In recent decades, we’ve witnessed a profound transformation in American education – one that has steadily eroded the foundations of traditional values and natural distinctions between boys and girls. I’ve spent years investigating the deterioration of classical education, I’ve observed firsthand how public schools by design work against the grain of traditional American / family values and biological realities.
John Taylor Gatto, in his groundbreaking work “Weapons of Mass Instruction,” illuminated how the modern education system was deliberately designed to produce compliant workers rather than independent thinkers. His observations remain startlingly relevant today, as public schools continue to promote standardization over individuality and conformity over critical thinking.
The wisdom of Marcus Aurelius in “Meditations” offers a stark contrast to today’s educational philosophy. The stoic emperor wrote, “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.” This emphasis on self-reflection and personal responsibility stands in direct opposition to the current trend of externalizing blame and avoiding accountability.
Rachel Wilson’s meticulously researched “Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women’s Liberation” provides crucial insights into how modern educational institutions have been influenced by ideologies that seek to blur the natural and beautiful distinctions between men and women. These influences have created an environment where celebrating traditional masculinity or femininity is often met with hostility.
Consider the natural differences between boys and girls in early education. Boys by nature demonstrate higher levels of physical energy and competitive drive, while girls often excel in verbal communication and cooperative learning. Rather than acknowledging and working with these differences, today’s public schools frequently attempt to suppress them, treating these natural inclinations as problems to be solved rather than strengths to be cultivated.
The podcast host of “Pearly Things” has extensively documented how this suppression of natural differences has led to increasing behavioral issues and academic struggles, particularly among young boys. When we deny children the opportunity to express their innate characteristics, we shouldn’t be surprised when they become frustrated, disconnected, or rebellious.
The solution lies not in reforming public schools – a task that has repeatedly proven futile – but in pursuing alternative educational paths. Private schools and homeschooling offer environments where traditional values can be preserved and natural differences between boys and girls can be respected and celebrated. These alternatives allow for educational approaches that acknowledge the distinct needs and capabilities of each sex, as designed by their Creator.
Traditional masculinity provides boys with crucial role models of strength, protection, provision and responsibility. Young men need to see examples of mature, strong, masculinity that emphasize:
- Protection of family and community
- Survival Skills
- Self-education
- Acquiring and multiplying wealth
- Physical and mental strength
- Leadership skills
- Personal responsibility
- Stoicism
- Christian Theology.
- Weapons training
Similarly, femininity offers girls a pathway to develop their natural gifts of:
- Nurturing and empathy
- Grace and dignity
- Compliance
- Domestic arts
- Maternal instincts
- Being demure
- Beauty
The current public school system, influenced by social movements, has attempted to erase these distinct qualities, treating them as social constructs rather than biological realities. This approach hasn’t created equality – it has created confusion and dysfunction.
Personal responsibility stands as a cornerstone of traditional education. As Marcus Aurelius taught, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” This ancient wisdom reminds us that obstacles and challenges serve as opportunities for growth and development. Yet modern education often shields students from consequences and challenges, denying them the very experiences they need to develop resilience and character.
Parents seeking to restore and preserve traditional values face an impossible battle within the public school system. The solution isn’t to fight an entrenched bureaucracy but to withdraw from it entirely. John Taylor Gatto’s “Dumbing Us Down” provides a roadmap for understanding why the system cannot be reformed and must instead be abandoned in favor of educational alternatives that align with traditional values and natural law.
Private schools and homeschooling communities have demonstrated remarkable success in nurturing both academic excellence and traditional values. These environments allow boys to be boys and girls to be girls, celebrating rather than suppressing their natural differences. They provide space for:
- Recognition of biological realities
- Cultivation of traditional virtues
- Development of sex-specific strengths
- Preservation of cultural wisdom
- Transmission of timeless values
- Education
A common misconception about Public Education is that government has become increasingly involved with students’ education. The reality that has been effectively masked by those who instigated Public Education was to mask the fact that government is literally the administrator, teacher, religious leader, mentor, provider of sustenance, shelter, and even healthcare. In other words, the government is quite literally raising the indoctrinated of compulsory education. As with many aspects of American life, the solution lies in returning educational responsibility to families. This aligns with the fundamental principle that parents, not the state, should be the primary architects of their children’s education.
Looking forward, the preservation of traditional values in education requires parents to take responsibility for their children. Most importantly, it requires a commitment to truth – the truth that boys and girls are different by design, that these differences are beautiful and necessary, and that attempting to erase them serves no one. To the truth that the traditional family structure led by a strong, stoic, warrior father is absolutely critical to the American culture and the protection of personal liberty.
The restoration of traditional educational values isn’t merely about preserving the past – it’s about securing a future where children can develop into the men and women they were created to be. This journey begins with recognizing that the current public education system cannot be fixed because its fundamental premises are flawed. The path forward lies in strong families and the Free Markets. It’s also important to point out that the other 800lbs gorilla in the room is the fact that 99 out of 100 parents are clueless as to how “Education” happens. Hint, a classroom with a teacher in front of 30 kids is probably the very worst environment and process to educate anyone. Once again, parents are going to have to take responsibility for the children they brought into the world and learn how their kids learn. Again, I refer to the two John Gatto books mentioned previously. John does a masterful job of explaining how kids learn best and will easily outperform products of Public Education consistently and at younger ages.
As we move forward, let us wage war against modern educational theories and return to the practices that created men like Franklin, Edwards, Adams, and Washington. By returning to traditional educational values, and embracing personal responsibility, we can create learning environments that truly serve the next generation of Americans.
The choice before us is clear: continue with a system that denies natural law and traditional wisdom, or forge a new path that honors the distinct and complementary qualities of boys and girls. For those committed to preserving traditional values and raising strong, capable children, the latter path, though challenging, offers the only viable way forward.
