Home School vs. Public School
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2020
- Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: pauljernberg.com
With the lock down in effect, everyone with school aged children is getting a taste of what home schooling could be like and according to at least one survey I saw, a significant number of parents have an increased appreciation for homeschool and some have indicated that they intend to keep doing it after the lock down is over.
So as someone who went to public schools when I was growing up but has chosen home schooling for my kids, I thought I’d be ideally positioned to share what I think is the most important advantage or each.
So, like I said earlier, I was raised in a public school setting and I think my own experience is a revealing use case for what makes these two approaches distinct and where the advantages lie in each, so I’ll start by sharing a bit about my own story.
Believe it or not, I have been accused by a few people of being intelligent and since a surprising number of people are willing to listen to me mumble my way through these commentaries, that seems to further advance that premise.
But, according to my public school record, I was incredibly mediocre in my academic performance. None of my peers would have suspected me of being exceptionally clever and if they had any doubts, a quick report card comparison would have dissuaded them.
But I scraped by and went to college in the hopes of becoming a graphic and web designer, which I did. And then I landed my first job and it was the only job I was qualified to do and probably the only one I would ever be qualified to do, but something strange happened around that time too.
I became Catholic and this led to an emersion in reading philosophy and theology which exposed me, for the first time in my life, to studying what was known in the liberal arts as dialectic and rhetoric. Dialectic was the study of logic and rhetoric was the study of persuasive communication.
Now, I wasn’t formally studying these things as a student would have, but I was getting exposed to them and they were wearing off on me and they had a dramatic effect on me. I started to grow in my ability to think critically and logically as well in my ability to articulate my thoughts accurately and persuasively.
And it was this exposure that conditioning that caught the attention of the kinds of people that could provide access to new opportunities for me in my life. I often found myself getting invitations and access to important people and not really being sure why I was there.
The TH-cam channel is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. I wouldn’t be doing this and I wouldn’t be approached by the kinds of opportunities that it has afforded me without that exposure.
And frankly, it unlocked new aspects of my intelligence and my personality and equipped me for a wide range of challenges in life that I would have had no idea how to confront but have since seemed to navigate with a confidence I wouldn’t otherwise have.
And this was all because of the fact that I had grown in my ability to think logically and communicate persuasively which are traits that I had very little exposure to because the emphasis in my public school formation was on STEM fields. There was no time for philosophy and whatever attention we paid towards language was just enough to get by for academic purposes.
Nobody ever would have guessed that reading classical literature would provide any value beyond priggish dinner party conversation.
But the classical liberal arts place a huge emphasis on these disciplines which included grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric and they were called “liberal” arts because they produced liberty in the student. They freed a person from the bonds of ignorance ineptitude by asking the most fundamental questions about life and then offering the best answers that we have produced as a thinking species.
And in my case, I have found myself achieving greater degrees of freedom, flexibility, and opportunity. My public school formation funneled me towards a one dimensional career and if I ever wanted to stray from that, it would have cost me significant time and money to redirect from the path I had chosen when I was 17.
But a person who is educated in a broad spectrum of disciplines that are meant to produce a person who is fully acquainted with their identity as a human being and aware of the deep questions of life rather than a gear in an economic machine.
Read the whole transcript at brianholdsworth.ca
I have to laugh at that Harvard professor. We homeschooled all our five children. The oldest is now a Ph.D student at Harvard. If we didn't homeschool she wouldn't be at Harvard and happy married to her first, one and only, love.
My daughter told me of another Ph.D. student who is working on AI. After he presented his new research to a panel of fellow students, my daughter asked him about the ethical and moral implications of his research and how he plans to reconcile it. The young man had never thought about it and was surprised by the question.
Not even private schools can manage intelligent children.
Ultimately, though, most of us don’t homeschool our children for Harvard, but for Heaven.
@@matthewthomasjames Correct, Harvard is a side effect of home-schooling. My other daughter dropped out of college because it was boring and full of Marxists. She was too smart for the professors and they were irritated with her all the time. One even lost his temper in class, in front of students, because of her questions. Poor guy couldn't handle a smart student who knows how to reason.
My other son got his GPA ruined by one English class/professor because he used the US Constitution to make his case in an assay. Instead of teaching how to write essays, the professor spent most of class time to brainwash.
@@ElenaRoche thanks
@@ElenaRoche : thank-you for sharing the success stories of your children. Just one minor grammar point from me, and o.c. home educator: the word is 'essay'.
Gotta homeschool your children no matter what now. Even the catholic schools aren’t up to standards anymore.
Yeah, we are finding that out in a whole new way now that we are forced to dive deep into what our kids are doing through online school.
A couple of them are okay, but it's rare.
Very true!
Stephen Johnson yeah
Syed Hasan Ahmed true
Interesting. Home schooling is illegal in Sweden,Germany, Netherlands and Spain and many other countries. It concerns me that it will become illegal in many more countries as well. This ensures the state has full control over how their citizens think.
Wow that is quite scary I can't believe the citizens of those countries allow that to pass
It's not that the state had full control over the schooling here in the Netherlands. We're have freedom of schooling, which means that people can set up schools of all different religions or ideologies and the state will pay for all of them regardless. I also wish home schooling wasn't illegal, I just wanted to show that there are laws in place ensuring that the state won't completely control the people through the schooling system.
