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Comment by danielvaughn | Hacker News Reader

Another long term (and equally hidden) consequence is the loss of critical educational development in children. We adults can toss off 2 years because it's just a drop in the bucket to us, but 2 years for a child represents a potentially staggering setback in their mental development.

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I agree with you, but I think it overstated the value of schooling as the only source of this development. There are so many free online education sources it is truly amazing, and yet for some reason our society’s answer to the pandemic was to have Zoom school at home which no one is happy with, rather than embrace different delivery methods that are actually engaging. Khan Academy, Duolingo, etc etc. I don’t think my kids are behind at all as a result of utilizing these technologies.

Yes, thankfully 100% of kids have access to their own computer, sufficient internet access, an environment free of stress or distractions, and the focus and internal motivation to be an successful auto-didact in the absence of adult supervision… /s

Almost all of your concerns are the same in the scenario of Zoom home school.

Internal motivation is needed for success in learning no matter what delivery mechanism is utilized. Having a teacher in a box on a screen is not going to change whether a student has internal motivation.

Auto-didact is not the same as having an app teach and guide through levels of learning any different than having a teacher lead it.

I feel like your comment is a knee jerk, disingenuous reaction rather than honest consideration of alternatives to the false dichotomy of “in class school” and “zoom school”, but whatever floats your boat.

You (and by virtue, your children) are an outlier.

The most vast swathe of people in this country are not like this.

Schooling is not about learning. It's a mix of daycare, social development/grooming for the workforce, and the removal of the parent's influence on the child's development, in order to serve the state's goals.

Children that are motivated to learn something, will find a way to learn it.

I did a few years of entirely self-directed home school (single parent who worked) for late middle school/early high school. My learning outcomes were fine, but I still feel like I'm dealing with the effects of not being immersed in a normal social scene during my teens: a decade and a half later.

Many people who went through the traditional school experience would assure you that they too are still dealing with the negative effects! Being in school is not a panacea of positive experiences for a lot of people.

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