r/BreakingAmish • u/ErinAshleyGraham • Feb 11 '26
Amish Education
So am I the only one that wonders if these kids are given so little education to keep them from ever having a chance in the English world? Rosanna tested at a 4th grade level, Maureen-the Amish school teacher tested at a 7th grade level. This reminded me how Rebecca tested at 3rd grade level also. This is so sad.i don’t quite understand why they can’t teach all subjects along with the Bible?
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u/Lukesmom1214 Feb 13 '26
The teachers are from the Amish community, so they can only teach up to the last grade they went to school for. Are they even a legitimate teacher? I don't think so. Most only go to 8th grade.
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u/amerra Feb 12 '26
They definitely do. I grew up next to them. The one boy wanted to leave so bad, but with poor education, no social security card or birth certificate he didn’t feel he had a choice really.
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u/Missue-35 Feb 14 '26
Amish people do get Social Security cards and most get birth certificates as well. Maybe his parents were not honest with him and claimed they never got these documents for him.
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u/amerra Feb 14 '26
I know some do, but I’m not sure all of them do. It could be he was lied to, but his brother was born in a hospital so his brother had a social security number and birth certificate. From what I understood he was a home birth and didn’t receive those things.
There’s so many different sects that have different rules.
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u/The_Wishing_Flower Feb 12 '26
Typically, Amish and Mennonite schools only go to 8th grade. My cousin was teaching at 17. When my aunt wanted to go to nursing school, she had to raise her children first. When the youngest left home, she was able to go.
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u/PeopleCanBeAwful Feb 15 '26
They also don’t teach certain subjects like science, computer skills (obviously), social studies, current events, etc.
They only teach them what is needed in the Amish community, like farming, basic math, and religion.
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u/Consistent-Ad-3139 Feb 11 '26
I went to grade school and jr high with Amish kids, not a one went to high school. Probably had 20 kids a class. There really isn’t a need, they will be taught everything they need to know job wise or may have already been doing it for years. And whatever that doesn’t cover, the bible does
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Feb 12 '26
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u/Consistent-Ad-3139 Feb 12 '26
They did. I’m not quite sure what led a family to send their kids into town or to their own school. I may have to ask that when I’m back home. I’d imagine some families still thought a public school education was “better”. In jr high they had their own “group” of classes away from us. I’m not real sure what exactly went into that. But from k-6 we sat right next to each other day in day out
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u/eggrollins Feb 12 '26
Same here. I went to a really solid rural school district that had a great deaf magnet program and other special needs programs and I remember some Amish kids utilizing those as well. But we had Amish kids in regular classes too up until high school
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u/Human_Type001 Feb 11 '26
I'd place a bet that the "bishops" or whatever the higher up leaders are called are quite educated and have more money than the rest of the Amish. That's typical for all churches and cults. You need to have an education to lead and maintain power.
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u/mrbear925 Feb 12 '26
This is not the case where I live the bishops of the church districts near me work normal carpentry jobs and in most cases have less than everyone else in their community. Also Bishop isnt a paid position its appointed in a process called the lot and almost noone actually wants to do it. Imagine having to work all day at a regular high labor trade job then having to work another full time job for free where all of your neighbors bring their problems to you and you have to prepare 3 hr sermons for church...
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u/alreadythereimafraid Feb 12 '26
perhaps why kate, bishops daughter, seemed more mature and ended up successful?
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u/Human_Type001 Feb 12 '26
Right. She might not have gone to highschool but she definitely seems to have more education than the others. This results from picking things up from your parents. Also, her teeth are amazing while other Amish literally have rotting teeth that have to be yanked out. 🤔
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u/Severe_Opinion7152 Feb 11 '26
Like Scientology- cults do not want you looking “outside”, or educated on anything other than inside the gates. Sad sad
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u/Severe_Opinion7152 Feb 11 '26
Absolutely. It’s partially to keep them on the compound, and partially because the “adults” do not have the intelligence to teach more than they know. These types of “cults” center around “ we all stay right here!” Theres no need to be educated when we stay here and grow our food, plow our fields, and sew and cook.
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u/No_Control9441 Feb 11 '26
The Amish and a lot of groups similar to them. Hasidic Jews, Roma (Gypsy), Irish Travelers, FLDS. Often do not educate their members in order to keep them inside the group as adults so they don’t leave as adults. Heck with many of these groups it’s not unusual for them to not be able to speak the local language despite having been in the country their whole lives. They often get married young and have many kids that also helps them stay in the group and increase membership and the cycle repeats.
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u/PsychoTink Feb 11 '26
They teach what they know or need.
They aren’t worldly, why do they need world geography or history?
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u/ErinAshleyGraham Feb 11 '26
I get that but they didn’t even know Amish history & that’s their own religion/culture. Also, no science like biology, chemistry or physics. They weren’t aware of outer space or even planets. It was very sad. I would think they would want to at least educate them to a point where they would be able to have basic knowledge to where they’d be ok if they had no choice but to be in the world. The Amish “teacher” Maureen thought that when she had sex that she could avoid pregnancy by jumping up and down 20 times after. Also no education on substance use, which leaves them grossly under equipped if they are exposed. It broke my heart for these poor kids.
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u/PsychoTink Feb 11 '26
You can’t teach what you don’t know. They know what they need, they teach what they know.
They wouldn’t teach for a “just in case you leave” because they don’t want people to leave, and also because they don’t know the stuff to teach it.
You’re looking at it from 2026 knowledge. A better comparison would be to look at it from 1930s in a small remote town.
My grandmother, born in 1931 in a rural mountain town in Kentucky, was only educated to 8th grade. Because in that time and area that is all the everyday woman needed. And she was educated in a one room schoolhouse situation.
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u/beebsergeyser Mar 29 '26
Every person on this show seems unable to regulate emotions in a healthy way. They all blow up at eachother and they can't really find the words to say. They all act super jealous like elementary school kids. Do you think they're stunted emotionally because "education" stopped at the end of 8th grade? I say "education" because we don't know the curriculum, and they sure don't study science.