Shid.. ILLEGAL? Ridiculous! Hopefully they at least provide the necessary access so parents can chose what school their children go to
@@CezzyHaag I can also confirm that for Germany. The respective federal state sets the standards for the objectives of the lesson/school year. And here parents are longing for school again because many realize that they lack the necessary skills to teach their children.
@@Jkp1321 * Germany * As a rule, the home address for the state primary schools= 1st-4th/6th grade determines the respective school (usually a maximum of half an hour's walk for the little ones), for important reasons parents can apply for another school, the secondary school can be selected. Visiting + information days usually take place in February before the change in the secondary schools.
Private or state-recognized religious schools can of course also be chosen. In some cases, the children can go to school in another state. In addition, most European schools generally teach at least 2 foreign languages until they graduate. (1st foreign language beginning 3rd / 5th grade; 2nd foreign language beginning 6th / 7th grade)
My husband and I have homeschooled our five and love the friendships we have with our adult children. Yes, homeschool and enjoy life with your children.
It’s funny you say that you’ve encountered many families willing to homeschool. I’ve actually encountered the opposite. So many of my relatives and friends are so tired of their kids and are eager to send them back to school. It’s so sad. It comes across as the parents not enjoying the company of their kids, almost like they don’t like their kids, it’s truly heartbreaking for me to hear parents say they can’t wait for their kids to go back to school.
Much I could say. My wife and I work with youth at our Lutheran church, I even have some college education classes. We do quite well with our daughter. Many other parents probably are not as near equipped. Many are dual income, so finding time is hard. I am designated stay-at-home dad, so I have the time. But even I get a bit tired. Part is I was used to doing many house chores and other things. Harder because kid is at home now during my chores time. Also, need to find social interaction time with other kids. Many preschoolers group together to leverage parental teaching strengths and socialize kids.
And then there is the school. Home instruction means I have to learn the method of THEIR teaching. 4th grade, so not too bad. But depends on what and how the school wants the kids to learn, to pass their testing. On good days we can get it all done in 3 hours in the morning. I think hardest part is for so long parents have not been conditioned to teach their children and we are not used to it. I can see why a lot of parents want to send the kids back to the "professionals".
@@jasonkiefer1894 The first few months are the hardest. Then you settle into a new routine and look back saying "Whu didn't I do this before, it so much better?" I was stay at home mom with five children and homeschooled all. They end up doing part of your chores and some chores together. It's a much better way to raise children, they end up treating you with respect and admiration and none to few teenage problems when puberty comes.
Next school year, ditch the school curriculum and get one from Monarch or someone like that. Stay flexible and reasonable on what time frame you want your children to finish assignments and projects. Don't let the school system (which is wrong and broken) to pressure you and your children into their time frame and testing. They only care about final numbers to report. You actually care that your children learn and retain the knowledge.
I agree, Evelyn. I haven’t met a single parent who has been led to home schooling by this pandemic. In fact, some of the larger families I know have simply given up and are allowing their kids to fail this team if public school. The parents simply aren’t equipped to teach their kids.
That's heartbreaking.
Tbf I like my friends but song always enjoy their company haha
Was homeschooled all my life...so worth it.
I'm a teacher, and truly amazed that you hadn't learned formal logic and reasoning as a primary school student. The first thing that drew me to subscribe and follow was your ability to reason. It was such a breath of fresh air.
You posit an interesting thought about how specialization is better training for the gold. I hadn't considered it that way before. I've seen the hot field change so many times that I've wondered if we're not doing more to create future destitution when it changes again. I came of age when workers had to move across the country to follow the factory work, or else retrain for a different field. I saw students being trained for years for a future in computer programming, only to see the glut of programmers by the time they were graduated from college. Us older educators aren't cynical, we're skeptical. When I started teaching, I was taken aback by my elder fellow teachers who scoffed at my first district curriculum conference, where a new fad was being introduced. The presenter insisted it wasn't just another fad, and the elder teachers snickered. I eagerly worked to implement it, and just when I was confident with it - at the beginning of the 3rd year - we had another curriculum conference with another new fad, same speil. Education planners know it takes a minimum of 3 years to implement a curriculum successfully. The first year is the struggle, the second year is refinement, and the third year is proficiency. I don't know what would happen in the fourth year because I've never seen one. What kills me is that the rationale for change is always "poor test scores." Well duh.
I'm now a proponent of homeschooling. I've always supported it as parental choice, but now think it should be the first choice wherever possible.
Interesting comments. I’m a former teacher, now substitute with 20 years of homemaking in between. I taught at a Catholic school Vat II style. So not great catechesis, but above average academics compared to public schools. My own children went to public school in a conservative school district. Over the years, however, I noticed the liberal creep. Students were being identified using technology, it seemed to me, to pigeonhole them onto a certain path. There’s a major push to go to college at prestigious universities (most kids came home after a semester or are strapped with crazy debt). Most people do jobs that don’t need college degrees at all (although the positions calls for it). In school now, the new thing is just a renamed version of what I learned 30 years ago while in my credential program. Repackaged and revisionist.
My son of 13 hardly acknowledged me in the mornings on weekends. I am always up early - I tested it (maybe it was my imagination) by not greeting him to find he would walk straight past me get his breakfast and walk straight back up to his room without a word or even a nod - Now after weeks of lock down he walks in and holds out his hand to me I go to shake it and he just holds my hand. He lingers stares out the window but regularly looks back at me and engages me in conversation and in silence but sometimes just stands there holding my hand. This is now our routine every morning. We had homeschooled him from when he was 6 till he was 9. I would be in awe of him as he grew - his physicality his musicianship his enthusiasm his kindness his passion for learning. He’s in a good Catholic school now (they are free in England) but Ive struggled to know him - he’s taken on a generic voice that is not his own - he’s been glued to his phone - there’s been a dullness a growing sense of falling behind, of not being good enough. This morning I held the hand of an extraordinary person. I’m in awe of what God can do with a boy. Lord help us help him.
