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Legally STUPiD: Why Johnny Doesn’t Have To Read
By R. C. Murray Peach-Pine Publishing © Copyright 2007 R. C. Murray
Review By D. Ray Perdue, Jr., Swamp Fox/RP
It has been said that knowledge is power. Those who control the supply of knowledge have absolute power over the rest of us.
We know why the public school system is a failure—at least we think we do. But unless you have been on the inside, you cannot understand how destructive the system is. Legally STUPiD gives you that rare inside glimpse—all through the eyes of a former public school teacher.
In Legally STUPiD R. C. Murray discusses the mind-damaging practices which have made America a nation of willingly ignorant proles. Mr. Murray delivers the horrific details that whole language reading, No Child Left Behind, inflated grades, group learning, different but equal approaches, multicultural strategies, holistic grading, and other dangerous “educational” philosophies and practices are having upon our nation.
Mr. Murray does his homework in Legally STUPiD, as it is well researched and uncovers how elitists have hijacked the nation’s educational system in order to create an ignorant population who will do and believe whatever their betters tell them.
However, Legally STUPiD doesn’t stop with pointing out the problems and exposing those who have created and maintained the current situation. R. C. Murray offers legitimate solutions and alternatives to the mass ignorance brought upon us by the public school system.
Every parent, pastor and teacher—whether public, Christian or private—in America should read this book. Unless we begin to make changes now, then we will truly become a nation of slaves to an ungodly system. And we must work fast, as many of the dangerous philosophies mentioned in Legally STUPiD are beginning to creep into the private and Christians schools that were established to be alternatives to the public school system.
Legally STUPiD can be purchased from Peach-Pine Publishing, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and NewsWithViews.com.
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The Old Schoolhouse,
The Magazine for Homeschooing Families
Review by Donna Campos http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/2344.php
Legally STUPiD is a revealing book about what is really going on in public education today. Although you may be wary of public education due to the students’ behavior (drug use, profanity, violence, rebellion, etc.), the worst part of public education (and the underlying cause of much of the poor student behavior) is the thorough infusion of humanistic philosophies in the development of educational methods. Why are so many high school students still unable to read? Why are so many students labeled as having some sort of mental deficiency? What are the consequences of group learning, the easy math, or catering to various learning styles? Legally STUPiD has amazing depth but is easy to understand. Randy Murray speaks from personal experience with high school students and school administrators. Without a doubt there is a deliberate effort to dumb-down the masses of students passing through the public schools- and every effort is made to make them feel good about it.. If you need concrete reasons to take your child out of the public schools this is the book for you. If friends or relatives assure you that your homeschooled or Christian schooled children are missing out by not being in public school, this is the book to give to them.
Gary Maldaner, Plain Path Publishers
If you know and love a child in public school this is for you! Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles…ANYONE who has a child they love in public schools should read this book. It is not about YOUR child being “stupid” it is about how the SYSTEM is skewed to the population that either demands special attention or, in fact, has core knowledge weaknesses (as opposed to learning disabilities) and the effect of that system on the child you love. You know the saying: “knowledge is power.” This book gives YOU the power to make a difference by the well-documented facts it reports in easy to understand language. Teachers should read it (although any I have mentioned it to condemn it without even reading it) to help them understand what they are doing. In many cases, they are being manipulated by the SYSTEM and forced to not use their skills and knowledge for good.
Sherry A. Snyder, BSN, RN, an aunt
Many Christian parents are concerned about drug use, violence and moral depravity in public schools, but most Christian parents still believe their children will get a better academic education in a public school than in a Christian school or home school. Legally STUPiD speaks to those parents, explaining how and why the academic problems in public schools are even worse than the moral issues…. As he [promised] in a Fayetteville Observer article in June 2005, RC Murray has now documented everything he ‘learned in today’s [public school] classroom and about today’s [public school] classroom.’ This book strongly promotes Christian education [i.e., a traditional Christian school or home school].
The Writer’s Edge
Legally STUPiD is not only for Baptists or Christians in general, but all Americans should read this book to find out what’s happening in this country today. Every American should be aware that there are people in high places attempting to keep their children from learning.
James R. Beller, pastor and author of America in Crimson Red and The Coming Destruction of the Baptist People
Ignorance is Bliss. Ignorance seems to be my theme for the month. It seems everyday there are more reminders. When I was in high school my English teacher often gave verbal quizzes. (Background: to give you an idea how old this never-been-married woman was, my dad was 32 years older than me and she was also his English teacher in high school.) And, after someone gave her an answer she would proceed to ask others, perhaps the entire class if they agreed with the answer of the first target/victim. It seemed a little safer to agree. In the mean time no one had the foggiest notion. She would then say “Ignorance is bliss.” We still didn’t have the foggiest notion.
Finally, one day after such an around-the-room quiz, Phyllis, who sat to my right, leaned over to me and asked, “What is bliss?” You guessed it; I didn’t have the foggiest! Finally, someone looked it up in the dictionary. I know, I know. You are wondering who in our class was smart enough to use a dictionary. As I remember it, we barely got it after learning the definition of bliss; actually, I guess the reality of knowing the teacher had said we were happy being ignorant didn’t really make any of us happy. Neither do I recall being motivated to really dive into English literature and risk being well informed but unhappy. English lit; ignorance is bliss seemed OK with me.
