Homeschool Happenings: Review ~ FreedomProject Education

My son and I had the privilege of participating in an online streamed class for FreedomProject Education entitled, Mother, Should I Trust the Government. This was an eight week online course taught by Dr. Jake Jacobs. FreedomProject Education has more classes for 2015. Go check them out. You can purchase Dr. Jacobs book at several online sites including Amazon.

Dr. Jacobs is both president and founder of the Politically Incorrect Institute. He holds degrees in American History and Judeo-Christian Studies from multiple institutions of learning. Over the past twenty-seven years, Dr. Jacobs has taught in both private and public schools, as well as at the college level. Over the years, Dr. Jacobs has been criticized for his passion for historical correctness and his position that our country was founded as a Republic Under God. Dr. Jacobs is an evangelical Christian and brings his strong Christian beliefs to his teaching. His desire is, that students, upon completing the course, have the ability to dialogue with better intelligence and understanding. This understanding allows the student to reflect upon their Christian beliefs and verbally express their passion for a nation conceived, based on "On Nation Under God."

This online class met once a week, for two hours, for eight weeks. The class time was recorded, so that, in the event that you had to miss all or part of any class, you were able to watch the video at a later time. Weekly e-mails were sent which included a link for the week's video recording of the class. With the class being once a week, I was a bit concerned that I might miss a class. Knowing that a video of the class could be accessed at a later time, was a wonderful perk. There were no tests or papers required for the course. The only required work, between classes, was reading sections of the book, Mother, Should I Trust The Government, written by Jake Jacobs PhD.

Discussion centered around such thoughts as:

Creating enough government to govern without corrupting
Finding and maintaining truth, (Veritas)
America is not a Democracy, rather it is a Constitutional Republic
Government officials are servants of the people
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws" ~Tacticus~
Balanced government
Totalitariamism ~ government takes control over every aspect of public and private life
America founded on Christianity
Democratic and Republican party platforms

Dr. Jacobs utilized slides throughout the lecture. He explained "the basics" as he went along, for those who had limited government understanding. He often recommended books and media that were relevant to the discussions.

Dr. Jacobs book, Mother, Should I Trust the Government, was a great read. The book was informative and we learned a lot. Throughout the book, Dr. Jacobs uses cartoons by A.F. Branco. Branco's Comically Incorrect comics brought a bit of laughter to the table.

My son's thoughts
My 13 year old son and I completed the course. My son thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Jacobs teaching. When I initially told my son about this course he grumbled and asked if he had to do it. After the first class, he changed his mind. He enjoyed the lectures, the book, and interacting during the class via the online chat board. My son eagerly read the book, Mother, Should I Trust the Government, and read the book section assigned each week on his own volition. He now has a much better understanding of how our government was created and functions. The class ignited his desire to further study government.

My thoughts
I was excited that I had the opportunity the review this course so I could have a better understanding of how our government functions . Dr. Jacobs was engaging, funny, and a wealth of knowledge. I would definitely take another course taught by Dr. Jacobs. I enjoyed reading, Mother, Should I Trust the Government. I liked the ability to actively interact during the class time through the open question and chat forum. I learned a great deal from taking Dr. Jacobs class and reading his book.

Final Thoughts
I would highly recommend this course to other homeschoolers and friends. Having an understanding of our government system and its workings is imperative if we want to be informed citizens, making informed decisions.

"The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government."

~Franklin D. Roosevelt~