Editors Note: An article from Walter to The Prepper Journal. As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share then enter into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies!
Every child in the developed countries of the world has to go to school. (Home school being a viable option of course.) However, extracurricular activities are something which no one forces kids to do, participation is not mandatory (though if you hope to get into college it is a big driver in the selection process.) And that is a shame as there are many lost opportunities here to grow as a person, to immerse ones self in a foreign language, to participate in individual sports (tennis, wrestling, gymnastics, track and field) as well as team sports (Baseball, basket ball, football, hockey, and on and on). To explore your cultural heritage as a group, to get involved in student government, in publishing the schools newsletter or paper or blog.
So, with the time not invested in individual growth at school why not explore a prepper school as an option to round out a child’s education, to give them exposure to the realities of life, to becoming self-reliant and self sufficient. There is a void here, one Scouting, the Girl Scouts and organizations like the Future Farmers of America sought to fill in preparing children for becoming responsible, contributing adults on the path to a life on their own. They excelled at this, still do in most areas, however they are waning in the big cities, where populations are so concentrated. Still very much alive outside of the metropolis’s and removed as best they can be from the politics of the organizations, give them a look if they are available to you and yours.
Most of Their Waking Hours
Students and teachers spend a lot of time together at school, 4-5 days a week, 6-8 hours on average, for a dozen years. Education, obviously, crucial in developing young people the world over, really does not address dealing with the realities outside of the academics of the classroom, that was never its intended purpose. It was, and still is, a support systems for parenting. Sadly classes like shop, music, home economics and the like long ago got trimmed by the budget-hungry administrators who believe that their function as school administrators is on an equal footing with that of the teacher/educator in the classroom.
As the amount of information grows almost daily, in our technically advancing world, it is more and more of a challenge for educators. Schools and teacher are caught in a conundrum – in a constant quest to keep up, to weed out the fat and get the test results required by their governing bodies at the local and state level. All while keeping abreast of a rapidly changing world. The basics of the sciences are still taught as the building blocks of a foundation to understanding the advances. Hats off to all teachers.
A Prepper School
We as preppers we know that there are many things to learn outside the academics so by all means if Scouting or the FFA are available in your area consider taking advantage of them and all they have to offer. Try and set aside the political agendas of those who have risen to the tops of some of these organizations and instead look at the direct connect – the Scoutmaster or Den Mother, or Troop leader. They are usually people of good character with a sincere desire to educate, and life experience worth learning.
There are also prepper schools and survivingprepper.com has come up with an excellent list of Prepper School’s throughout the world. Not every school is right for everyone so do your due diligence.
They can offer many benefits to students as they grow, such as:
- The opportunity to meet new friends, and expand their social connections. The Prepper mindset is synonymous with self-reliance and interacting with like minded people, a great way to learn and grow
- Young people will learn how to deal on their own, make responsible decisions, and identify what is important – all builders of character.
- Prepper school is a perfect opportunity to take a break from the rote of classrooms as we learn best by doing as opposed to listening or watching
- Humans are, after all, a part of nature in spite of the fact that so many dwell in concrete jungles
How to Prepare Your Kids
I know that you, as parents know what is best for your children and that you make every effort to provide that for them. I also know as a parent that there are just so many things that compete for all of our time. My least favorite song to hear on the radio is Harry Chaplin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle” and if you can listen to it and not reflect back with regret on missed opportunities and lost moments I am in awe of your parenting skills.
There have been a number of posts in the past on getting your kids involved:
- Prepper Parenting
- The Seven Most Important Prepper Skills to Teach Your Children
- Prepping With Kids
- Prepping for Disaster with Kids
- 5 Ways to Introduce Your Kids to Prepping
and there are more. It is a subject we can all agree on as it prepares our kids to be the kind of people we aspire them to be, confident, self reliant, leaders. As a single parent of high-school kids I levied two tasks upon them, in addition to their academics. They had to letter at least once in a sport of their choosing and they had to learn to play a musical instrument of their choice. Of course the first choices were an electric guitar and a Steinway Concert Grand Piano, and yes, drums came up, as did a recorder. They made due with an acoustic guitar and the piano I already had. My point is, given a challenge they stepped up and were proud to show off their progress as I struggled to write checks to cover their lessons. Worth every penny in retrospect.
So as you teach your kids prepping skills to be self reliant, or consider sending them to a school on the list above, I would like to lobby for some music lessons to give them an appreciation of what it really takes to play an instrument, as well as for self defense classes, and archery classes and the shooting sports. Knowledge is power and nothing teaches like experience.
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