I am 70 years old. I remember the first time I voted as a young adult and was shocked and upset at how much I didn't understand about basic local government on my voting card. "DAMN!" I thought. I graduated from 12 years of Catholic school and had a master's degree from a major university. I have been obsessed with the poor quality of our education ever since. Until that moment, I didn't know - what I didn't know. :-( In 2021 I had to do zoom classes with my granddaughter during the covid lockdown and was LIVID that these poor kids had to miss a year of school. It was her kindergarten year and she has been behind ever since. Thanks for sharing this info Robert. You are a treasure for this life-long-learner.
Born in late '60s, my mom taught me how to read by age 3 using phonics. In first grade I was helping other kids read. I could not figure out why reading was so hard for them. They didn't know how to sound out words, so I tried teaching them. My mom tells people I learned to read from Sesame Street and Electric Company, but I give most credit to her. I did, however, learn a bit of Spanish from Sesame Street... just sayin'.
I guess I was fortunate to have grown up with parents that were well read, and emphasized reading as an intellect building activity. I could phonetically read most anything by June of 1st grade--high schoolers would open their text books and say "listen to this kid read this" on the sidewalk in front of my grade school. My extra-curricular reading was certainly robust. By the time I had completed the 8th grade, I had consumed all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, and his lesser known novel, A Wanting Seed, random science fiction from Asimov and Huxley's Brave New World, and several side trips into American Indian Anthropology and human anatomy.
My wife and I had our kids on the same path, with letter recognition, phonics, and basic reading in their preschool period. Thankfully, any "whole word" instruction had no effect on them when it was dallied with in their grade schools; they were already at high school level and beyond.
Loving this “broad spectrum” of topic. I’ve been on the same path of discovery (“awakening”).
I love John Taylor Gatto, he’s the one who lead me to Tragedy and Hope. I’m sure you’ve seen his 5-part documentary/interview with Richard Grove (here for other readers, it’s a treasure trove https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL463AA90FD04EC7A2 )
I’m so glad I grew up in Israel, it’s 20-30 years behind America and so growing up in the 70s, my grandpa bought me the entire collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books for my 5th birthday, which I was able to read and comprehend.
When I read some of the things that were written in the beginnings of this country, I am amazed at the vocabulary. I have to keep a dictionary close by in order to look up the words I don’t know. Public education is not what it used to be. It has been so dumbed down. Many students in middle school don’t even know the alphabet. It really is so sad. When they came out with graphic novels (I call them comic books) that is all many of the students wanted to read. Trying to get them to read a book of substance was almost impossible. So sad.
I would bet that even for us oldsters, 90% of what we believe as to how the world really works is all conspiracy theories. We don't really know all the facts because the slave masters do not want us to know them. There is no media or other source to be trusted to make them known. Unless we have had first hand experience, we might not know everything we think we know.
I recently signed up for your Substack and I haven’t read many of your articles yet, so I’m not yet sure about your worldview.....but I saw that you mentioned how the globalists took over the left long ago.
I’ve always seen them (leftists and globalists) as pretty much interchangeable, considering that the majority of leftists have usually described themselves as “international socialists” and that the supposedly “capitalist” globalists advocate intrusive government policies that only a leftist could love.
There really isn’t that much difference between the two.....
People have been talking about reclaiming pop culture. (Pop art and pop literature.) But what if this pandering excuse for culture is the problem?
Pop art has become worse and worse. It lacks the depth and quality of high art and the homey, accessibility of folk art. The worst of both worlds. Art wasn't meant to be industrialized. Now They want bots to do it.
We need a grass roots revival of the folk arts. Folk culture may hold together remnants of human civilization.
