A Lesson from... the Amish?

A Lesson from the Amish?
This essay takes a different view on how our children should be taught basic literacy skills, and it starts with having a greater connection with your family. Basic learning skills must start at a very young age when the child's brain is most capable retaining information. The father of the household will start by reading a children s Disney story to his six year old son. Though the boy is not able at this young age to read or write, he is actively participating and gaining an understanding of words that are read to him by his father. This boy in Amish society is considered to be a fully literate family member. Later in the child's life, he learns to play educational games such as scrabble and other such word games. These are more advanced steps in becoming a literate member of society. Later when the child gains access into a school, he will further learn about how to read and write, but with a swift head start and a positive outlook. The essay argues that in a public school, children may be discouraged about their reading and writing skills, but that in their Amish society, it is viewed as a more positive thing. I believe this essay is quite plainly full of crap. First off, to take advice from a society that believes that isolating themselves from the modern world is an intelligent choice, is like taking advice from a beaver on how to build a house. Reading to your children at a young age is a great way to start teaching children to read, and playing word games with the family will also help develop the child's learning skills, but to say that our school systems are not teaching proper English, and that the Amish style is superior, is not only ironic in the fact that Amish tend to shelter children from most public information but moronic in other ways as well. For one, the English language of the modern society continually grows and becomes rapidly updated, and if Amish children are learning a outdated version of the English