Education. A foundational and structural topic. The Amish, just like any other group, has their own views on education. As a matter of fact, they have their own schools. But most people who are at least basically familiar with Amish ways would know this. Nonetheless, as the Amish certainly believe in outside of the home education, I want us to consider how this works. The varying facets of it. So, let’s spend some time today contemplating this topic and what Amish education is all about, and this with some contemplating on the future as well.

       So why have your own schools in the first place? Well, that’s obvious. Having your own school makes it so that you decide what is taught. And that’s exactly the reason here. This is particularly cool because the Amish, for instance, are able to avoid topics like evolution. This is quite a contrast to what is taught in many public schools today. Then comes the understanding that everything will come from Biblical worldview. I don’t think it’s that religious beliefs are taught in school, but the foundation of the Christianity is there at all times.

       What about the issue of language? Certainly they use their own, unique Pennsylvania Dutch in the schools? Actually no. The Dutch is the language used in the home up and to the point that the young children enter into school. Then, once school begins, it’s all English. That’s how the children learn the English language. That’s how they become bilingual. So, it’s not too late to start, at whatever age they enter, say five or six years old. They will therefore end up fluent in both languages, able to speak English as if it is their first.

       There is more than the Biblical worldview and the language that is controlled. We could look at the fact that size of the school is thought-out by the fact they the schools are usually placed throughout the communities so that they are not overcrowded. The locations are typically close by for the students, so that they really aren’t that far from home. This invariably means they are with fellow students who are from their own community. Only Amish kids in Amish schools. That’s a form of protection. It then limits the influence from the world.

       We might even want to briefly consider discipline, in that the plain people are able to deal out this area as they see fit. Since the schoolteachers are typically young Amish women, they are able to administer discipline in a way that the Amish want when necessary. This perhaps contrasts with the public school system where discipline might be given in a different manner that Amish parents wouldn’t approve of. Saturday detentions probably wouldn’t do it for the Amish. Or even after school detentions for that matter. Nonetheless, Amish kids are known to be pretty well-behaved, so let’s hope discipline doesn’t even need to be given that much.

       It’s not that the kids don’t have fun. Far from it. Besides the hope that they find school fun in and of itself, there is recess. For whatever reason, I remember when I visited Lancaster County in Pennsylvania that the playgrounds were particular distinguished there at some of the schools along the roadways. Looked nice and clean. I have even seen some with baseball diamonds. Pretty cool. Personally, I would suppose they would deem that as too ‘English,’ but evidently not. Thank goodness. Gotta have baseball. It’s so fun.

       Let’s switch gears here and contemplate on the fact that the Amish only go to school for eight grades. I know, I know. It seems hard to believe when one first learns this. I know for me I was kind of surprised. Why is this the case, however? Well, it used to be that the Amish kids would help out with the farming, especially the guys I think. They would learn how to farm once eighth grade was completed so they could carry on the family business. Actually, after understanding that, it seems good that this is the way it is. Nowadays, however, I reckon it’s usually more of some other type of trade versus actually farming.

       A study of 20th century Amish history will include that fact that numerous parents paid a heavy price at times for belief—that of not having their kids attend school past eighth grade. When government run public schools at times wanted the Amish to send their kids to high school, and the Amish parents wouldn’t do it, they were arrested in some cases and jailed. I’m not going to get into any of the specifics regarding this, other than that the U.S. Supreme Court settled the matter in 1972. But this undoubtedly led the Amish once again being leery of the government (not that they necessarily already weren’t). It’s interesting after what happened to them several hundred years ago, the persecution that led them to America to begin with, still holds fast in their minds.

       Some people in the English world might believe only attending eight grades to be detrimental to the child. The thought process would probably go something like, “You are depriving the kids of higher education in which they could develop talents and abilities they otherwise couldn’t develop.” Well, it depends on what the parents goals are. If the Amish person is going to remain an Amish person and living in their society, then I don’t personally see anything wrong with it. There are so many advantages to way the Amish conduct schooling, some of which I have previously mentioned. And you have to consider that there are only a limited number of occupations the Amish man works, and the woman usually is expected to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.

       So, no college? Yes, that is true. The Amish don’t attend college. Not necessary for their goals. Besides, too worldly. Is that a loss? Well, I don’t think so if a person is going stay Amish. Nonetheless, if a person, on the other hand, wanted to leave the faith and go out into the world, they certainly they could go to college and learn quite a bit. Have a career in whatever they wanted. Some Amish have done this in fact. I always believe that the Amish individual should have the free choice on whether he or she wants to remain Amish or not, and this without pressure. It seems in some cases they do, but sometimes I wonder about the pressure.

       I had dinner with an Amish fellow recently (he was of a higher order Amish) and he didn’t go to school past the eighth grade. Said he learned his trade of woodworking from his father. Does the same thing as is father. And I believe he is pretty good at it. He seemed happy and content with the choice. I asked him why he didn’t go to high school. Never had the desire to, he said, and really didn’t need to. Would have been no need, he went on to say, to learn this and that subject he was never going to use. Like that complicated math. In the back of my mind, though, there is that thought that you don’t know what you don’t know. What I mean is could he have been happier doing something else? Obviously, there is no way to know that.