Phonics is "the beans" (that's what we did) but I'll beg "ta" differ with ya 'bout Dick & Jane AND Dr. Seuss too as both series are totally appropriate for 3 year olds. I taught both my homeschooled kiddos that way... IN THREE WEEKS flat (not braggin'--just a matter of knowin' what to do--each took 3 weeks of daily practice to master both of the above authors). All of their works were wholesome and in the latter funny & whimsical. Illustrations charming to boot! Older one is reading Umberto Eco on her own, younger one is gettin' A's in college--she's just 15. Both lifelong readers. This, imho, Seuss, Dick & Jane (vintage copies) AND Tom, Betty & Susan are all GREAT "primers" for 3 year olds learning phonics! (I do write in the vernacular on substack but I know a thing " ' er" to about "Fun with Dick & Jane" -- we had it!)
As a child, everything Geisel (Dr. Seuss) upset me a great deal. So did Sesame Street. I wasn’t sure of the reasons, I just hated all of their productions, and was punished quite often by teachers for not being able to explain why I destroyed their books. I used to draw huge tits and genitalia on the characters or tear the paper off crayons, drop them on edges and color out entire pages in the school libraries—first grade through middle school. I never did that with any of the other books, though I did draw animated cartoons in the corners of all my worthless texts books, usually of dinosaurs 🦖 eating teachers or students I didn’t like.
Guess what skyrocketing transgender sex identity issues, myocarditis, turbo cancers, autism, and declining mental health all have in common? Clue: It’s got nothing to do with God, Mother Nature, the Devil, China, Iran, Russia or Space Aliens. Only those who still wear face masks and are lined up for their sixth Vaxx booster, or more, are allowed to reply.
This book absolutely works. 100 days to read. I can't remember if she was 2 or 3 but got child reading pretty early with this and it was EASY (phonics based).
Love reading your stack, Dr Yoho! Although, I don't think we should throw out the Dewey Decimal system from our libraries, I was astounded when I read one of his very early papers in which he openly questioned whether 'we' should allow 'Negroes' to have an education, to elementary school, or middle school, or high school, or god forbid college! He was not only a racist but also a eugenicist. So many of those bastards were, including Bill Gates' father (gosh, I wonder where son Gates got his philo-psychopathic tendencies....James Corbett does a fantastic 2-part series on that, btw.) Thanks for this essay...I grew up with Dick and Jane in first grade, and thought they were stupid stories, but admittedly loved Cat in the Hat , One Fish, Two Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham....silly. But by high school I was reading Stendhal and Kafka and I'm still quite a bibliophile...So it did not ruin my reading or writing long-term. But you are correct...my college level students still print like third graders, have virtually no critical thinking skills, and can't write full sentences. And, hey...I highly DOUBT that anyone in the biology department has ever even read Darwin or would even be able to follow his paragraph-long sentences. (And no, he did NOT say that humans evolved from monkeys.)
Tell me more, Grammy! Where can I find that info? We've been hoodwinked for centuries. I know Pasteur was a liar and thief.... Rude awakening on that over ten years ago. What's the scoop on Darwin? I learn from all of you in the comments, too. 🙏
I watched a couple of documentaries several months ago about his family, him and his supposed "accomplishments". The idea of "evolution" actually started with his grandfather, Erasmus. Erasmus belonged to the Lunar Society, another group of elitists who met periodically to discuss how they could solve the world's problems. They were all eugenists, with a lot of familial inbreeding -Charles married his first cousin. I can't remember all the specifics but supposedly Charles was pretty much a young, rich, spoiled slacker, so his family financed his travels for him to "go DO SOMETHING!" with his life. The documentaries said a lot of his "discoveries or observations" were completely fabricated. I'll see if I can find those videos again.
Thank you! I knew about Erasmus, but some of the other is new...i knew his family sent him off, but not the details! Yes, would appreciate if you could for and the source!!!
Sandy, this is Arnie, who wrote the Dick and Jane piece. I have a lot of info about Darwinism and will be doing a post. You're welcome to write to me at arnie1815@proton.me
I am 70 years old. I remember the first time I voted as a young adult and was shocked and upset at how much I didn't understand about basic local government on my voting card. "DAMN!" I thought. I graduated from 12 years of Catholic school and had a master's degree from a major university. I have been obsessed with the poor quality of our education ever since. Until that moment, I didn't know - what I didn't know. :-( In 2021 I had to do zoom classes with my granddaughter during the covid lockdown and was LIVID that these poor kids had to miss a year of school. It was her kindergarten year and she has been behind ever since. Thanks for sharing this info Robert. You are a treasure for this life-long-learner.
