Before I discuss schools, let’s cover some “‘”forbidden topics.”
I have a good family culture, one worth defending. I want my kids to be supported in choosing that. Further, I want my kids to remain children for a good while. I don’t want them to be confronted with adult decisions about sexuality, pornography, life-changing friends or situations. In short, I want them to first learn to resist the false promises of a noisy world that will draw them away from the peace, joy, satisfaction, and ultimate purpose that I have in my life.
Now, what can I say about schools?
School and educational success is a direct reflection of how fully teachers support or elevate your family culture and educational values.
The harder your school fights your families values, whether they be educational, discipline or religious, the worse the education will be for your child.
If your children have a consistent message from you, from teachers, from the discipline/respect structure of the school and from their friends, the greater the chance that your children will know what you believe, why, and how important it is to a life well-lived.
I have six graduates from Holy Rosary Academy. I have three children who will soon be in the 4th, 9th and 12th grades. When you talk with my kids, you will recognize a part of me in all of them. They are all different, but healthy, happy, productive, unconfused thinkers and believers.
For my children’s education, you could say I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. I have done my part for my children by first living a vibrant faith, and also sacrificing my time, treasure and talent to their school that has ever been my partner in raising children who know me, who I know, and who, most importantly, know themselves.
Tempus Fugit. Choose your school wisely.
Glen Biegel is a technology security professional, Catholic father of nine, husband to a saint, and politically active conservative.
Dave reminds me a lot of Matt Walsh. I mean that as a compliment.
I mean Glen.
“I know you’re the real author of the Cox Report!”
The most ironic article ever published by this outlet.
You got that right because they are after the children and they will take them from you for life.
Glen is a true example of what good parenting means. If many other parents followed his example, then children would be better citizens regardless of the chosen school-public, private or religious. Thanks Glen and your “saintly” bride for raising good citizens.
This article seems as self evident as the sun rising in the morning. But these truths do bear a fair amount of repetition. My wife and I looked out into this landscape in 2002 when our oldest was to go to school, and decided to homeschool all.our children through the 8th grade. After 8th grade we and our child would talk about high school options. Of our three only one decided to go to a trade school, the other two stayed homeschooled. We finished homeschooling in 2018 with well educated, well rounded sons. Zero regrets. If you give your children to a government school you are relying on your enemy to indoctrinate your children to their ideology. They will not be properly educated. It is a form of neglect on your part and is abuse.
micah6v8, I heartily commend you for uttering such unadulterated truth. We are in short supply of that these days.
I had a great Catholic education also, my parochial school friends are still my best friends after 40 years in Alaska. What Mr Biegel does not want to understand is that bodies start changing before adulthood and 6 out of 10 LBTQ Youth do not trust their parents to talk about their sexuality
That is due to the public school indoctrination, the “educators” and school staff get our kids to not trust US!
Transgender kids start talking about their sexuality preschool at about 4 years of age in many cases
Groomer much?
It is not the role of “educators” to discuss individual sexuality with a child.
Their job, which most are not good at, is to teach the 3 Rs and related topics.
Of course they “don’t trust their parents to talk about their sexuality.” Their consciences tell them their LGBTQ sexuality is immoral so they are ashamed to disclose it to their parents; just like they would be ashamed to admit to stealing from neighbors to support meth addiction. Therefore, they seek approval and support from a cabal of groomers known as school teachers.
I have not read about preschool meth addicts, or 4 year olds learning morality from anyone but their parents, or guardians. Perhaps you have some references?
Glen, you’re a great man because of your humility. Alaska could use 1000 more men with your virtues. Thank you for always being a courageous voice.
And note carefully: the local bishop (he’s not very local anymore with SE Alaska as part of his diocese) has done his best to demonize Holy Rosary, consistently THE best school in the entire state — and for decades. The bishop is part-and-parcel of the confusion and superficiality of the current pope. In my nearly half-century in Alaska, Catholics in this state have never had a bishop that did anything other than follow mainstream, tasteless, fake Spirit-of-Vatican II “yippy-skippy”, hand-holding, hand-clapping, Gospel of “nice” Catholicism.
Spot on.
Most the catholic “leadership” in this state – but none moreover than the current archbishop are truly Luciferian in nature.
What they attempted to do to Holy Rosary academy was Demonic.
