8/15/13

Uphill Battle: Ex-Amish Struggle for a GED

Many of those who leave the Amish life struggle in our English world. One reason: our emphasis on education and earning degrees. This mindset is counter-cultural to the Amish, who conclude their education at 8th grade.

Why?

Education, they believe, is necessary only to support skills in their world like farming, math, reading, and writing. Anything beyond is unnecessary to their way of life. Any interest in higher education is suppressed. They want to preserve their community and way of life as they see it.

Most Amish do not celebrate individualism or individual achievement

Also, their belief system is against a large consolidated school system, preferring a one-room school serving children within the local settlement. Most Amish children walk to school. Harvey's tiny school was perched on a small rise near his farm.

When an Amish person leaves, he/she discovers that our society demands a broader, higher education - a minimum of high school diploma or GED. Many jobs or employers won't consider a candidate without this minimum education. And with today's high unemployment, college educated people are now competing with others (or stepping down) to apply for jobs requiring at least a diploma.

The struggle to study and earn a GED is mammoth because . . . 
  • First, English is their second language so the instructor or lesson verbiage is misunderstood. 
  • Second, they're learning high school subjects on a weak 8th grade education (most Amish teachers are those who merely completed Amish 8th grade; neither trained nor certified). "We never had homework," said Josh.
  • Third, most know nothing of science, politics, history, or social sciences. "What's a solar system?" Mosie once asked me. "What was the Civil War?" asked another.
  • Fourth, some ex-Amish had ugly - even abusive - experiences in their growing up years that left emotional scars about classroom learning. Corporal punishment and bullying was/is the norm.
Ex-Amish are intelligent and eager learners. They have education in areas I do not.

        My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy.
       That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than
       college professors. ~ Maya Angelou

However, they're at a disadvantage when studying (never taught study habits) and trying to meet our educational standard. I celebrate those who achieve this goal. Our precious son-in-law Harvey is preparing to take his GED test this year. Our "son" Mosie is still studying. Sarah and Monroe haven't enrolled . . . yet. Josh has tried twice and jobs or disinterest has interfered with his effort. Barb passed and went on to nursing school. Mose took his GED test three times before passing. Ira earned his GED, a college degree, and a J.D. but, he's rare.

Most states have bilingual materials but, sadly, none have materials for those with an Amish descent. I even phoned the ODE (Ohio Department of Education) asking if they could write materials respecting the limited Amish education and command of the English language. They thought it a good idea. Nothing happened.

If you know those who were born/raised and left the Amish, support their interest in earning a GED . . . or going on to college or a technical school. It's not to please me, you or anyone, but to complete a goal, feel more competent and confident, be more marketable, open new doors, and get a stable foothold on living successfully in our society.

Amish are in essence a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and a reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.

“Amish culture is small scale, it’s local, it’s compact, it’s practical, it doesn’t celebrate individualism or individual achievement,” Nolt said. “So a high school education in many ways just runs counter to a lot of Amish values. There are certainly values being taught in the public schools that the Amish would favor — politeness, working hard, taking turns, doing your best. But the emphasis on higher education — that at every level it’s about maximizing individual achievement and potential — in that way, Amish life and values are quite different.”

According to Nolt, there are probably three or four major Amish objections to high school which are rooted in a history that goes back into the early 20th century.

“At that time, very few people went to high school at all,” Nolt said. “But as the years progressed, that began to change, and schools began to consolidate and grow larger. The Amish tried to resist going along with some of those changes because they were trying to maintain their community and way of life as they understood it.” - See more at: http://goshennews.com/local/x240790134/Most-Amish-students-will-conclude-their-formal-education-at-eighth-grade#sthash.hVww9brt.dpuf

Amish belief system.

The Amish are in essence a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and a reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.

“Amish culture is small scale, it’s local, it’s compact, it’s practical, it doesn’t celebrate individualism or individual achievement,” Nolt said. “So a high school education in many ways just runs counter to a lot of Amish values. There are certainly values being taught in the public schools that the Amish would favor — politeness, working hard, taking turns, doing your best. But the emphasis on higher education — that at every level it’s about maximizing individual achievement and potential — in that way, Amish life and values are quite different.”

According to Nolt, there are probably three or four major Amish objections to high school which are rooted in a history that goes back into the early 20th century.

“At that time, very few people went to high school at all,” Nolt said. “But as the years progressed, that began to change, and schools began to consolidate and grow larger. The Amish tried to resist going along with some of those changes because they were trying to maintain their community and way of life as they understood it.” - See more at: http://goshennews.com/local/x240790134/Most-Amish-students-will-conclude-their-formal-education-at-eighth-grade#sthash.hVww9brt.dpuf
If you subscribe to (follow by email) my blog, you get each new post in your email inbox. If not, then come back here next week for more true Amish stories.

See ya next week, Brenda

(c)Copyright 2013, Brenda Nixon.

15 comments:

  1. Not all Amish schools provide a weak education. I got a very good one, good enough that after leaving the Amish I signed up to take GED preparation classes but after doing a placement test to see where I need to focus on studying in order to pass my GED test I was informed I'm ready to take it right away. I passed on my first try with a 700+ average and had needed only a 450. I would have had a near perfect score except I was a little rusty on some of the algebra. And yes, the Amish school I attended also taught algebra, but since it was close to twenty years between graduating from the Amish school to my attempt at a GED I could have used a refresher on some of the math that I was rusty on.

