Hello C3 Family!

Weekly Rant - Revamping our Education System

I always want to make clear before I rant on the education system that I have no ill will towards all the great teachers and school administrators out there doing good work. But the system is beyond broken, it has been decimated by a nuclear bomb.

In fact, one of the 3 ministries (Outside of C3) I work for is a K-8th Catholic school run by some amazing Dominican nuns. I am the finance manager for this school and though it is not without flaws, it is one of the best in my area of Pennsylvania. However, if I was made education king in the US. Even my school I work for would not be in my ideal plan.

I probably do not have to spend any time convincing my readers that the public school system is a failed endeavor here in the states. Nor would I need to spend any time convincing you that our colleges and universities are less than ideal. But take a look at some of the stats below so we can all paint the picture in our heads.

• In 2023, 66% of 12th graders were rated "basic" or "below basic" in reading achievement. "Basic" reading levels means that the reader can read the words off the page and identify basic meanings from the text. The standard is low and we do not meet it!!
• In 1992, 80% of 12th graders read at or ABOVE the "Basic" reading level. In 30 years, we went from almost 50% reading above the basic level to almost 50% reading below the basic level.
• From 2006 to 2016 both Math and Reading scores on the SAT have dropped by an average of 10pts.
• According to the education research group PISA as of 2022 the US ranked 6th in reading, 10th in science, and 26th in Math in the world. Given that we are by far the most affluent country in the world, these numbers are pitiful.

Now, I personally do not care too much about standardized tests or world rankings, but they at least provide context for what the education system is trying to, and failing to, pull-off. And here is the rub...We teach our kids, you know those rambunctious little humans who want to play all day and ask questions, to pass a test and we do not teach them how to think.

What then should we do differently? Let's lay it out very simply and radically.

1. Get rid of public schools and the taxes we take to fund them. I know, now parents won't have a babysitter for their kids during the day, but hey the bulk of your taxes just went away, and private businesses are going to spring up and probably charge less than current day cares do now since gov inflation causing activity has been removed from the equation...so you're welcome!
2. The homeschooling revolution begins! Lots of learning pains, but God willing it will be for the best for both children academically and educators financially.
3. Private coaches come out of the woodwork that you can hire to teach your kids' reading, math and science. Now your kid learns in 1-on-1 or small group settings for a few hours a week instead of being chained to a desk with 30 other kids and one overworked teacher for 30+ hrs. a week. Your income is not taxed for education, teachers make more money charging parents directly for their services and our kids don't have to practice the cruel and unnecessary skill of sitting still for 6 hours a day
4. Apply these same concepts to the College level. And force potential students to pass an entrance exam.
5. Allow professors to teach independently unattached to a college or university. The professor certifies that a student completed their course. I wrote about this twice already. My first article on independent educators can be found HERE and the second article detailing how Dr. Jordan Peterson is fighting back against the university monopoly is HERE.

If you want your kids to perform at their best academically, then the steps are simple, and research proven. 

1. Let the child know they are loved by you, others and ultimately God, no matter their performance.
2. Allow the child to engage in play (not involving a screen) both by themselves and with other children their age as much as possible. This goes for all ages of childhood right up to their late teens.
3. Read to your child or get your child to read by themselves for 30 minutes per day. Make sure it is quality literature that is age appropriate of course. 
4. Do not solve every problem for the child. Let them develop their own problem-solving skills.
   1. SIDE NOTE: Basic math should be taught so that the child can do simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in their head.
5. All other academic endeavors will be pursued based on the child's own interest. We must teach the child how to work for things, but if you cultivate a love for learning then they will naturally become proficient in the things that interest them through proper guidance. Human beings, especially young ones are naturally curious about the world around them. Our job is not to force feed them knowledge but foster their natural curiosity into things that will lead them to the good, true and beautiful.

This whole rant can be summed up in the following sentence. Love your kids, read to your kids, and allow them to learn on their own without chaining them to a desk for 6 hours a day.

Top Stories

• The stock market is not fazed by political ads as political uncertainty has translated to six consecutive weeks of stock market gains. Nuclear Energy has been a huge driving force after several Big Tech companies announced investments into nuclear Energy. The recent slate of earnings reports does have investors a bit on edge though. look for drops in the major indexes today and tomorrow.

• Ohio is attracting a lot of business growth thanks to its JOBSOHIO campaign. JOBSOHIO is a private economic development corporation offering incentives to 10 growth industries.

• Elon Musk handing out $1M checks to swing state voters who sign a petition supporting First and Second Amendments every day through the election has election law experts puzzled. It is split about 50/50 as to whether or not this is legal. 

• Testing Embryos for higher IQ potential is a service that Heliospect Genomics is offering and it cost $50,000 to test 100 embryos. Scientists say that the testing is unreliable, but the real questions concerning many is the "is it ethical to choose who lives and dies based on IQ potential?" question. Of course, my very high IQ readers will know the answer....NO

• In terms of macroeconomics the US is doing pretty well. The US makes up 50% of the GDP of the G7 (the wealthiest nations on the planet) and our poorest state, Mississippi has higher average wages than that of Germany, Canada, and Britian. Inflation is a still a major problem and the US is home to people like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk who bring up the averages for America. Also comparing the US (pop. 335M) to Germany (pop. 82M) or Britian (pop 68mil) is not exactly comparing apples to apples.

• Mortgage rates seem to be ticking back up. They are currently at 6.44%. Houses are remaining expensive even though supply and demand laws dictate that prices should be going down. Hurricanes, election uncertainty, and overall inflation are the culprits to blame.

• China and the Vatican are extending their agreement with each other to appoint Catholic Bishops in the communist country for another 4 years. Tensions between China and Christian churches have been tense and many Catholic priests and bishops have been monitored, arrested, and detained by the CCP. Yet, the simple fact that China is willing to negotiate in any way with the Catholic church is a good sign. The CCP is struggling economically and has lightened the communist red tape on everything from housing to infrastructure building in recent months. It would seem that taking more steps to suppress religion would just not be where the focus of China can be placed right now. The US will most likely be putting even more chip restrictions on China, no matter who wins the whitehouse in NOV. 

• The Biden Administration is planning on mandating insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraception. Federal Law promoting the culture of death and driving up the costs of healthcare across the board. What could go wrong?

• Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO and owner of the LA Clippers, is launching a bi-partisan venture called USA Facts where there will be supposedly no political leanings just facts presented so the American people can be the fact checkers on Politian's. many people on both sides of the aisle are skeptical, but the first video by USA Facts discussing Immigration is worth a watch. The Big problem is that USA Facts still rely on the US government to provide the statistics.