Pray fir him to find a good spouse in the future.
Great thoughts, and timely. I hope we can make homeschooling work when my toddler gets a bit older.
Home school is great if the mother is on the ball. The mother must be dedicated to teaching her children as a full time job, among her other duties. It's a big ask, but that's what is necessary to get a high level education which develops the children's strengths.
Shane Bradman I SO agree! You have to be committed and organized which I am. Not bragging at all...I never planned to homeschool!
This is very true!
I have to agree with what you said, as an italian student, where the school system hasn't significantly changed since the last decades, the education I have been given, although many may say that we study a lot of useless subjects, such as latin or philosophy, really made me a critical thinker: by studying liberal arts, literature, history, etc., you learn to see the world with eyes of other people, question everything and don't take anything for granted. Technical and STEM subjects are undoubtebly useful in the modern world we live in, and, even if this may be controversial, I also think that, to a certain extent, even manual skills are important. I'm saying all of this because, the experiences I had in life made me realize that if you follow just one path you will never develop your true potential in life, and remain closed in your bubble of knowledge and skills, never knowing all the beauty of life outside of it. Also, this type of specialized and technical teaching really dehumanizes people, because they get labeled as a professionist and not a human, they become what they do, nothing more, that's why in countries like China, where people are taught from a very early age that if you don't have a job you are a failure of society, and because of the highly competitive market, in order to be employed in a good position you have to be the best, well, there you won't find anyone who questions the system they are living in, because in China, education serves as a tool to produce as many expert workers as possible, in order to take the most 'gold medals', not critical thinkers, because critical thinkers won't follow your orders, they won't win the gold medals and they will always have a reason behind their actions, they won't give in on what has been told to them is the best solution, answer. Thank you for the video.
As a life long student in catholic schools, this video has expressed much of what I have always known in my heart. Though if I could, and just one thing it would be that schools are factories of misery, and mental illness, everyday many kids turn to pornography, drugs, and vapid social media seeking relief from their unfulfilling routines.
Thank you for yet another great video. And I feel even more happy and lucky to live in a part of Switzerland, where philosophy, 2 foreign languages (as bare minimum), history, but also chemistry, biology etc are compulsory subjects till the age of 20 for every student striving for higher education. And yes, most of our schools were founded by Jesuit fathers, but are now run by the state. The tradition however has remained. The school I teach (Latin, by the way) is still called "Spiritus Sanctus", as in 1662, when it was founded. Continue your great work, dear Brian! God bless!
I homeschooled up until grade 4, when I started public school. I had homeschooled for about 3 or 4 hours a day (or less) for most of that time, but it took four years for the math and science curriculum to catch up to what I had learned (and I was more than prepared for the other subjects as well). I went back to homeschooling for grades 8 and 9, and again learned far more than I had in my years in public or Catholic school.
I am nonetheless extremely glad I was able to go to both public and Catholic schools, because my very introverted self would otherwise never have been able to learn to make friends, speak in public, understand our modern culture well enough to truly engage with it, or learn various valuable social skills--all of which have made it possible for me to go to seminary and not be completely out of my depth.
I'm not saying that you can't learn those as a homeschooler, but it would be very difficult for anyone like me. I have met my share of awkward homeschoolers...there's a reason for the stereotype.
I think some sort of combination is the best way to go. Every child is different and will benefit from different things. The important thing is that the parents remain the primary educators regardless of whether their children are homeschooling or not!
I think homeschool co-ops are a good option for homeschoolers. I personally don't think u need a mix of both homeschool and public school to get social experience. As a homeschooler u just have to seek out activities more. As a homeschooler I was highly involved in many sports, camps, jobs, extracurricular activities and more and I made friends and met people through all of them. Co-ops also gave me experience in a class setting which was good. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. It is different for everyone though so I'm glad u pulled good experiences from both! I agree that some homeschoolers can be awkward, but honestly not as many as you'd think and I think it's beautiful that each person has a unique personality and they don't have to feel the pressure to act like anyone else but themselves.
I’ve seen many homeschoolers that the average person wouldn’t be able to pick out as “awkward,” and I’ve seen awkward homeschoolers, however, I’ve also seen both types in public schools. I think ppl look for the “awkward” homeschooler to match their stereotypical thought pattern they have been taught.Tell someone a lie a thousand times they will believe it over the truth told to them one time.
@@undergrace1808 It's just a stereotype, but stereotypes are usually rooted in truth. There are both types among homeschoolers and among public school kids, but you're more likely to find awkward kids among the former. That being said, I think homeschooling is becoming more popular, which is making it easier for homeschoolers to have wider social networks, which helps kids develop social skills well.
I went to parochial schools on the South Side of Chicago. The education was superior than most public schools K-12 in the surrounding area.
But remember this: my truest formal education came after ... At a public university at the library and office hours.
Once a homeschooled, always a homeschooled!
Very accurate.
I am currently learning philosophy and theology now while my sons are still toddlers so I can homeschool them in a Catholic liberal arts education. So reassuring that I could have confidence and greater knowledge one day.
