Learn in Freedom

[tracysaboe]

Sometimes I like Mallard. Sometimes I don't.

Tracy

[Michael Fisher]

Argh, I feel so helpless sometimes.? ?
But hopeful at the same time!?

There must be something we can do to get people to take their children out of public schools.? Even many who agree with us will not take responsibility for their children.? We have failed miserably to create a convincing case for it.

We need to compile all the research, statistics, arguments, everything we can.? We need to completely refute the idea that this is impossible or undesirable.

Learning in freedom is obviously possible, simple, and desirable - to us.? How do we convince others to do the same?

The answer to this question will set everyone free, especially the children.? There is nothing we could possibly do in our lives that could create a stronger and more permanent legacy of freedom than to stop forced learning.

Must... find... the answer...

I do not believe we've found a winning strategy yet.  This is going to take a while, but I want to keep chopping away at this issue until we figure out a winning strategy.

Ideas?

[AlanM]

Mike, I definitely think this will take time. As more and more of us talk to folks about it, it will begin to gain credibilty and start to grow. Meanwhile we have to do our best to starve the beast.

[Michael Fisher]

Maybe we should put these on our cars.? ?



It's a little insulting though.

[Kat Kanning]

It's to the point

[polyanarch]

I think it is great.

I like to use the term Government Schools as much as possible and everywhere I can until it begins to catch on in the mainstream.

[margomaps]

I do not believe we've found a winning strategy yet.  This is going to take a while, but I want to keep chopping away at this issue until we figure out a winning strategy.

Ideas?

The most effective strategy I can think of is to show them it works.  Lead by example.  If your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers watch you homeschool your own children, and your kids turn out happier, smarter, and more responsible than other kids -- I think that will win more converts than anything else. 

I was having a conversation with a co-worker last week, and we were each surprised to learn that the other intends to homeschool his kids (I don't have any kids yet, but his oldest child is 4).  We were somewhat relieved to find another pro-homeschooler, because usually people look at us like we're growing horns if we start talking about homeschooling.  Another co-worker overheard our conversation and asked a bunch of questions.  Now he's considering the possibility of homeschooling his child (currently an infant).  So in my limited experience, another possible strategy is positive peer-pressure.

Finally, I've been around several homeschooled kids in my life, both as a child and adult.  When I was a kid, a brother and sister in our neighborhood were homeschooled, and I was always in awe of how mature and responsible they seemed compared to all the other kids.  As an adult, I've met some remarkable home-schooled kids who always seem about 3 steps ahead of most other kids their age.  What I'm suggesting is that the product of homeschooling "sells itself."  I think if more adults interacted with homeschooled kids, they couldn't help but be impressed -- and maybe we'd win more hearts and minds simply by word-of-mouth.  If you're already involved with a local group of parents who are homeschooling, maybe see if the kids might be interested in volunteering for meals on wheels, habitat for humanity, etc.

[tracysaboe]

The only way to really make this long term is discipleship. You tell two people, and really work with them, and convince them. And eventually once they realize the truth they'll start influencing others in their vicinity in the same direction. I have several friends that I have turned from raving leftist, socialist democrats into people who now question the entire power structure. I also have a few friends who were raving Bush fans -- who voted for him the last ellection (like I did the one prior) who now realize what a crook he is. So, i've got- - what, 5 people or so, that I've pretty much converted into libertarianism (of various degrees) in just the past 2-3 years.

You have to live and lead by example.

You need examples of private charities, businesses, etc that do the things "only government is capible of." In other words, study to show thyself aproved.

Really I think libertarians can take the Great Commission and apply it to spreading libertarianism (as opposed or as well as Christianity depending on who you are).

3rd, and this is a concept from Francis Schaefer a great Christian Apologetist. you need to speak to people in their own thought forms. If somebody reads fantasy books or Sci-fi, you can recomend good quality books from a libertarian bent. And then in normal conversation talk about the book like book geeks do. I work part time in a video store. I talk about movies like Minority Report, etc.

I'm a comic book geek. I talk about when things don't make sence from a human action point of view. And talk about why Green Arrow and Green Lantern are both only half right, and both half wrong. I talk about Bat-Man, and the corruption of cops eminating from the drug war.

If a person was a huge chess player, you'd talk to them about the private international organizations, and rules that develop by pure volentarianism. If people can agree and develope rules  that pretty much everybody in the world agrees on by spontanious action, why can't they do the same about others. Why can't people choose their own judges, and referies etc., in other aspects of life.

