Sunday, March 29, 2009

The lies people tell children

There are so many examples of things parents say to their kids that instill fear and also are just plain wrong.

Cassie just told me what the neighbor said to her.

She said *if you don't go to school you will end up on the streets when you are older*.

Wow!
Really?!

Another lie fed to a child to keep them in school. It's sad really, I guess when the rewards and bribes stop working you just have to scare them into it.

So I said to Cass, so you are going to end up on the streets when you grow up because you don't go to school?

How stupid does that sound?

How many public school graduates are *on the streets*

I bet way more than homeschooled ones.

Don't indoctrinate me!

I hear some real doozies from these kids. It's amazing and sad, extremely sad, to believe all of the lies being fed to you.

The people saying these things actually believe them too and that is where the system has succeeded.

"I don’t think we’ll get rid of schools any time soon, certainly not in my lifetime, but if we’re going to change what’s rapidly becoming a disaster of ignorance, we need to realize that the school institution "schools" very well, though it does not "educate"; that’s inherent in the design of the thing. It’s not the fault of bad teachers or too little money spent. It’s just impossible for education and schooling ever to be the same thing."
– John Taylor Gatto

8 comments:

Donna said...

On a recent Supernanny the mom would tell her boys that if they didn't listen to her the police were going to come for them. She would actually get on the phone and pretend to call them to make the behave. Ugh, people are so stupid.

Love that Gatto quote btw.

Hilaree said...

Preach it, sister!! :)

WomanHonorThyself said...

youre spot on girl!

D. Lollard said...

Amen! :)

When I was a kid, my parents were school social workers. One day over dinner they discussed a kid who had skipped school. The truant officer found him hiding under his bed. They WILL come to get you!

A homeschooling mom I know won't let her kid play outside during weekdays, afraid someone will call the authorities on her.

What a country. No child left behind.

unschoolermom said...

People definitely tell their kids stupid things just to scare them. What a sad circumstance!

Kandy

Anonymous said...

it is hard when people say the stupidest things but at least she can come to you can tell you instead of worrying if it is true.

JoAnn said...

Good grief! Some people. Love the Gatto quote.

justjuls said...

This is really interesting. I hear things like this all the time in line at Walmart. It is crazy.
We have had an incident here recently with the lady we're renting from who said my kids had "too much idle time" because she is a school teacher. (yeah, hello - why did I think that was going to work?) And told them when the girls were eating some of Kendra's birthday cupcakes that they were getting fat. How ridiculous! Has she never heard of eating disorders?
And because she is an adult - even though she has no place in my kids lives - she expects to be listened to!
Ridiculous.