Preach!! Great thoughts. I would argue that it’s the parents’ role to provide that education no matter what schooling the children are in
Thank you for this! It has given me many insights into our school systems, particularly when comparing American and overseas systems. Australia seems to have the 'clear thinking' humanities/liberal arts segment in its curriculum (at least for those people I've met), which resulted in one Australian woman furious at an American mutual friend, saying "I thought he was an educated person!!" when he gave a typical and glib narrow-focus STEM answer to a moral question... and a common American complaint about our local overseas TV programming, "It presents facts and reports, but it doesn't tell me what I should think".. which leaves other nationalities totally astounded.
The interesting thing is the binary thinking - all one or all the other. Laying down "clear thinking" in primary school, and moving into STEM in secondary or tertiary education, is one solution. .. Public school seems to be best for people who want to develop conformity to a herd mentality and power hierarchy led by a class of elites... and if anything good can be raked from the coals of what will be left after this pandemic, it will be a change either for more homeschooling or a big change in the educational system so that we get better leadership and governance.
I'm not familiar with the Australian schools, but given recent events over the past number of years I have to question whether they actually think critically. Most recently is what was done to Cardinal Pell.
As an Australian, it is very much like the States and UK. Thoroughly indoctrinated by PC Leftists. Even the Catholic schools aren’t Catholic anymore. Switzerland would be the best at the moment as they still have quite the Classical Liberal education.
It is so true that Americans have gotten used to the news programs giving opinion instead of facts and reports. I sure miss those days when our newscasters reported on the news and kept their opinions to themselves. When I started noticing more opinions being given I thought something was way off. It would have been different, perhaps, if they had a special opinions section to their newscasts - like Andy Rooney at the end of 60 Minutes. I don't need nor do I want to be told what to think. Just present the facts and leave the rest. It is very disheartening that so many people, at least in America, expect now to be told what is the "right way" to think.
Brian, may i say that you appear to understand the abstract, and in this way you are clearly intellectual. How could any of your teachers fail to notice? God bless, and continue with the excellent output. ☘☘☘ Pax Christi.
As a former homeschool student, married to a homeschooled student, homeschooling our children, no one can say I don’t embrace homeschooling! However, the liberal arts as the highest education? I think basics should be covered of Philosophy, Religion, Ethics etc... but in an age where it is already difficult for a family to be raised on one income, I think it is more important to balance liberal arts with a more career focused education, especially for young men hoping to be married and raising a family.
Thanks so much for this video, I'm praying more families step up and take the challenge. We follow the classical style as well.
I love the music in your videos. It's so beautiful
What an important video Brian...I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your videos. But this one in particular hit me as one that could make a difference in so many lives. I will share this with my friends who are parents of young children, especially Catholic parents. What a difference this could have made in my life had I known to go this route early on.😉
I did great academically reached a PhD. Never had a problem with logic and critical thinking since small but have always been bullied primary and high school by peers and teachers even some professors because they want you to fill boxes with exact words no thinking outside the box. One way to go is adapt make them happy with what they want and think for yourself what you want, because there isn’t discussion with those people as they will make your life miserable as they can, mark you lower and get your grades down and the ones higher of them will shield them. there’s a problem people in positions don’t like thinkers and don’t want to employ them as they feel scared of them but rather having yes sayers around them. I don’t see how you can change that with homeschooling it’s always gonna be the same situation later on. You can educate your little thinker next to existing public school.
Amen, some of these professors and teachers "can no longer see the sun" and you have to appease them to a certain degree in order to get ahead. The whole academic system, especially outside of stem, consists of theories and their greatest fear is that someone else would come up with a better theory thus making their research fall into oblivion. The problem emerges when those who judge new theories created the old ones, they lack incentive to recognize new ideas since it would make their own ideas passé.
7:35 That was Winston Churchill.
Awesome, now watch Europa - The Last Battle
Apparently not.. winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-141/red-herrings-famous-quotes-churchill-never-said/
Homeschooling is a very cool idea. Only major flaw I have seen: most homeschoolers I know were not socialized very well. They had trouble fitting in and came off as slightly “not normal”. Just something to focus on if you go that route. :)
I would counter with two questions:
1. How do you know what you're defining as "socialized very well" is a good thing?
2. How do you know that something true to "most homeschoolers I know" is true to any homeschoolers other than the ones you know?
With regards to #1, I totally agree that we homeschoolers can come off as somewhat abnormal, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. While a homeschooled kid won't be with people of their own age and education level for 30 hours a week like one in a "normal" school system, that is by no means a guarantee that they won't "be socialised". The end result in my experience is that homeschooled kids are frequently better at interacting with those in different stages of life than their own.
I agree that there is a greater risk of a child not turning out the way their parents or society want/expect them to when homeschooling, but I firmly believe that if a parent is intentional about how they go about raising their homeschooled kids, it's worth the risk.
Should they be normal? Normal is fucked up.
It's interesting to know that your grades were mediocre yet you seem to be highly intelligent when you express your views!
My grades have been somewhat high (always top 5-3%) but I'm sure that I'm only book-smart and not street-smart. I'm good at examining test question styles and would only study based on the pattern, and it works 99% of the time. However, the one subject I struggle with is General Paper - my country's version of English/Critical thinking fusion. I've never been very good at written words though I've been told that I'm good at public speaking (given that I have some time to plan beforehand). I'm terrible at debates as well since I don't take extreme views very well. I think that's why I'm drawn to your channel so well; because you are good at the thing I'm the worst in! Haha!