       This is a common argument that we hear from time to time. That because the Amish don’t attend public schools and even high school or college, they are perhaps missing out on things in life that could make them happier. The argument has to have some merit, maybe. I mean, an Amish person who would be good at playing the piano will probably never know that. Or, a person who might enjoy being an airline pilot will never have that opportunity. Personally, though, at the end of the day, I don’t think it matters as much as we might think it does. And by that I mean that happiness ultimately comes from the inside, how one frames things in his or her mind. So, no matter what the external circumstances, a person can be happy.

       While the plain folks could theoretically have their own high schools and remain separate, this would be pretty difficult when it came to college. I mean, I guess they could have their own colleges. Maybe they will someday? That’s kind of a humorous thing to think about. Perhaps as the Amish move more and more away from farming, college would make sense. They could have the campus out in the countryside where only Amish would attend. Teach certain trades. Woodworking. Furniture making. Even farming let’s say. Better ways to farm. More precise ways. Get more out of your work kind of stuff. Sounds interesting to me. Let’s wait and see. Perhaps it really will happen someday.

       But what about the Amish youth running wild? Rumspringa. I mean, would it be better for the youth to be in high school where they would perhaps be together, and not be tempted to be out in the world? I’m not sure about this. It is an interesting thing to consider. One could argue that having the Amish in high school and even college could make them more unified. It seems possible that it could. But, then, at the same time, wouldn’t it just be that they are running wild while they are in high school? Like a lot of the English youth do? I think that is likely the case of what would happen. Something to ponder nonetheless.

       And, we need to remember that it is during the time of high school that baptism occurs, or doesn’t occur, depending on the person’s choice. The water baptism takes place when the person decides to officially join the Amish church. We often think of the Amish youngsters as Amish, but technically, by definition they are not official members of the church until they are water baptized. So anyway, the implantation of high school could make it so that there is a greater ‘group’ decision in deciding to become baptized. This actually could be a bad thing. People should make that choice on their own, and not just because everyone else is doing it. You want people to be in the Amish because they really want to, and not because they feel pressured into making that choice.

       So this is an area where the youth has the choice to become Amish. But going back to when a youth exits the eighth grade, does that individual really have a decision on what occupation they are going to work? I suppose a lot of times they don’t. And, one might see this as a particularly bad thing. I guess it just depends on how you look at it. On the one hand, it doesn’t seem right that an Amish person would not get to ‘choose’ their career path. On the other hand, if they are happy in that career path that they were guided into, and can do it well, perhaps it doesn’t matter as much. I believe happiness is pretty important. If one isn’t happy in what they are doing, then that is a problem I believe. Doesn’t there need to be some ability to be good at what one is doing?

       But then to leave the Amish world altogether, to decide not to be baptized, that is a big choice. That means the person goes out into the world. And, interestingly enough, because they grew up and were educated in the Amish ways, it might be particularly difficult for them to make that adjustment. I suppose we already know that from the numerous accounts of individuals who have left the faith. The journey usually seems pretty difficult. Sometimes they don’t even have the correct paperwork to get a job in the outside world, or even go to college. I mean, think about it. If one is used to a very community based society, and then ventures out into a pretty individualistic society, that would be undoubtedly hard. There would be a great deal to learn.

       That is where one could argue that it’s not fair that the Amish youth doesn’t learn anything more outside of what they learn. If they decide to leave the community, they’re in trouble because they were only taught the Amish ways. So, in a way, it seems that the freedom of choice should have been allowed throughout life. But then to counter this argument, you could say it’s no different with the English at least as pertains to religion. If an English individual is raised Presbyterian or Catholic and then decides to leave that faith for something else or nothing at all, they don’t know anything about any other faith probably. However, in this example, the religion usually isn’t tied into all facets of life. So, I don’t imagine it’s quite the same for the English person wanting to leave.

       But, we could say the English individual wanting to leave the religion isn’t usually frowned upon, at least to the degree it might be in Amish culture. Of course, this is hypothetical and speculative. I suppose in some English circles, where the religious upbringing was strict, it could be hard to go another way. It could lead to shunning from the father or the mother, or a sibling. If the Amish person decides not to join as a youth, though, and is never baptized, there is no shunning that occurs. It is only when the baptism has occurred that there is a problem if they leave, or least, so I understand. Let’s hope it really is that way, though, I do doubt it in some instances.

       Anyway, from grade school, to discussing high school and college, I think we now have a pretty good perspective of how the Amish ways work in regards to education, and even how they could theoretically work. Whether one agrees with how they do things or not, it definitely is interesting. And perhaps, just perhaps, in the future there is room for Amish innovation, to change some of the ways for the better maybe. Certainly, it will be interesting to see what occurs over the next twenty to thirty years, or even fifty years. What will the Amish do? How will things change, if at all? It all will be interesting to see.

- Daniel Litton

To comment on this post, tap here to go to the comments page.