    I'm sorry the ex-Amish you are helping had such a poor education, but rest assured there are some really good Amish schools out there.

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    1. Again, if you read my blog description (above) you see that I speak mainly of Swartzentruber Amish, and have avoided painting with broad strokes that all Amish are the same (unlike Amish fiction books).
      Glad you had a very good education and pursued a GED. I celebrate your independence and personal drive. Thanks for reading the blog and leaving your experience.

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  2. Anonymous, it is so true that there are different sects within the Amish culture. I know of only one group (but multi communities) that seem to take pride in sloppiness, and hardship for hardships sake. Most of the others have a strong work ethic and do want to learn skills in the trade, whether farming, building etc.

    The Beachy Amish/Mennonite for instance has an outreach to bring these more backwards Amish to know Jesus Christ.

    I am really glad that my friend Brenda Nixon is helping these abused ex-Amish.

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  3. Oh, I just re-read where your Amish children are from. Yep.

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    1. Always good to read your comments Sharon; you bring a unique, seasoned experience to this blog. Yep, I agree most Amish have a strong work ethic and quickly learn skills in their trade.

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  4. I agree with Anonymous and Sharon about the quality of Amish education. However, every scholar has a different learning ability. Regardless of how great the education is, the learning ability will either cause the learning to come easy or will require much more time and effort, which seems evident in that while it took Mose three tries to pass his GED, Barbara and Ira passed immediately and went on to study further.

    Secondly, I totally agree about the second language factor. English language learners have so many more hurdles to jump over when it comes to learning. There is much switching going on in the brain as they process the incoming language, make a connection, then translate into their first language, then come up with the response in the home language, translate it back into the second language to then spit it out. No easy feat.

    Making it more difficult are the words and figures of speech which they're not familiar with. This results in having to look them up or rely on someone to explain (hopefully without making them feel not smart).....huge hurdle. Also, when people hear them speak English, they assume the person understands everything they say, and if there’s not an immediate response (microwave mentality) they looking at the person like, "Why aren't you answering/commenting...?"

    I applaud the efforts and determination of these young people. I also agree with your comment, Brenda, as well as the Maya Angelou quote. I know your kids can run circles around me with things they know and can do that I can't.

    On another note, what is up with Ohio (and other states) that seem to not be proactive on Amish issues. It appears that they are clueless when it comes to having policies in place for Amish that need identification, etc., and have no documents, birth certificates and so on (hence, the wild goose chases they send you on), and they don't have bilingual materials to help with their language needs. Makes no sense.

    Your kids are blessed to have people that encourage them and help them. That in itself is a huge factor in their being able to achieve any academic goals that they have. No matter what the age of the student, having an encourager and supporter makes a world of difference. I’m cheering them on and praying for them.

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    1. haha, always great to hear from another educator. Thanks for pointing out the ESL (or ESOL) and the idiom challenges. I've talked with a local GED instructor 'til I'm blue in the face and she still doesn't "get it" about the Amish being from another culture. She still doesn't adapt her classroom to respect their learning challenges. I ended up tutoring Josh & Harvey myself for a while. Alas, Josh hasn't pursued the GED test and Harvey found an online preparation that's helping him and his learning style.

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  5. if the teachers at the Amish schools have the same education they are teaching, how do they decide who becomes a teacher? Or how do they decide who does other jobs? I know that most men are farmers and the women mostly stay home. Are men or women teachers? Do only men go outside the home to work? And if you do something other than farming, who decides that you are the one to do it if everyone has the same education? Is it just based on who wants to do it?

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    1. Thanks for your questions Emma. In my experiences, the teachers are those who want to teach. Period. Monroe told me his mother was the teacher for a year or two, another said that a teenager was the school teacher. Some have told me that they had a man teacher. I do know an English (outsider) lady who has advanced education and was hired as the teacher in an Amish school.
      As for who does other jobs; typically the boys follow/work with their father. Monroe worked with his dad building custom cabinets; Uriah worked for an English farmer milking cows; Sarah worked in her brother's flooring shop; I can't remember what Josh, Mosie, and Harvey did after 8th grade & before leaving Amish.
      Once married, women are expected to stay home, tend the house and the kids.
      Hope this answers your curiosity.

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  6. This is interesting about their education and language. I didn't expect it to be so different. Cathy Shouse

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  7. Brenda,you are doing a very commendable deed helping these young people obtain higher education.I regret not persuing a college education years earlier. I'm still in school,and will likely be for several years to come. I can see where having a mentor,coach would have been a very valuable asset. For example,the enrollment process at a college can be overwhelming,if not intimidating,in itself. However,I havn't looked back since doing so.I now have seventy some college credits and I am very proud of it.Many more to go! Higher education is more vital today than ever. As I've heard said: "the best investment you can make is in yourself." And, "the only thing more expensive than education is ignorance."

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  8. I recently met someone who left their community in southern PA. I provided some recommendations on reading materials to kickstart his learning (Khan Academy, Coursera, reading news publications like NPR or NYTimes) to prepare but I'm not quite sure what good resources are--do you have good recommendations on whom he could reach out to (local high school or community college?) and online resources that have information he could browse? Thanks so much

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    1. Excellent question and thanks for being willing to help. In our state each county has a career center with a GED program. I believe it's under the ABLE (adult something education). Try contacting the local career center.
      Also, the public library has GED preparation books.
      Best wishes to you and the someone who left the community.

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