This remind me of my undergrad. I have a degree in philosophy, and it's hard to apply it directly and not be ashamed saying what you went to school for. Though, I fully agree that it brought more logical and clear thinking. I really believe that is worth while and definitely freeing. Great video, homeschooling is looking more and more of a better option.
Great video. Keep them coming!👍👏I enjoy listening to your thoughts on various topics.
Dude this was awesome. Thanks for the content.
9:48 that's so true! I always hated (and still hate) memorizing things. That's not what learning is all about. Learning is about exploring the connections between different concepts, and the patterns of thought that lead to solutions.
I've heard it so many times but have never realised I should ask. The intro music - what's the title? It's beautiful!
Thank you Brian. Food for thought. My worry is that not all parents have the resources to be able to effectively home school children.
Great content. I am trying to figure out if there is a way to homeschool my kids for these very reasons you have brought up here.
Honestly, I have never agreed more with you! As a fellow Catholic convert I have found philosophy and critical thinking as a foundation that is largely ignored in public schools. I don’t know why I am being forced to take Chemistry, a class that I will never use and don’t find at all interesting.
I went to a private Christian school (not Catholic) till 6th grade then attended public school from 7th grade on. In light of today's environment (minus the covid of course) if were to marry and have kids I would seriously consider homeschool. Part of me would enjoy coming up with curriculums, but I don't doubt it would be hard work...especially for subjects I do not enjoy as much...like math.
Totally agree in this point 😊😊💓
Based video. Thank you Brian! Watching you from Romania.
Retired homeschool mom... so glad we did. Certainly more necessary now. No regrets.
Fascinating video. I enjoy your content endlessly.
I, for one, have always felt that it is a shame I never received a classical education. If anyone has advice for an online recourse for adults, I would very much appreciate it!
Home schooling asserts the basic human right of parents not to be indoctrinated in the state's values. Given that state schools fail to protect children against bullying and disruption of lessons by fellow classmates, it is a right that should be asserted world wide. Home schooling is forbidden in several European countries, and the right was recently rejected by the so called European Court of Human Rights. In liberal Sweden the rabbi in Gothenburg was hit with a whopping fine for the crime of educating his own children instead of sending them to be bullied by anti semitic classmates and having their heads filled with up with the fashionable atheism.
Omg you just save my proyect
This is an insightful video. I wish I were more perceptive to the idea a liberal arts in high school. I'll soon be starting my undergraduate studies in Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at BYU, then for my Graduate studies in Linguistics.
Could the lack of liberal arts education also be pushing the suicide rates higher??? I love what you said at the end, liberal arts help us judge if the gold in our lives brings us joy or makes us happy.
Brian: you're right on target! Great video, thank-you! Sharing this one.
I'm about to become a math teacher and I agree with you.
A very articulate presentation. I’m interested in learning more about persuasive dialogue and rhetoric. Anyone know any good resources to take a first step?
Hi Brian, thanks again for another informative video. I was wanting to know if you have read the book called the Warning by Christine Watkins? This book is about the Illumination of Conscience. It is a brilliant book and has numerous testimonies within. Christine also has some Utube videos talking about her book. I would really like to hear your perspective on this.
If home schooling was legal I would consider it. Unfortunately it isn't.
It is legal in all 50 states
@@darbuck7577 She's in the Netherlands, it is illegal there.
However, Socrates would want you to be wary of "sophistry," which is persuasive versus convincing a person of the logic of your argument. Also, I would offer this, in the ancient world a "liberal art" was what a free man would study rather than the specialized training of an artisan, or craftsman; or worse, a slave.
Give me a balanced life with human thriving! This is why I have homeschooled for the past 13 years.
NICE TAKE@
So True
I encourage anyone who can to homeschool. It's a sacrifice, but well worth it. My wife and I homeschooled our five children K-12 using Catholic curricula. They are all grown now and doing very well, both financially and spiritually, especially considering the rate at which young Catholics abandon their faith.
Do you have any good book recommendations to further classical studies?
You would make a great engineer. Very logical.
I must confess that I find the Olympic athlete analogy to be interesting but imperfect. I have found that those who have the essential tools that a liberal arts education provides them tend to excel far more at the specialized careers than those who take a more myopic approach favored in public education
Brian Holdsworth this was inCREDIBLE!! This helps put the finger on why I may have never got along with the public high school system. Learning more about the liberal arts path from you has made me wish I had more of an education in that regard, but also makes me look forward to the choices I have for my (potential) future family:)
I do have a question: if the ideal society was that most people got a liberal arts education growing up, what would the careers look like? Not as high paying jobs but more priceless ones that instill good morals/values? How would people make their living? Would this effect communities (I bet) and how people live?
Thanks, as always, for all these wonderful videos you post.
God Bless,
Sophie
I highly recommend you read “a Thomas Jefferson education for teens”
Something I never, ever see mentioned is... what if the parents can't teach a subject and won't get any tutors or anything to help their kid? What are they supposed to do? Because that happened to me. Parents who put off doing their responsibilities as teachers, one that *they* undertook themselves, they weren't forced to homeschool. The stress and anxiety from having to teach myself algebra for the past 4 years has been insane. On top of all the loneliness from never getting out of the house and interacting with peers. If it wasn't for the internet I would have literally been out of luck and would have dropped out.
