When I set out for college in 1986, I believed that in the United States of America, a student could choose to become knowledgeable and trained in his own “pursuit of happiness.” What I did not realize was that others were determined to choose for me and they were not concerned about my personal desires or goals.
I enrolled with Central Missouri State University (now known as University of Central Missouri) with the intention of becoming an elementary reading teacher. I chose this school because it was the best Missouri college for earning a teaching degree.
I had always enjoyed reading, had worked in school libraries, gained six years of experience in childcare by babysitting, and had helped many of the younger children I cared for with learning the alphabet and phonetic sounds. My younger brother had struggled to learn to read only two years after me, because phonics had been removed from our elementary school’s curriculum. Due to his struggle, my parents paid for private reading lessons outside of school. The tutor showed my mother how to continue teaching my brother from home with phonics lessons. He successfully learned how to read by phonics. Later, I taught my own children with the same phonics method.
With these experiences, I enthusiastically entered my college advisor’s office with a passion and determination to help children learn to read. I was met with no support to pursue my goal, except that she agreed that I should pursue teaching and awarded me a teacher’s scholarship. But, she directed me to become a math teacher. I explained my desire to teach reading and she said, “We offer no such degree!” I was shocked that the “best teacher’s college” in Missouri could not or would not help me become a reading teacher. She proceeded to explain how my capabilities could be put to good use as a math teacher and that I would never want for a job. I answered that although I may have an aptitude for math, I would rather spend my days teaching reading and felt that my desire and aptitude would make a better teacher. She then laid out the depressing fact that I would need to attend college for approximately 6 to 8 years in order to be equipped to be called a “Reading Teacher;” which sounded daunting and unrewarding.
I tried to look at it optimistically, because she had finally given me some hope that I could become a reading teacher. I consulted with my father, who was teaching at our local community college, and he told me that the lack of support was due to money. He explained that the University would get money for certain degree programs if they had enough students. He also encouraged me to continue in my passion, regardless of what the college was pushing, and reminded me that my scholarship did not require me to become a math teacher. Certainly money was important to me at this time. I had two years of scholarship money and some money I had saved and my goal was to work my way through college with no debt and no student loan. My parents and grandparents helped me accomplish this goal with transportation, book expenses, and a few spring semesters of tuition and living expenses to supplement my earnings.
During my four years of college, I was met with hurdles and road blocks that interfered with my original goal of becoming a reading teacher. When I took “Foundations in Education,” I received an A- on my first paper because I expressed my thoughts on education. My teacher graded for effort because my paper was well constructed, however, in the future he said I would need to agree with other methods in education. He directed me to read two books outside of class that would enable me to understand things better. This class was not about facts, but about opinions and theories. My Christian worldview would not match up with the instruction, so I ignored and dismissed what was in front of me. Today, I regret that I did not fight for truth at that time.
I decided to re-evaluate my pursuits after being subjected to evolution in all areas of my science education classes as if it was factual versus theory, experiencing confusion with many of my classes, observing apathy in children during class assignments, and watching many burned-out teachers. During my first three semesters, my advisor was still trying to get me to teach math and had somewhat overloaded my schedule, so I felt less capable and lost my desire to teach.
I changed majors to become a high school home economics teacher. This decision was based on not wanting to lose my invested time and money and that this subject would conflict less with my Christian worldview. I had always hoped to marry and have children. I thought it would be great to teach young people how to cook, clean, budget, sew, and care for children and a home. This plan enabled me to use most of my college credits and take more classes in areas that were like a hobby to me. The idea of teaching reading seemed too depressing as I thought of a possible six more years of the same education indoctrination.
My next class was “Child Development.” The teacher explained that our class had been chosen to pilot a special, new way of teaching. We would need to attend our Tuesday class and then on Thursdays, we could just tune in for class from our dorm room through the college TV network. This sounded great! I watched my class for 2 weeks, but never watched another episode. I asked my fellow students occasionally to see if the instruction had improved and, since the answer was always no, I chose not to waste my time. These special class episodes included the then-new idea of “alternative lifestyles” and how teachers should interact and teach about them. We were instructed to accept that “little Joey” had two Mommies and we could help him feel normal with the other students in class by adjusting our language. Remember, this is in the late 1980s. I regret again that my parents and I, along with many other frustrated students, did not file complaints. Instead, I accepted my grade of a C, because I could not embrace the ideas being taught and use them in the writing assignments.
I ultimately came to the conclusion that I would not and could not teach in a public school. I challenged my new career advisor with another passion of mine: to help stop divorce and help families stay together and raise their children. I had witnessed the destruction that divorce causes by watching my extended family suffer. My advisor actually got excited, and told me that although my college did not have a degree program like what I was asking for, I could pilot one from University of Missouri and complete it at my school. He accessed course description requirements and we worked out a plan to complete a B.S. Degree in “Family Development and Community Service” with a minor in speech.
I am so thankful to God for His mercy and protection in helping me to keep trying and for the support of my family, who did not fully understand what was happening at the time. Fast forward to today; if you are a student, parent, grandparent, or even a teacher today and you are reading this article, then you can learn from my experience and not repeat it. Thirty years later, the college atmosphere at the secular, government-funded institutions has only gotten worse than what I experienced.
I encourage you to make better choices. I challenge you not to compromise by sending your children with their precious minds, priceless amount of time, and God-given talents to just any college or university because they dangled money or supposedly have the “best program” available. Set higher standards and work hard to protect their minds from untruths and worthless theories that only destroy lives. We should stop feeding an insane cycle and choose to use your right to “pursue happiness” with a higher than status quo method.
I have been spending my married life training my children up to God instead of up to the government. I encourage parents to teach reading, math, righteousness, and all other subjects to your children through home education. You do not need, nor have to have, a “college education” to do this rewarding job. There are countless resources available to help you and your child learn any subject. Today, we can access a variety of continuing education and training institutes that are designed for specific skills and do not include social indoctrination.
If the students who were being trained as teachers in the late 1980s embraced all they were being taught and then went on to teach for these untruths for 25 years, it is truly no surprise to see the first-time voters in the past three election cycles choosing socialism instead of preserving their own liberty. You do not have to waste your time and money and energy. Use our great history as an education tool and help the next three election cycles look better than the past by equipping the next generation with the truth of what it means to live under this nation’s Constitution. “Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” Proverbs 4:7