Albeit with wet and bended wings...

Recently I posted this on my facebook page and received an interesting response from several sources. One of the responses was from an 18 year old grandniece who recently graduated from public school and is now attending college in Maine (why so far from home I wonder?). She basically accuses me of being a product of public education (schooling) and a hypocrite because I attended a local state college. This was my response to her:

It's nice to see that even though I've only seen you probably a total of 4 or 5 times in your life you feel you are acquainted with me well enough to rudely deem me a 'product of public education' and a 'hypocrite'.

For starters, I am NOT a product of public education nor am I even a product of public schooling. It took quite some time but I eventually overcame my public school experience and pursued an education worth my time and effort on my own. Public school was easy to glide through. There were no high expectations on either side and once one learned how and when to 'jump through the hoops' awards and high grades were simple to acquire. The bad habits learned in public school were somewhat more difficult to unlearn and the propaganda took some time to overcome as well. But, alas, I persevered.

As far as my college 'education' is concerned I attended for 5 years on the GI Bill simply because it was allowed and the check arrived every month in a timely manner. I was not required to work for 5 years of my life providing I enrolled in the state's program. I received high grades there as well even when I didn't show up for 2/3 of the time for some classes. So basically I purchased a degree from a state run college. My true education was garnered, not in the classroom, but in the real life I lived outside it, especially before and after leaving the college campus.

So you see, my dear, you know nothing of what you claim and had you been allowed to live in the real world for the past 18 years and talk with relatives you'd know this. I'm also sorry to see you believe the propaganda you've been fed all these years.

In the future, when discussing education vs. schooling with me you may want to leave out the emotion and simply stay with the facts. You've apparently done little or no research, are parroting what you've learned in school or at home, and expose your naivete by resorting to name calling and regurgitation of the propaganda fed to you during your public school career.

Open your mind. Choose to learn what is important to you and your future, not what has been deemed important by others for the first 18 years of your life. I love your passion to debate this topic but you need to be able to back up your comments and opinions with facts.

Now that you've been allowed to leave your momma's protective yet ignorant cocoon, albeit with wet and bended wings, maybe you'll begin to learn in the real world what is truly necessary and important to your life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. I fear this will not happen should you recreate a similarly sheltered life in a liberal leaning college that will only serve to stall your flight for yet another four years in your young life. ;-)

Note: both my grandniece's mother (niece by marriage) and maternal aunt are public school teachers.