I have learned nothing in high school. Nothing. Because the idea that was drilled into my head since 4th grade was just do your quarterly exams after you've read as far as you need. Don't remember the things needed on the exam? Welp, just look it up in the book! Everything is open book! It doesn't say it's *not* open book anywhere...! Heck, even my religious studies were entirely on my own. By some miracle I remained Catholic, but man...
I was entirely forgotten about because my mom was off teaching my younger siblings or was babysitting my niece. So no, I don't trust homeschooling because kids in my situation will always slip through the cracks. You always hear the success stories, but never the ones where the kid's education was put off, forgotten about, and neglected. Unless you are 100% going to put in the effort of teaching your kids and giving them everything they'll need... no, random people should not be homeschooling.
Wow I'm so sorry for your experience! I let my sons go to High School if they wanted for social reasons. ALL of us need to socialize and ESPECIALLY teens. It's a huge, huge blindspot for parents in this homeschooling conversation. I'm so sorry you had no voice in this and whose voice is more important than yours?! Homeschooling is very isolating and more reactive than proactive to the liberal indoctrination in public schools. My son (who went to public HS) experienced indoctrination in High School in California but he had his foundation of Catholicism and he wasn't an idiot, frankly. I trusted him and didn't isolate him. I thought it was cruel to force homeschooling. One son chose it but the other didn't. The other son had a job as a social outlet to meet kids his age. Thank you for your voice in this!
@@eileen1820 See, I think you're going about it the right way. Not forced, trusting them to handle themselves, and making sure they're socialized. I trust people like you that try to make the effort. Good on you for that, haha.
And thanks. Finally nearing the end. By this time next year I'll be done. God's help was the only way I managed this, aha!
@@rocket-propelledgecko4976 that's so nice of you to say but I also failed my youngest son with math because I am a big dummy at math and really minimized lessons in it as a result. He was poorly prepared for when he went to public high school so I am part of the problem too. I failed him and apologized to him for it. Frankly I think I got away with a lot bc he's naturally very bright. I had it easy and took advantage of that; not maliciously but nonetheless I did. I think anytime one revolts... as many Catholic and Conservative parents did against public school education, elements of disorganization and pride are there on some level and that leads to chaos. Some public educators are a problem for sure but better to meet the [potential] enemy early to understand it and learn how to fight it bc one cannot stay sequestered for life. A Catholic Faith properly studied and understood is really all the armor a young man needs. Sorry for loooooong reply! I talked with my 17 year old about this bc of your comments and he reallly, really related!
Great man.... you discuss greatly can I suggest you some videos
Could you share which curriculum you/your wife uses for homeschooling?
What's the name / author of the song you use for your introduction?
As I got into my late 20s and early 30s, I was somewhat accidentally exposed to great thought that I should have been exposed to at least a decade earlier. Then TH-cam decided that an algorithm which allowed for voices like that to get out was not a worthwhile thing and destroyed it. I am incredibly grateful to have been there when it was around however. I was in a particularly self destructive stage in no small part due to the garbage that was beginning to be spread and infiltrate too many places.
What I learned was how abysmal my education had been. I had disliked literature and Shakespeare mostly because my teachers were fools and modernists who themselves did not understand why they had to teach the few classics still required them. I had disliked history because my teachers did not know the importance of what they had in their books. I now love both of those things moreso than almost anything else because I understand the importance and I can see how it all comes together. I also did not see the point to being proficient at writing then and have gained an incredible appreciation for it since then. There is a large part of me which is incredibly irritated that this is what I had to deal with through school. I work in a school with kids who only minimally access the gen-ed classroom now and even looking down the hall every so often only serves to solidify the fact that public education is an absolute sprawl of grotesque filth now.
Incidentally, finding my way to what is functionally liberal arts also lead me back to faith and eventually to the TLM. There are so many ways that removing us from the basics of thought are destroying us. Our system of voting in the US at least is based on the idea that those who vote will be liberally educated and be able to make informed and intelligent decisions which clearly is not the case anymore and probably why we are where we are. It's no wonder then that the idea of "liberal arts" is so destroyed by what the radicals have done to it so that even many conservatives fight for the "just teach to get a job" mentality. As someone who works with kids who may or may not ever be able to tie their own shoes, I should also say that not everyone will be able to engage with a true liberal arts curriculum and therefore it's important to be realistic and allow for those who would be content in a labor position to have it, but it's also worth noting that even the most delayed can access some thought if they are properly introduced to it.
I wonder what a statistical study would say regarding families that have built generational wealth. Would those families show a trend towards holistic education or a trend towards specific specialties. I wager, families showing a trend towards holistic education generate greater lasting wealth than those containing specialized individuals.
Would love to hear about what you are using at home with your kids as far as curriculum is concerned.
Almost all the great mathematicians during 1500-1800, such as Descartes, Pascal, Liebniz, and Euler were also philosophers and theologians. The list just keeps going on. I think that is important to mention
Hi Brian can you make a video on homeschooling and go into more detail on publically funded Catholic schools in Ontario.
one problem with homeschooling is group think and not exposing your children to alternative ways of thinking besides familial world views.
I actually found the opposite growing up as a home schooled student. Our parents, and those in our community, were very diligent in grounding us is critical thinking and providing reasons for what they believed (with the obvious hope we'd adopt similar beliefs) but also in exposing us to other worldviews and how to compare the validity of truth claims.
There are around seven different approaches to home schooling. Most homeschoolers use the 'Classical' or 'Classical Christian' which I think what this video's approach is promoting.
