Another Good Reason to Homeschool: Teachers Permit ‘F-word’ in Class
By David M. Bresnahan (09/13/05)
Public schools continue to deteriorate at a rapid pace, and an equally rapid growth of children being educated outside the public schools is a good indicator that parents are not happy.
At the start of the current school year the Daily Mail, a newspaper in the U.K., came out with a story about high school students who have been given permission to use any foul language they wish in school, including the “f-word.”
The Weavers School in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire has informed students that they may use expletives up to five times per class. The Daily Mail story “You can use the f-word in class (but only five times)” is a sad commentary on the deterioration of our society (see story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=360685&in_page_id=1770).
The school principal, or headmaster, Alan Large was quoted as saying: “The reality is that the f-word is part of these young adults’ everyday language.”
He told the media that this policy is intended to teach the children. I am having a great deal of difficulty understanding his logic.
When I tell people that I homeschool my children, the most common question I get is: “What about social interaction?”
My children do not need that kind of social interaction. The amount of vulgarity going on in public schools is at an all-time high. Placing my children in such an environment is no different than allowing someone to throw a bucket of garbage at them repeatedly throughout the day.
My kids know about bad language, and they have heard it. Keeping them from that environment does not harm them. It helps them to see that they can live their life without resorting to such a poor means of communication.
My wife and I took both my 10-year-old and 12-year-old boys to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox defeat the White Sox a few weeks ago in celebration their birthdays. I was really pleased to see that there were signs and announcements made over the public address system regarding the family-friendly policy of the park.
There is no smoking and no vulgar language allowed at the ballpark. If we can have that sort of policy at a sports facility, why on earth would a school tolerate bad language there? Because kids swear? That makes no sense. Spectators at ballparks swear, but Fenway has successfully put a stop to that and it seems to me that the ballpark is a better place because of it. The fans seemed to be having a pretty good time the day we were there.
The only way schools can improve the behavior of the children entrusted to them is to raise their standards, not lower them. It is not surprising that homeschoolers and those in private schools continue to increase in numbers.
David M. Bresnahan is an independent journalist and public relations consultant. He is the author of a number of books, including “911 Terror in America,” and maintains a web site at http:// www.ThatPRGuy.com/
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