End Compulsory Education

have you ever tried to have a conversation with a homeschooled kid?

sheesh

 

yeah they're a little bit too shy in my experience. I mean a bit shy is ok... but these people can't even hold your gaze...

 

Oh yea, and of course they are all like that. Whatever "like that" means... Of course it does stand to reason that people who live in totally different ways MIGHT have some trouble relating to each other... Guess that's unacceptable and everyone needs to live under the same handicaps to be "equal"? Yah........

 

The way I see it, the problem of HOW we're thaught is greater than the problem of WHAT we're thaught.

Children should be thaught to be creative. Instead they stick to the rules to be sure to get a good grade.
They should be thaught autonomy, critical thaught. Instead the teacher has a great authority, almost like a paternalist authority. The students generally keep low profile just like average citizens, it assures social cohesion. The downside of this is that today's society needs intellectually critical citizens.

I think the citizen sees society the same way the child sees the teacher.

Be a good citizen and society will give a reward (money, etc.)
Be a good student and teacher will give a reward (good grades, etc.)

It's not all bad. It keeps social stability. But today's authority needs to be challenged. There are great problems to be solved and if we can't wait the leader authority (politicians and corporations) to solve them.

That is why the students MUST learn CREATIVITY wich leads to AUTONOMY and CRITICAl THAUGHT and eventually citizens will get of there asses and built that better society.

 

I was told over and over again as a student that we go to school to learn to think....
I was sitting in study hall one day, quietly staring off into space with a book open in front of me. The teacher asked me what I thought I was doing and I told him that I thought school was all about teaching kids how to think and that was what I was doing. I got sent to the office!

 

You're putting too much emphasis on what school's are meant to do.

Parents exist to teach kids how to think.
Schools exist to teach kids enough basic knowledge to get by in the world.

Criticizing schools for failing at the former is like hating trees for failing to grow in the shape of 2 x 4s.

 

Creativity, autonomy, and critical thought can be taught at home, it needn't necessarily be the sole responsibility of the schools, though I'll admit that depending on the district your kid is in, it can be pretty restrictive if the teachers are vindictive and controlling, which is why it's important to be aware of what's going on at school, and make sure your kids' teachers aren't assholes (and if they are complain to the board of ed or switch 'em to a different teacher). Our thirteen year old son is creative, artistic, and intelligent, and he's the freak show we let him be, yet they're cool with it at his school, so we can't complain. He reminds me of what I was like before I went in the military and became a machine *lol*, only he's way cooler than I was, 'cause he's got cooler parents than we had. He's NOT going in the military, that's all I can say. When he was in second grade, he had some bitchy teacher who was determined to break his spirit 'cause it's convenient to have the kids in your class afraid and subservient, right? My wife went to the board and complained, and made sure he got a cooler teacher the following year.

As for home schooling, 'ain't no "them", it's what you make of it. My hat's off to anyone who can handle home schooling their kids. It can't be easy, but I'm sure it's one of the best things you can do for your kids (assuming you're not an asshole).

 

This sytem would work if parents taught their kids to think in an intelligeant way.

Most just plug 'em in the front of the TV though.

And, whether it was designed for this purposely or not, School DOES theach the kids how to think. I see it everyday at school.
Kids learn that intellectual work is kinda boring, except if you have a REWARD at the end. And in society it doesn't change. Why work your ass off trying to help society? It isn't paid.

It should be the parents job to teach creativity, etc. to the kids, but they often went in a similar school system, with the same materialistic values (I see the grades as a materialistic reward). They trust school as a secure way for their kids to live a confortable life, with money and conformity.

 

Really? i shudder at the thought of my life if i had been homeschooled.
That is scary stuff.

 

That's why I HIGHLY recommend that if you are homeschooling your kids, it's ALOT easier to switch with another homeschooling family, teach THEIR kids and they teach yours. Your OWN kids know every button to push and have a way of not being nearly so respectful to you as they would be to someone else...

 

Then the obvious conclusion to come to is that homeschooling wouldn't be any more successful, if it's a failure in the parents.

 

Maybe. But, I'm not blaming the parents. You can't improve the way parents teach, they're already grown-up adults. So the only solution is to improve the school system.

 

The public school system will not improve in our lifetimes. Because it's becoming more and more militarized, and less and less friendly. Lock-downs, unannounced drug raids. PAYING kids to get good grades and behave acceptably with play money they can spend at school, thereby promoting the love of money and stuff over honor and morals. Teachers are no longer allowed to "befriend" kids here. The master/slave concept is now the accepted norm. To say nothing of the FORCED immunizations, government with their noses buried firmly up the parents butt. School is a very good way for the authorities to keep tabs on what's going on at home. Then you have the epidemics of sickness and headlice, the bullies, the long bus rides, and a system that does not care so much about actually TEACHING as they do about CONTROLLING. If I had it to do over again, my kids would not have had to spend ONE SINGLE DAY in that environment.
I guess the biggest education I got in school myself, and then with my kids in school, was that it's no place to send kids! People think they are depriving their kids by not sending them to school! I guess it never occurs to them that there is a whole lot more to life and learning out there besides THAT... I find most people are depriving their kids by SENDING them to public school. The biggest trouble is that the PARENTS were mostly all educated in PUBLIC SCHOOL and so they too are somewhat handicapped as far as being able to use their imagination...

 

Why, are your parents assholes?

I shudder to think what would've happened to me too, considering the lunatics my parents were, assuming I had to spend entire days exclusively with them, but home schooling needn't necessarily entail lack of socialisation, especially if you have a cooperative, as earthmother suggests. I could visualize a scenario in which a group of like minded folk could take turns assuming the roll of teacher, hell, we'd probably learn a great deal in the process. Of course, "main stream" society would frown on that, because they can't control it, or be controlled by it.

 

I went to the same school as my father, and he said the teachers used to beat students there, but I came out bruise-free. So you could make a fairly convincing argument against this.

Drugs aren't good for kids.

If you're a pessimist. Or you could argue that it helps teaches them to be financially responsible.

This is a generalization. I maintain communication with several of my highschool teachers. I like to drink beer with them.

Do you not see the illogic in mentioning both of these?

Bullies and bus rides build character.

I think I live a full and rich life, and guess what - I went to public school. I had a good time there. I learned lots. It prepped me for university.

Oh, the tragedy.

 

Of course, not with THAT attitude!

 

Public school does nothing for I. I guess I've just come to this conclusion that I've failed for years and years just because I don't give a shit. I think thats a good thing. I see all the flaws in the system. Fuck bullies and bus rides, that doesn't build character, it builds hate and dislike twords other people. And hit lists..
Everything within it is fucked. I learn in a few classes like English, and will be taking psychology and everything but seriously, I've gained very little from school.

 

I'm glad I was homeschooled. I went to school for a while, but didn't do well due to my learning disability and not being accomodated..I just remember it being really horrible to try to fit in, act like I understood so as not to look dumb, etc. I try to block out that time in my life.

Yea..school sucks. I learned a lot more in homeschooling. I just do well learning on my own and one-on-one.

 

I find it ironic myself that before mankind really got into education mother nature was in much better shape. Now that we're into it she's slowly but steadily dyin' man.

 

I didn't learn shit in school. I barely got through it. I don't know how I passed the GED, and I've forgotten everything I learned in the class I had to take to pass it. But I've learned plenty since I've gotten out of high school. My sister and I are naturally curious people, so we often google things we don't know about and learn that way, all on our own. I've learned a lot from the internet, and Hip Forums as well! I agree that education should be based on more creative methods, our current system doesn't seem to be producing very good results.