At best…
Just you wait. That Archbishop is making a huge power play for HRA, and the internal goings-on at that school are so cagey, dishonest, entitled, and non-virtuous, you will live to see the day that it is not independent any more. I’m betting this happens sometime very soon.
Ummm…. I think protestants have been trying to make this point since about 1517 when the Reformation began. BTW, I was raised catholic and served as an altar boy in Juneau in 60’s.
Reality is at most there are only a handful of people who think an individual child is special – parents, siblings, grandparents, maybe aunts and uncles. No one else in the world thinks an individual child is special. Parents should have more influence than unions because that is in children’s and society’s best interest.
Many people think individual children are special.
I had an Alaskan public school education for which I am thankful. At the time the teachers were sometimes purposefully altruistic. One of my teachers was my advocate through eighth grade. My friend’s parents also had our families interests in mind. I wish everyone had that experience. The government did not have an agenda except for educating kids and providing musical, social enrichment within economic ranges. The churches supported the families by teaching eternal values that tend to protect Christians from marauders. If you know you know.
Thank you, Glen. I always enjoy your thoughtfulness and acumen.
timinwasilla, you just revealed that, one way or another, you are connected to the education bureaucracy. It is our nation’s largest bureaucracy and arguably the most corrupt. Your disingenuous comment reflects the false notion the quality of an employee is determined by pay scale.
Highly paid athletes are compensated because of their exceptional talent and the success and performance they bring to the team. They are expected to maintain that standard or their contract will not be renewed.
There are no such performance parameters for compensation in education. Funds are doled out to school districts without any demands for achievement of certain outcomes. Students get promoted whether or not they can read, do math or critically think. So parents make sacrifices for their children to give them a better education. If you are not happy with the retirement plan the state offers, no one is stopping you from investing on your own in an IRA or other financial retirement vehicle.
Then you educate them. Stop whining and get it done. What are you waiting for?
So what’s a child worth if not $9500/year?
“Kibbles and bits”???
The state spends more than $20,000 per student. That’s more than twice the $9500 for private school and the public school results are absolutely dismal. Approx. 56% of cost goes to salaries and 34% to benefits! That leaves 10% for “other” (2020 numbers per the AK policy forum) If you want to complain then look at the districts and see how they allocate those funds. We don’t have a money problem, we have a bloated bureaucracy problem and a focus problem that ignores skills teaching in favor of social engineering.
Well spoken, Glen!!!
Because they are, collectively, not good at their job.
And we pay teachers damn well. Too well considering the quality of the product they allegedly produce.
It’s a radical notion, but the state has a commitment to fund education, not educators or failing schools.
The money should follow the student, not go to the school system. This would incentivize families to consider private schools, force teachers to get better at their job, and penalize schools who don’t serve their students.
Masked, allow me to translate: vouchers.
I agree with the avenger on this one. Fund the education, not the teachers. Enact laws that will help the state to task the teachers with teaching, not social engineering. Then hold the teachers’ feet to the fire. Also the school boards, too. Give the parents who care some backing when they try to find out what their children are being taught. And while I am at it, let’s have the figure on how much the state is spending on child mutilation surgeries. Let the public know how much these things are really costing them.
Shelia, the solution you describe can only be achieved through a competitive free-market. Vouchers.
Love this article!
One caveat? Glen implies “school” is kinda the primary factor to a lifetime of success (for his children at least). The social science data says otherwise (at least for the average child). Rather, it’s the quality of the parents & the child’s close peers that are the driving force. The school one attends doesn’t even come close.
So methinks Glen is just too humble here: THE dominate factor is actually shown at the end of the article: “Catholic father of nine, husband to a saint”.
Sure, I’ve seen large & serious Catholic families that didn’t do very well…but this is always because the mother and/or father is, er, less than virtuous. And it only takes one of them to be a bad example to ruin things. But the parent’s virtue is the key ingredient, not an expensive private school.
But a great article nevertheless.
Now we are two,
Maybe you are right. The issue I have is the breadth of success can’t be solely attributed to me and my wife. Yes, we are a strong force for our kids. But the reality that ALL my kids still reflect me in so many ways must be from some above and beyond force. I attribute that force at least partially to my school. It’s also not that expensive. The first is $4300 with enrollment in Mat-Su (yes, we do teach the 3 R’s, and we get credit for that), and the rest are about $6800 each. It’s a lift, but it isn’t something a person who cares can afford. What is protecting your kids worth? What are you making money for?
Thanks for the comment. Wish we could have lunch.
Glen
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