Born in late '60s, my mom taught me how to read by age 3 using phonics. In first grade I was helping other kids read. I could not figure out why reading was so hard for them. They didn't know how to sound out words, so I tried teaching them. My mom tells people I learned to read from Sesame Street and Electric Company, but I give most credit to her. I did, however, learn a bit of Spanish from Sesame Street... just sayin'.
Great piece!
I guess I was fortunate to have grown up with parents that were well read, and emphasized reading as an intellect building activity. I could phonetically read most anything by June of 1st grade--high schoolers would open their text books and say "listen to this kid read this" on the sidewalk in front of my grade school. My extra-curricular reading was certainly robust. By the time I had completed the 8th grade, I had consumed all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, and his lesser known novel, A Wanting Seed, random science fiction from Asimov and Huxley's Brave New World, and several side trips into American Indian Anthropology and human anatomy.
My wife and I had our kids on the same path, with letter recognition, phonics, and basic reading in their preschool period. Thankfully, any "whole word" instruction had no effect on them when it was dallied with in their grade schools; they were already at high school level and beyond.
I remember reading a study from twenty years ago where a huge number of American High School students were asked to answer a questionnaire.
The number one answer by far for "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was :
FAMOUS.
Name a living American Author : SHAKESPEARE.
Great article, thanks.
Loving this “broad spectrum” of topic. I’ve been on the same path of discovery (“awakening”).
I love John Taylor Gatto, he’s the one who lead me to Tragedy and Hope. I’m sure you’ve seen his 5-part documentary/interview with Richard Grove (here for other readers, it’s a treasure trove https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL463AA90FD04EC7A2 )
I’m so glad I grew up in Israel, it’s 20-30 years behind America and so growing up in the 70s, my grandpa bought me the entire collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books for my 5th birthday, which I was able to read and comprehend.
It’s not The Last of the Mohican, but I was 5
Thanks again
I really like your articles.
Thank you for this one, I had no idea about this, but it makes sense. Dumbing us down is key for the cabal.
Oh Oh Look, Yoho does it again!! :)
When I read some of the things that were written in the beginnings of this country, I am amazed at the vocabulary. I have to keep a dictionary close by in order to look up the words I don’t know. Public education is not what it used to be. It has been so dumbed down. Many students in middle school don’t even know the alphabet. It really is so sad. When they came out with graphic novels (I call them comic books) that is all many of the students wanted to read. Trying to get them to read a book of substance was almost impossible. So sad.
I would bet that even for us oldsters, 90% of what we believe as to how the world really works is all conspiracy theories. We don't really know all the facts because the slave masters do not want us to know them. There is no media or other source to be trusted to make them known. Unless we have had first hand experience, we might not know everything we think we know.
I recently signed up for your Substack and I haven’t read many of your articles yet, so I’m not yet sure about your worldview.....but I saw that you mentioned how the globalists took over the left long ago.
I’ve always seen them (leftists and globalists) as pretty much interchangeable, considering that the majority of leftists have usually described themselves as “international socialists” and that the supposedly “capitalist” globalists advocate intrusive government policies that only a leftist could love.
There really isn’t that much difference between the two.....
People have been talking about reclaiming pop culture. (Pop art and pop literature.) But what if this pandering excuse for culture is the problem?
Pop art has become worse and worse. It lacks the depth and quality of high art and the homey, accessibility of folk art. The worst of both worlds. Art wasn't meant to be industrialized. Now They want bots to do it.
We need a grass roots revival of the folk arts. Folk culture may hold together remnants of human civilization.