The different approaches are outlined here.. thebestschools.org/magazine/homeschool-style-right/
Can you suggest a good liberal arts book for a newbie reader? I'm turning 19 soon just as an age reference. I barely read books at all since I'm more attracted to graphic media. But I'm willing to learn more! The concept of liberal arts really intrigues me!
Here are some recommendations on books if you wish to start building a good library burrowshirepodcast.com/library/
@@monicao7344 Thank you!
My friend, the Holy Spirit showed you the way . Nothing happens if not by the will of The Father . What sometimes feels as chance , is only obtained by a PUSH in the right direction. Be well, PEACE
May you please do a video about what one can read unorder to follow the path of the liberal arts. Perhaps the books or the system you used on your path?
Here are some lists if you wish to get started burrowshirepodcast.com/library/
I think traditional Catholic schools like the ones the SSPX provides would be the best-case scenario, but if one of those don't exist near you I would definitely go with homeschooling
Im blessed to be near one. Seriously thinking about it.
I disagree. The SSPX uses faulty reasoning for why they're legit with the Church when they refuse to practice obedience. They say they are "under the pope," but they decide what to disobey. They give clever reasoning, but it's only fancy footwork. They claim they have canonical status within the Church, but that's not what the Vatican documents say. Again, SSPX explains that away with clever reasoning. And I'd be extremely wary of allowing my children or grandchildren under their influence because they've got an ongoing sex abuse scandal happening, which Church Militant recently reported on. Worst of all are the reactions from SSPX supporters when anything less than praise is suggested about the Society. It's so hateful that no fruit of the Holy Spirit is detected.
@@kimfleury He said SSPX schools, not the schismatic sect. It's a big improvement over public schools and the standard private school.
@@kimfleury +Shane Bradman Please ignore the social media debates that have been going on recently. It's brought out the worst in all sides. Social media isn't real and is toxic. SSPX does not claim they have canonical status within the Church other than the canonical right for priests to organize themselves. That's how the Franciscans started. But they have been granted faculties by the Supreme Pontiff and by local bishops. Schismatics cannot receive faculties. Nor do schismatics obey Church teaching on everything which the SSPX certainly does. The Vatican documents also say you can attend an SSPX mass to fulfill your obligation, which you can't with schismatics. And the Vatican has allowed retired bishops to live with the SSPX. You really shouldn't be trusting Church Militant on anything as they have a history of lying and being uncharitable especially with priests and bishops. For example, the name-calling of people like Bishop Barron who I disagree with on many things. Some of the older things in there are definitely worth looking at, and the SSPX is taking the time to do so, but to be honest, that's between the SSPX and the government, it's not the laypeople's business to get involved, as we can easily fall into detraction and slander! Imagine if we lost our souls over something that was none of our business!
I am sorry KA that you experienced that with supporters of the SSPX and I will agree with you, I've seen it too, but I will say a few things, that firstly the SSPX is not made up of any laypeople like Opus Dei. It's made up of priests and bishops. The laypeople are angry, just like everyone in the Church but I can personally say I've never met people nicer since I switched to attending the SSPX. This might have to do with how the SSPX priests usually advise people to stay off toxic social media and so the people who don't likely aren't getting serious spiritual direction. SSPX priests aren't even allowed on social media. There is a very small group of people who just want to complain about everyone who the priests at the SSPX parishes that priests are constantly trying to root out since they give us a bad name (Those are the types that claim outside of the SSPX there is not salvation which the SSPX does *not* support) Most SSPX laity just want to promote Catholic charity and tradition. Usually by ignoring social media like Twitter. And we do this by cooperating with other groups! I love the FSSP and ICKSP too! I can also say that groups like Church Militant and the FSSP also show the same signs of anger and hatred from the laity at times, but that doesn't disprove their causes. The truth is that humanity and general have been denying the Holy Spirit lately. Everywhere else in my diocese the priests have terrible liturgies, will change the words of absolution and invalidate the confessions, hold ecumenical services and lie about Church teaching. If I want to be Catholic the SSPX is all I got.
If you want to give this group of priests a fair shot (With no propaganda from either side) I would suggest watching this podcast by Reason and Theology with an SSPX priest where the pro and anti-SSPX positions are addressed. Even the very point about obedience that you brought up! th-cam.com/video/S-zHfqCaS28/w-d-xo.html I would also suggest reading Fr. Z's blog post (Who I think everyone loves?) on the SSPX that he made a few weeks ago. wdtprs.com/2020/04/ask-father-whats-the-truth-about-the-sspx/
God bless you both, stay safe!
I wonder how much confirmation bias influenced the people who home school or were home schooled to positively comment on this video. Is there a way to quantify confirmation bias?
You definitely forgot to mention the importance STEM field but still make good points
The option not discussed here is independent private schools.
This is the best solution if patents can afford it.
Depending on the school and it’s curriculum - the child gets challenging academic environment with mix of classical and STEM and they don’t put up with discipline issues.
Hope you see this comment: Which homeschooling program does your family use/recommend? We live in Canada as well, by the way. It's a bit intimidating to get started with the Classical Curriculum. Not sure they are all created equal...
We mix and match, but the spine of it is Classically Catholic Memory.
@@BrianHoldsworth thank you for the reply. Btw. Since we found out about the TLM in Edmonton and that you and Dr Ryan Topping go there we have looked into moving there.