This blog has already about reached its limit as to length, and I haven’t gotten passed my own ignorance to my rant about ignorance throughout the rest of America, so I’ll add another important bit of information. The most recent book I read is titled “Legally Stupid, Why Johnny doesn’t have to read,” by R. C. Murray. You can learn more from his web site www.voicefromthepews.com.
I highly recommend Murray’s book for anyone, especially Christians, who have any interest in the education of our children. He provides extensive historical information about public schools, the men who started them, and then clearly illustrates the consequences of failing to train children using biblical principles. Murray, a former high school English teacher, relates to the reader his personal experiences, which clearly prove his points about our bankrupt public schools.
When I was in high school ignorance was bliss. Murray says of today’s students, “Willingly ignorant = dumb on purpose = stupid.”
I sure hope you learned something after reading this blog, otherwise .....
Dennis Rowan, HisSheepTracks.com
Accepting student failure: today, entrenched bureaucracies and various activist groups defend the status quo in America's schools, preventing any problems from being solved....In too many instances, school administrations defend the indefensible and attack the teachers who are trying to solve the problems. Former teacher and now public-school critic R.C. Murray has learned the hard way that administrations will enforce low standards and then "harass teachers about failing rates and class averages." In his book Legally Stupid: Why Johnny Doesn't Have to Read, Murray amply illustrates the harassment he faced because he insisted upon high standards. When he was teaching, Murray had students who slept in class, who did almost no homework, who had low test scores, and who were frequently absent or tardy. Yet he was the one taken to task because these students failed. Murray's administrators especially disapproved of the fact that he required that the students read their own assignments and do their own class work, instead of doing group learning--the administration wanted the good kids to prop up the unambitious students so that everyone could pass, whether they learned anything or not....We need to allow students to choose where to go to school and spend their school monies wherever they are accepted. This will force schools to make changes or close. Our children are worth it.
Kurt Williamsen, The New American
Local High School Graduate Writes Book Critical of Public Schools ** R.C. Murray, an alumnus of Dixon [High School and NCSU], Army veteran and self-described "former" public school teacher, takes on mainstream education in his book Legally Stupid: Why Johnny Doesn't HAVE to Read (Spring Lake, N.C.: Peach-Pine Publishing, $24).
Writing as an evangelical Christian, Murray disputes [learning] disability labels (including "academically gifted"), [learning style labels], group learning, "thematic visualization," block scheduling and other aspects of public education [today]. His core audience will be parents in church schools, charter schools and the home-schooling movement. People may order his book through www.voicefromthepews.com, or c/o Peach-Pine Publishing, P.O. Box 271, Spring Lake, N.C. 28390.
Ben Steelman, Wilmington StarNews
Article leads to a book**R.C. Murray once submitted an article to the Opinion section of the [Fayetteville] Observer about his experiences as a retired military man teaching in public schools.
After his article -- "Thousands are functionally illiterate" -- was published on June 2, 2005, Murray [promised] that he [would] write a book. He [kept his promise and] self-publised "Legally STUPiD: Why Johnny doesn't have to read," under the name Peach-Pine Publishing.
In one chapter, Murray lists what he believes are the Seven Deadly Sins of Public Education. He thinks -- and some of you might agree or disagree with him -- that these sins are "whole-language reading, holistic grading, learning-disability labels, learning-style labels, group learning, thematic visualization and block-scheduling."
He also writes about issues that he had with school administrators about his teaching style.
Murray sells his book for $28.24 (including tax and shipping) through www.voicefromthepews.com or Peach-Pine Publishing, P.O. Box 271, Spring Lake, NC 28390.
Meredith Jacobs, Fayetteville Observer
The dummification of Americans is nothing new -- the idea to change educational strategies that worked has been invading our nation since the 1920's (maybe even longer) -- someone figured out that it is much easier to lead (mislead) the ignorant and uneducated. As a home-schooling mother of 3, I was once accused of homeschooling my children so that I could brainwash them to my way of thinking. I was using homeschooling as a platform to project my beliefs. My accuser was a [public school] teacher who [herself] had been brainwashed into thinking that homeschooling was a bad thing. I reasoned that it made her job easier because the smaller the classroom, the better she could teach. And furthermore, what's wrong with projecting my beliefs onto my children? Is it alright for [public] schools to be used to project their platforms onto my children? There seems to be a double standard here. Public schools are failing our children. So what's the answer? Vouchers sound like a good idea -- anything that gives parents another choice. For me, I chose homeschooling. Parents need to really think about how much power we are willing to relinquish to public school systems. Fight back. Get yourselves educated on what's really happening in those school systems. Legally STUPiD is a good start.
R. Cash, Homeschooling Parent
Every parent should read this book. Legally Stupid will open your eyes as to what actually goes on in the public school system. Growing up, I was fortunate to receive my education through private, Christian schools; I am now reassured that my parents made the right decision about my education, a decision that I will also make for my children. Every parent should read Legally Stupid so they are able to make an informed decision on their children's education.
T. Murray, Real Estate Broker
Why Aren't Parents Paying Attention? Written by a former paratrooper who parachuted into the government schools as an English teacher, Legally Stupid gives an inside look at the madness that passes for public education today. The book is very funny in places, but does a good job of describing the impossible position that competent, conscientious teachers find themselves in. But if reading the book causes you to question why any competent adult would work in today's school system, it should cause you to question even more why any parent would give his children to an institution that is 'legally insane' and that is destroying children spirtually, morally, and intellectually. If you have children of school age, or who are near school age, read this book!
Anonymous Reviewer
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