By Jeff Davidson,

As the school year winds down across the nation, let us pause to assess the state of public education in America and what has changed of late.

Parents once looked forward to having their children reach the age of five. At that time, children enter kindergarten, usually a half-day session either in the morning or in the afternoon. At the age of six, children enter the first grade with school hours something on the order of 8:00 a.m. to 2:15 or 2:30 p.m. Parents went about their business while ensuring that the children were both dropped off and picked up at appointed times.

Most parents had little concern about what transpired during the school day as long as nothing happened out of the ordinary. Every now and then, somebody skinned a knee during recess. Or, someone got ill during the day and had to go home. Most days, however, were uneventful. Your little ones were learning the ABCs, simple arithmetic, American history, and a few things about society in general.

Vigilance is Mandatory

Today, everything portrayed above represents a bygone era. Dropping your child off for kindergarten can be a potentially hazardous event. The indoctrination that takes place even in subtle ways has an accumulative effect. Depending on your school jurisdiction, county, and state, you have to be vigilant about your child’s education.

In first grade, second grade, and so on, there’s no telling what the orientation of the teacher happens to be. Are they present to help children grow, think, and be curious about the world? Or are they in place to indoctrinate? Many in the teaching ranks today feel not only justified in what they do, but that it is their mission.

A parent sending his or her child to public school doesn’t equate to that parent losing their basic rights to know what the child is being taught and to have a say in the curriculum. Indeed, throughout American history, parents have maintained some semblance of control via PTA’s, attendance at school board meetings, and direct parent-teacher conferences.

Courts and legislator bodies have recognized the rights of parents to maintain control over the education for their children and to have a vital input as to what takes place on a daily basis. Even in the face of that, progressive activists have targeted schools, starting with elementary schools, as incubation labs where social change will occur as a result of indoctrinating young minds.

The Key to Our Future

Activists, and parents alike, know that our children represent our national future. The values that children adopt at an early age have a direct impact on how our culture evolves and what kind of society we will pass on to succeeding generations.

Protecting our children from curriculum designed to brainwash them in largely Socialist ways has become an everyday battle across the country. Those on the Left have no qualms about seeking to replace your influence and your rights as a parent with their viewpoints and what they regard as their collective, sacrosanct mission.

It’s not enough to simply fight against these zealots; they must be defeated. There can be no compromise with those who will pull out all the stops to turn your sweet little child into one of their Marxist, Socialist soldiers.

Combat Readiness

How do you prepare for such a battle? Long before your student is ready for kindergarten, visit the classroom. What do the charts, posters, and graphics on the wall tell you? Attend PTA meetings. Search for websites, podcasts, forums, zines, and any other online sources of information maintained by or for parents who recognize the importance of staying vigilant.

Determine in advance if your school district, board of education, school administrators, and principal represent a system and an administration that you can trust. If you have any doubts, then perhaps it’s time to take major action. Consider homeschooling. If you have the means, consider private school. If you can relocate to a more palatable school jurisdiction, that could be your best alternative.

Affiliate with other parents who see the same dangers that you do. Become vocal at school board meetings. Generate momentum by having three or four parents in a row speak up, who are aghast at the Leftist techniques in vogue. This is a battle that you must win, that we all must win, and from which we cannot shirk. Most parents feel the same as you do. That, in itself, is comforting.

As Certain as Death and Taxes

Give your child a decent chance to grow up healthy and happy, because this is for certain: The Left zealots will not quit; it is their objective to brainwash every child in America, forevermore, and they regard you as the enemy.

To let down your guard is to imperil a child’s future.

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Jeff Davidson is “The Work-Life Balance Expert®” and the premier thought leader on work-life balance, effectiveness, integration, shift, blend, and harmony. Jeff speaks to organizations that seek to enhance their overall productivity by improving the effectiveness of their people. He is the author of Breathing Space, Perfect Timing, Simpler Living, Dial it Down, and Everyday Project Management. Visit BreathingSpace.com or call 919-932-1996 for more information on Jeff’s keynote speeches and seminars.