It's a creativity killer and that's why creative people rarely are a good fit, most times their creativity is not encouraged, but it's being dismissed as "rebellious". How is this healthy for the kids? And how uniforming them is good for society?
Sometimes I feel like school is more about power and control rather than really helping the students.
Also, as far as I can tell, “school sucks” is very much an Anglo thing. I went to primary school in English, in continental Europe, and in Latin America. The latter two were great, but my school in an English speaking country was awful, basically social Darwinism, and well described by Waters, Orwell and Hollywood.
Graduated, began programming on my own time, 9 years later I'm making $300,000 a year as a programmer.
Only people I talk to are my wife, my mom, and a few people on Discord about 3d graphics.
I can safely tell you that human interaction in the sense of "make 300 friends at school so that you aren't considered a freak or loner!" was never necessary, and in fact was an active burden.
Why did I need to be hazed for 18 years?
I just don't think that kids should have to be forced into the same building for so many years of their life. Voluntary school is great, but I don't think the trope is always true that homeschooled kids are "freaks and loners and nerds who will faceplant in the real world", which is my opinion on what the popular sentiment is here.
I don't think the risks of in person school outweigh the benefits.
I was wondering if you elaborate on your position regarding homeschooling and the risks of in person school a bit more? I am curious to hear your perspective. Thanks!
I was in the total opposite boat. I got bullied here and there (I was the classic gangly tall kid, still am at 35), but school was the sole source of normalcy in my life for most of my adolescence. I'd be willing to bet that the extremes on either end mostly cancel out, and, for the vast majority, school is a net positive because of the socialization and the opportunity to get information that isn't filtered through your parents.
But I wouldn't say Im normal. Far from it
We may not need to be with each other 8 hours a day, but that bit is a matter of pragmatism.
FYI you are not 'forced'. If your parents want you to stay at home, they can do that. If they want the state to provide your education, it's 30 to a room. And of course, you can pay $50K/year to have 5 per class private school.
As we mature we want other things, more time alone, and with abusive schools we might recoil at being forced to periodically be with our tormentors.
Forcing 16 year olds to socialize is stupid though.
School is probably the best thing possible for a 'bright' child who would likely wallow aimlessly without having developed their talents, social skills, broad knowledge and especially ability to focus consistently on things which may not pique their specific curiosity.
I'm sure 'feral children' would engender the rare Mozart but at the imminent cost of massive loss in civility across all fields.
With respect to the study, in 1918 literacy rates were low, Highschool graduation was probably not even 60%, and less than 5% went to College.
Kids ability to work in factories or the family farm may not have been hampered.
Kids not in school during that time, may have been very likely working in the family business or farm, learning relevant skills.
It doesn’t seem like you buy the premise in my statement (if indeed we can cut two years of school with no ill effects) so we don’t need to argue about the conclusion.