I don’t go to school at home or in public school I go to private school
@8:50 -- you're talking about CrossFit athletes haha!
Hey Brian, I think you have a highly interesting viewpoint but I would say you went too extreme on one side. Like you said specialisation and generalisation have the tradeoffs between efficiency and a holistic human development but it's much deeper than that. Electric circuits are divided so that if one goes the other doesn't, at the cost of more wires, body organs are made of specialised cells, and our brain requires a good balance between specialisation and generalisation to be healthy. A balance is necessary, neither extreme is good. Through generalisation you become a whole person, but through specialisation you get to participate in something greater than yourself.
Homeschooling can be good if done right
Hi Brian, what resources or programs you are using to educate your kids?
Yes, which?
Following?
Good video. The title is a little misleading... modern education vs classical education might be more apt.
"But they won't win any gold medals."
I don't think I agree. Being able to navigate complex topics truthfully is applicable to any domain, and can be taught from a young age. It could be taught in tandem or before children are developed enough to tackle STEM, and I would go so far as to say is a prerequisite to real engagement with STEM.
I would use the analogy of mixed martial arts. Bringing together various fighting schools has made people more competitive. Many gold medals have been won because of the synthesis of specializations.
My kids go to the nyc public school and decided to pull them out and put in Catholic for September. But now I’m second guessing myself with the catholic schools because not orthodox here on nyc. I have been doing homeschooling because of lockdown but it’s been so difficult with 3 young children. I don’t think I can do this long term. I wish I could but it’s very stressful
Find a good online program. This has helped me.
I'd prefer private school anyday over home schooling for my future kids. Nothing wrong with home school, but not growing up with people your age can be a little harsh just knowing and being family with home school kids who all grew up to be very good and smart people but also very awkward.
Growing up public school, and seeing how worse it gotten especially in highschool between 2013-2017 (big cultural shift in that time-period) I got to say public school is off the table.
How bad the lessons become, how disruptive the demographical culture shifted to thugish behavior, narcissism in women, and the teachers turning into enforcement arms of the school system rather than teachers.
in my Catholic school they actually try to teach us this way!
Homeschooling is the way to go if you don't want your child raised by the government, with immortal ideals. With all this pandemic going on and more families decided to school from home I would hope that our culture would become more homeschool friendly, especially economically, because it's hard to raise a family on one income because one parent has to stay home and school the children.
Please check out James White
✍️
I'm a home schooled and it's legit
Excellent video. I wish I could have the time to homeschool, specially with the Catholic schools abandoning the truth of the gospel and immersing our kids on a forced I & D ideology. Do you have resources or material you can direct me to, so I can teach my children critical thinking ?
I believe it is admirable to see people want their children to live good lives and be willing to put forth the effort to do so.
I also believe it is ignorant to assume one would make a better teacher than the professionals in public schools.
If you feel what is being taught lacks context or width, provide that width in your child's free time.
To strip children of the opportunity to leave their home and observe new things fosters weakness (which by some here is mistaken for humility) and as much as you may think you can reproduce the social settings a public school gives, the limitations of your own social group isolate your child from the rest of the world.
Brian you yourself acknowledge that your life was bettered by the opportunity to embrace catholicism. What if there are other ideas out there in the world that your children will miss because of your decision.
I believe this is a bad idea
He's not arguing to "strip children of the opportunity to leave their home and observe new things"
@@markpugner9716 this is a two year old comment and you cherry picked a singular idea out of context that was argued for by the entire text above why are christians like this go read your book
@@angrymurloc7626 > this is a two year old comment
It sure is! Congrats?
> you cherry picked a singular idea out of context
Yes, I did. I don't see how the context makes my point invalid.
> why are christians like this
I don't know, but I'm not sure if their religious opinions/practices
> go read your book
K.
The gymnastics team that specializes may win individual events, but they won't win the team competition. The team competition requires a level of proficiency in every event from every member of the team. Similarly, a specialized work force does not create long-lasting economic prosperity for the individual or the society as a whole. Individuals who are independent thinkers and learners will be able to fit themselves into new niches rather than being useless old cogs. They will find common ground with almost any person, no matter how diverse their backgrounds. That's not trifling dinner conversation but good relationship building.
7:30 It's Winston Churchill. Brian, you're my friend, just Google it.
Perhaps it doesn't have to be be a binary choice. For families where both parents work or there is only one parent, let the kids go to school for the "day care" and social interaction. But set aside time in the evenings to debrief and course correct. You, yourself provide the office hours for your kids.
The US is huge with a large variance in school quality so I don't know how you can say that homeschool is the only place you can get a liberal arts education. I had great AP teachers in High School that taught me a lot. Also sadly as you can see in your own comments people get involved in the home school movement NOT to teach them more things but to teach them less. Your own comments speak of "liberal brainwashing" and "vile ideas" but the specifics of these ideas are conspicuously absent. Almost like the people making these posts are being deliberately vague. On other websites I have seen homeschool parents say they oppose the liberal arts simple due to the word "liberal" and not wanting their kids exposed to "liberalism". Plenty of people have had terrible experience with homeschool. Look up homeschool recovery on reddit where people talked about being so miserable and lonely due to homeschool that that sat and talked to their TV for company and their parents "education" consisted of talking about how everyone in the world including their nextdoor neighbors were pure evil.
Zaytuna College is one of the best liberal art colleges in USA.
I never thought about the liberal arts in that way. Very interesting.
The University of Dallas provides a liberal arts education.