I am coming up on my 500th radio show. Go figure! I was looking back on the titles and content of the shows, and I realized that one of the topics most discussed is education – not necessarily how good it is, but how our children are being taught contrary to many of our basic beliefs and facts.

Disclaimer – Read carefully before proceeding: Not all teachers are doing this. Not all school districts are not doing this. Not all administrators are doing this. But there are enough of them doing it that it should bother you.

When it comes to K-12, I believe our education system needs to get back to reading, writing and arithmetic. That’s their job. Not social issues and not revisionist history.

On the social side, we’re teaching topics such as “How to put on a condom,” “What type of sexual situations are acceptable,” “Religion: Myth or Truth,” “Do sports like dodge ball  teach bullying?”

We are 47th in the world when it comes to math and science, and we are worried that a child will not know how to use a condom.

A side note here: A recent study showed teenage pregnancy and abortion rates are down, but it’s because of abstinence, not condom usage. Go find that tidbit in the mainstream media. Sadly, abstinence is not usually taught in schools. It’s taught in churches, places of worship, and homes.

Your children are being taught that it’s normal to have sex at 12, 13, 14 and so on, as long as you have protection. Do you really think this is a lesson to be taught at school?

Your children are being taught that all forms, types and styles of sex are permissible, as long as you are properly instructed in technique and safety. Do you think this is a lesson that should be taught in school?

Your daughter can be taken to Planned Parenthood for an abortion, off of school property, without your knowledge. But if she has a headache, she has to suffer through it because they can’t administer drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) to her without your written permission. And if you send someone like grandma or grandpa to pick your child up from school and they are not on “the list,” your child can’t go home with them.

Hello? There is something wrong here.

Even one district that I’m aware of teaches about “bestiality” because children may experiment with it, and we need to make sure they know how to be safe in it. I wish I were kidding. And guess what, parents? You can’t opt out.

When it comes to history, we are in worse shape, from Columbus being nothing more than a mass murderer because of all the native Americans he slaughtered, to the pilgrims who were the first Mafia organization in America, to the Founding Fathers who were nothing more than old, white slave owners.

Let’s reflect on that last one. When you tell young children that the Founding Fathers of this nation had money and were mostly white, religious fanatics who owned slaves, what impression do you think that makes on a young mind?

Then you go on to teach things like how America, the bully, needlessly killed millions of Japanese, restarting World War II by dropping bombs on them just when the war was coming to an end. Yes, that’s actually a chapter in a history book. In what time warp did that happen? Even today’s Japanese historians admit that the U.S. dropping those bombs saved millions of lives all over the world. But those in education who hate America in its current state won’t allow the facts to prevail. They know, like Hitler did, that if you indoctrinate the youth, you can eventually change the country.

America is a great nation. America has stepped in to help many a nation on humanitarian causes: food, health care, disaster relief. Americans give more money to nations after a national disaster than all others, combined.

We are told by many political experts that we should be looking for the good in nations and peoples. How about they start right here at home? America is the greatest nation on this planet. Yes, we have our flaws, but we are continually working to fix them. I can’t image being a citizen of any other country.

These are just a few examples. It can seem disheartening, but there is good news. It’s a common thread: When a parent got involved, things changed. They checked their child’s backpack and regularly asked what they learned in school that day. Then they followed up with the school when something didn’t look or sound right.

The important thing, parents, is to stay engaged and involved in your child’s life, more than just asking whether they did their homework. If you don’t like what you hear, call the school. If you don’t get the proper answer there, call the district office, go to a school board meeting, and like our Founding Fathers, never give up. Never stop the fight. Our children are our future. You can and will make a difference.

Joe Messina is host of The Real Side (TheRealSide.com), a nationally syndicated talk show that runs on AM-1220 KHTS radio and SCVTV [here]. He is also an elected member of the Hart School Board. His commentary publishes Mondays.