If a person was a teacher who relaly loved kids, perhaps you'd tlak about why kids are so smart and creative and why they stop being that way around 5-6 years of age. There are stats out their that show brain developement and learning curves and how childrens intellegence levels skyrocket parabolically up untill 5 and then flat-line. you can talk about why that is. It's because they're trying to teach you how to learn, when you already know how.

When I was selling Primerica, I'd talk with people about how the insurence industry is the very thing that pushes the lobbying for all these regulations that are suppost to "protect" the customer from them, and how it's really a huge conflict of interest. (I had to leave that though. It was too conflicting for me.)

You have to get to know people. Know how they think. Learn about what they're into. And try to explain libertarianism in a way that that particular individual can understand. Libertarianism is about individualism, and hence we're not going to spread our message very well by mass marketing. You have to care about the individual.

Tracy

[Michael Fisher]

These are definitely winning strategies.    But this will take a long time unless we come up with a really good plan.

I guess I should have specified that we need strategies with more immediate and broad effects.   

[margomaps]

These are definitely winning strategies.    But this will take a long time unless we come up with a really good plan.

I guess I should have specified that we need strategies with more immediate and broad effects.   

I thought about that after I posted.  I don't know that there is a shortcut to success in this case.  I'm normally in pursuit of the greatest effect given the least effort (i.e., hacker-style "laziness") -- but sometimes there's just no alternative to hard work, patience, and slowly cultivating results.  That said, I'll continue to brainstorm in search of that elusive quick fix. 

[tracysaboe]

These are definitely winning strategies.    But this will take a long time unless we come up with a really good plan.

I guess I should have specified that we need strategies with more immediate and broad effects.   

Is it possible to be "immediate and broad" while simultatiously being individualistic and non-mass-markety?

Tracy

[cathleeninnh]

I don't see any way to effect a quick change without help from within the corrupt system (through implosion?) Yet the ball of homeschooling is rolling and will not be stopped. Do ANY homeschoolers grow up and send their kids to govt schools? Success (ful kids) breeds success (ful kids).

Cathleen

[Lloyd Danforth]

Maybe we should put these on our cars.? ?



It's a little insulting though.

How about: ' Little Heads Full Of Mush' ?

[Michael Fisher]

I found this old research from 2003 while cleaning out my computer to prepare for a system backup:



North Star - Self-Directed Learning for Teens
http://www.northstarteens.org/

(This is a pretty good one!? It's $2,500 per year.)

North Star students leave school.
They embark upon non-compulsory, community-based, self-directed learning programs that include a variety of activities:

-Independent academic projects.
-Academic classes at North Star.
-Tutorials at North Star.
-Creative classes and projects at North Star and in the community.
-Internships or volunteering with community businesses or charities.
-Pursuing their passions and following their own North Stars in myriad ways.

(Internships and charitable volunteering are GREAT ideas!)

North Star provides support for all aspects of a self-directed program.

-North Star offers 15-25 classes, trips, and special events each week.
-Teachers at North Star love what they are doing, and most classes have fewer than 10 students.
-North Star provides knowledgeable staff and access to many interesting adults who may serve as tutors or mentors.
-North Star staff helps to structure and identify the best resources for your independent academic work.
-North Star provides connections to local people.
-North Star hosts a social environment where teens can be self-directed but still connected with peers.

"I think I?d just sit around all day and be a total failure if I didn?t have to do all the stuff I have to do for school."

A lot of kids do that when they first leave school, and that?s not always a bad thing. It takes a while to get used to freedom. You have to start figuring out what?s really important to you. You don?t have to figure it out right away, but you have to get used to thinking that way. I remember back in school (I left after 7th grade), I?d go crazy getting my homework done. I thought it was really important, and it got me really stressed out, like a 7th grade homework assignment has any real meaning. I still get stressed out sometimes, but because of important things. Issues dealing with my sense of self or commitments I?ve made where people are counting on me, these are important. I think that kids who leave school get a much better sense of what?s really important and, because of that, are much better prepared for college or wherever they go in life.

(We can learn a LOT from this organization!)

(Oh yeah, everyone here should check out their "Teenage Liberation Handbook".? Reading it literally destroys each child's belief in the system and makes them demand to be removed from public schools!)

The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education
http://www.northstarteens.org/TLH.shtml

(I have an idea!? Why don't we create our OWN small handbook which we'll pass out to teenagers AT SCHOOL which will do the same thing as this Liberation Handbook will do:? make them lose ALL faith in public school!? This book sells for is $20 each and is 448 pages long, so it will not do for such a task.? We could ask this publisher for the rights to copy certain sections out of the book in order to make our own small, affordable handouts.)