Phonics is "the beans" (that's what we did) but I'll beg "ta" differ with ya 'bout Dick & Jane AND Dr. Seuss too as both series are totally appropriate for 3 year olds. I taught both my homeschooled kiddos that way... IN THREE WEEKS flat (not braggin'--just a matter of knowin' what to do--each took 3 weeks of daily practice to master both of the above authors). All of their works were wholesome and in the latter funny & whimsical. Illustrations charming to boot! Older one is reading Umberto Eco on her own, younger one is gettin' A's in college--she's just 15. Both lifelong readers. This, imho, Seuss, Dick & Jane (vintage copies) AND Tom, Betty & Susan are all GREAT "primers" for 3 year olds learning phonics! (I do write in the vernacular on substack but I know a thing " ' er" to about "Fun with Dick & Jane" -- we had it!)
Disagree but that's what comments are for.
As a child, everything Geisel (Dr. Seuss) upset me a great deal. So did Sesame Street. I wasn’t sure of the reasons, I just hated all of their productions, and was punished quite often by teachers for not being able to explain why I destroyed their books. I used to draw huge tits and genitalia on the characters or tear the paper off crayons, drop them on edges and color out entire pages in the school libraries—first grade through middle school. I never did that with any of the other books, though I did draw animated cartoons in the corners of all my worthless texts books, usually of dinosaurs 🦖 eating teachers or students I didn’t like.
Guess what skyrocketing transgender sex identity issues, myocarditis, turbo cancers, autism, and declining mental health all have in common? Clue: It’s got nothing to do with God, Mother Nature, the Devil, China, Iran, Russia or Space Aliens. Only those who still wear face masks and are lined up for their sixth Vaxx booster, or more, are allowed to reply.
Thank you for this. Well worth the time, and I’m grateful.
https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985
This book absolutely works. 100 days to read. I can't remember if she was 2 or 3 but got child reading pretty early with this and it was EASY (phonics based).
I'll have a look thanks
Love reading your stack, Dr Yoho! Although, I don't think we should throw out the Dewey Decimal system from our libraries, I was astounded when I read one of his very early papers in which he openly questioned whether 'we' should allow 'Negroes' to have an education, to elementary school, or middle school, or high school, or god forbid college! He was not only a racist but also a eugenicist. So many of those bastards were, including Bill Gates' father (gosh, I wonder where son Gates got his philo-psychopathic tendencies....James Corbett does a fantastic 2-part series on that, btw.) Thanks for this essay...I grew up with Dick and Jane in first grade, and thought they were stupid stories, but admittedly loved Cat in the Hat , One Fish, Two Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham....silly. But by high school I was reading Stendhal and Kafka and I'm still quite a bibliophile...So it did not ruin my reading or writing long-term. But you are correct...my college level students still print like third graders, have virtually no critical thinking skills, and can't write full sentences. And, hey...I highly DOUBT that anyone in the biology department has ever even read Darwin or would even be able to follow his paragraph-long sentences. (And no, he did NOT say that humans evolved from monkeys.)
Darwin wasn't really who were were taught he was. Just another part of "The Family", if you will.
Tell me more, Grammy! Where can I find that info? We've been hoodwinked for centuries. I know Pasteur was a liar and thief.... Rude awakening on that over ten years ago. What's the scoop on Darwin? I learn from all of you in the comments, too. 🙏
I watched a couple of documentaries several months ago about his family, him and his supposed "accomplishments". The idea of "evolution" actually started with his grandfather, Erasmus. Erasmus belonged to the Lunar Society, another group of elitists who met periodically to discuss how they could solve the world's problems. They were all eugenists, with a lot of familial inbreeding -Charles married his first cousin. I can't remember all the specifics but supposedly Charles was pretty much a young, rich, spoiled slacker, so his family financed his travels for him to "go DO SOMETHING!" with his life. The documentaries said a lot of his "discoveries or observations" were completely fabricated. I'll see if I can find those videos again.
Thank you! I knew about Erasmus, but some of the other is new...i knew his family sent him off, but not the details! Yes, would appreciate if you could for and the source!!!
Sandy, this is Arnie, who wrote the Dick and Jane piece. I have a lot of info about Darwinism and will be doing a post. You're welcome to write to me at arnie1815@proton.me
I'll drop you a note, Arnie! Looking forward to that post, too.