Indoctrination Through Education

Is indoctrination through education true? As homeschoolers we realize the importance of educating our children, but do you realize what is happening all around you? Our children, whether we are aware of it or not are affected by indoctrination through education!

Indoctrination Through Education – Episode 353

We homeschool for many different reasons. I began homeschooling because my son was having difficulty learning and I happened to be an educator with a certification in specific learning disabilities and early childhood education. However, my reasons for homeschooling my subsequent children all had to do with religious reasons. I wanted to teach my children to think for themselves, be grounded in Scripture and allow them access to books that would stretch them academically and the ability to have time to think. If you have listened to my podcasts this is one thing I talk about often, the ability for children to think!

Thinking is an art as well as reason. Our children need to learn how to discern what they hear and how to make decisions for themselves. Does this mean we abdicate our role as parents? Absolutely not!

Indoctrination through education is happening in the local public schools, private schools, universities and colleges as well as the charter schools or online schools that are government-funded. What is indoctrination? I believe the terminology of the past has changed, indoctrination on the left or the right is often bantered around, but indoctrination is the repetition of philosophy or ideology that if repeated enough is believed as truth. Indoctrination happens when kids don’t think for themselves. Indoctrination happens when there is an absence of thought!

Even Hitler realized this when he was quoted as saying, “Slogans should be persistently repeated until the very last individual has come to grasp the idea.” (He wrote in Mein Kampf.)

We hear it all the time, slogans and sound bites. We believe things that are not true. Need an example? “We only use 10% of our brains,” is an untruth that many people believe.

David Coleman, who graduated from Yale graduate and was a Rhodes Scholar is the architect of Common Core. While this podcast is not addressing Common Core in detail, know that he has set out along with a group of “education reformers” to change the landscape of American Education, which most of us believe is for the worse. In a nutshell, Common Core teaches kids to think about thinking (and causes confusion) while it pushes kids to learn — or the “process of learning” it is all meaningless. The result is kids who don’t care. For example, look at common core math problems that have made their rounds on social media. The false news surrounding this graphic I am using as an example is that it says it will teach the kids crucial problem-solving skills. All it does is confuse kids. Here is a sample graphic.

Keys To Indoctrination In Education:

Mediocre and confusing education
- Dummy down curriculum – think Common Core
- Feelings vs. learning – not a combination of the two
- Kids don’t care
- No freedom of thought
Polarization and Tribal Mentality
- Following the familiar
- Following the crowd
- Believing what you hear repeated
- No facts or reason – only feelings
- Illusionary truth effect
Revisionist History
- Falsifying facts with agendas (homophobe and white nationalism cliches)
- Facts distorted
- American is portrayed as a ruthless nation while other nations are elevated
- The world stage is exalted with other nations held up as sterling examples

Absolutes are given a backstage in the classroom, movies, and in social media, it is frowned upon! There are no absolutes only relativism. There is no independent thought only skills without content-driven outcomes. Kids are trained in the process of doing math, not on the math facts themselves. After all, we have smartphones and Google to help with our answers. Right?

Help! How Do We Combat Indoctrination In Education?

Teach Kids To Have Independent Thoughts
- Present ideas and allow for discussion.
- Open-ended discussions
- Allow for thoughts that may conflict with yours
- Expect factual representation
Questions
- Ask why
- Multiple sources of reference
- Primary sources and documents
Educated Teachers
- Parents, know your stuff!
- Clear understanding and though
- Simplify
- Defend position

A person who thinks will realize when they are being taught propaganda. (Creationism vs. Evolution.) If kids receive information passively it doesn’t matter what you teach them, they will not be in a position to learn. For example fiction, and the humanities has been removed from most curriculums and the richness of language is all but forgotten. (Truth Seekers Mystery Series – fiction with fact.)

Until we teach our children to question, to think for themselves and to ground their beliefs in truth (God), we will have a fallen generation that is indoctrinated by the things they hear in the media (soundbites over and over again) without caring to learn what really matters.

Special Thanks to Our Network Sponsor -Bridgeway Academy!

Bridgeway Academy was founded in 1989 in response to the need for more freedom in education as well as the protection that accreditation offers for homeschooling families. Since then, more than 30,000 K–12 students, and many charter and brick-and-mortar schools, have made Bridgeway Academy their trusted education partner.

As part of our commitment to personalized homeschooling, we are proud to offer both secular and Christian options for homeschool families, charter schools, state organizations, co-ops, athletic organizations, arts schools, and others who seek flexible education options for their families.