My Kid Set Fire to His School

A conversation with @binkyprod earlier made me realize just how poor the education system has become.

Children are not taught to think creatively and critically in schools. Sure, when they go on to University they get a crash course on the process, but by then it's a struggle because they have a decade of years under their belt which only served to teach them how to be stellar test takers and sheeple- ahem, followers.

My middle son does not school well. At all. In fact, he tried to burn down his elementary.

When the Fire Chief asked him why he set fire to the school, he replied in all his honest 8 year old glory, "Because the teachers don't care about us here. If the school burned down then everyone would have to go to schools with teachers who want them to do good in life."

My son was not charged. I don't know if it was the honesty or subsequent investigation into the admin and teachers, but I did not ask- I felt it best to just accept this blessing!

This incident was the icing to the cake of my decision to homeschool.

I began homeschooling just this one boy so as not to overwhelm myself, but within a few years all three of my boys were learning at home. I personally learned so much from homeschooling, mostly about the poor quality of the US public school system.

Homeschooling is so much more than sitting at the desk and reading and exams. One thing I implemented was a critical thinking exercise during dinner.

Their favorite was the riddles. I would read a riddle and they would discuss and solve. The boys enjoyed this so much that a couple years ago when life got hectic for a while and we didn't share mealtimes, they adamantly voiced severe displeasure. They truly missed the dinnertime riddles and critical thinking activities, so until we could align our schedules again we found moments to implement exercises throughout the week.

Critical thinking is imperative for neural brain pathway formations; aka critical thinking is necessary for brain growth. Mental deterioration begins to occur when we stop creating new pathways when we stop learning and thinking creatively.

Don't let your son set fire to his school. Activate his brain today.