. They said, we'll educate your children for you and relieve you of that burden. We said, ok, thanks.
There are now many parents who have decided that the government is not doing a satisfactory job. So they have decided to relieve the government of the responsibility of educating their children. They choose to either send their kids to private schools, pay private tutors to teach them, teach them themselves, or teach them to be self learners. This is how it should be, according to the Bible and to our U.S. Constitution.
>Being an outcast implies being a member of an underprivileged minority. Here's Webster's definition: Main Entry: outcast Pronunciation: 'aut-"kast Function: noun Date: 14th century 1 : one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society) : PARIAH 2 [Scots cast out to quarrel] Scottish : QUARREL - outcast adjective No where does it mention being a member of an "underprivileged minority." By Webster's definition, I was an outcast through most of my school years. But by your definition, I couldn't possibly have been an outcast, since I am white and my family could not have been considered underprivileged in any way. I can assure you I was an outcast. I was "refused acceptance" by my peers from 2nd grade through 5th grade. During 6th grade, 1 girl accepted me, and we became friends. The others never did accept me. So is Webster wrong and you right?