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I didn't learn a single one of those skills from attending public school. Every public school I attended (and I attended several, since my parents were chasing

I didn't learn a single one of those skills from attending public school. Every public school I attended (and I attended several, since my parents were chasing the accelerated learning program every time it moved) was not only a huge waste of time, but actively psychologically harmful. Based on the data I've seen, what I describe is a typical or even better-than-average public school experience. Private school was infinitely better once I started going, and my homeschooled friends (who I met at university) are, on the whole, vastly better adjusted than the people I attended public school with. Let's be honest - public schools' primary functions are to act as a daycare center and subsidized food distribution site. If you child is at all intelligent, you're probably better off leaving them at home with some books than sending them off to PS17851. I know I would have been better off that way!

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
> Let's be honest - public schools' primary functions are to act as a daycare center and subsidized food distribution site. If you child is at all intelligent, you're probably better off leaving them at home with some books than sending them off to PS17851. I know I would have been better off that way! Would you have been though? There's a core curriculum that I really doubt most kids would learn if they had their own way. Even with intelligence there's lots of stuff kids would never learn as it never interests them. What are the odds that a child is interested in Shakespeare, civics, biology, and trigonometry? We're drug through a lot of it kicking and screaming (to an extent), but it has value to have gone through it.
- centimeter 7y ago
  > There's a core curriculum that I really doubt most kids would learn if they had their own way. Insofar as kids learn (and retain) things at all, chances are they were going to learn it on their own anyway. The preponderance of evidence suggests that it basically doesn't matter what you forcibly try to teach kids between the ages of zero-13; their later academic outcomes aren't going to change much anyway. This matches my anecdotal experience; kids who end up being good in some field are always way ahead of what public schools (which are forced to cater to the lowest common denominator) can teach them anyway, and kids who end up not being good at a field will probably pick up the same information they're being taught naturally, at a more natural and less painful pace. > What are the odds that a child is interested in Shakespeare, civics, biology, and trigonometry High? Lots of kids choose to read books on various topics with their free time and focus, which they would have more of if they weren't swamped with pointless make-work. Plus, it's not like you're actually going to get a comprehensive or even useful understanding of any of those things from the bottom 80% of schools. > but it has value to have gone through it Even if this is true (but I suspect the "kicking and screaming" might actually be net counterproductive), I really doubt it's worth the cost of spending something like 25% of your waking hours in Factory Labor Simulator for the first 13 (or whatever) years of your life.
- jotakami 7y ago
  The chronic stress of having to complete bullshit assignments on subjects I had no interest in does not justify it. If I could make one law by fiat, it would be illegal to tell a child “You have to learn to do things that you don’t want to do” as justification for the mindless hours of frivolous work. Honestly, judging by the amount of stress it caused me as a child, I’m tempted to call it psychological abuse. Children are human beings too.
- umanwizard 7y ago
  Most students in public schools do not learn any meaningful amount of Shakespeare or trigonometry, regardless of whether it’s part of the curriculum.
matchbok 7y ago
How can you possibly compare a small group of friends to everyone at our public schools? Clearly you have a bias. If public schooling was doing such a poor job at adjusting children we probably would have noticed by now. On the flip side, I can't possibly imagine how an average parent can homeschool their child in advanced calculus or chemistry. The knowledge simply isn't there. And saying it can be replaced with videos or books is missing the point of education.
- charlieflowers 7y ago
  > If public schooling was doing such a poor job at adjusting children we probably would have noticed by now. We did notice! How have you not noticed? Almost everyone comes out of public school marred in some way that they then have to unlearn as a young adult. It's just a rough, toxic place. Sure, while it is harming you (some mildly, some significantly), it also delivers some benefits. But it is a net loss.

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago

> Let's be honest - public schools' primary functions are to act as a daycare center and subsidized food distribution site. If you child is at all intelligent, you're probably better off leaving them at home with some books than sending them off to PS17851. I know I would have been better off that way! Would you have been though? There's a core curriculum that I really doubt most kids would learn if they had their own way. Even with intelligence there's lots of stuff kids would never learn as it never interests them. What are the odds that a child is interested in Shakespeare, civics, biology, and trigonometry? We're drug through a lot of it kicking and screaming (to an extent), but it has value to have gone through it.

centimeter 7y ago
> There's a core curriculum that I really doubt most kids would learn if they had their own way. Insofar as kids learn (and retain) things at all, chances are they were going to learn it on their own anyway. The preponderance of evidence suggests that it basically doesn't matter what you forcibly try to teach kids between the ages of zero-13; their later academic outcomes aren't going to change much anyway. This matches my anecdotal experience; kids who end up being good in some field are always way ahead of what public schools (which are forced to cater to the lowest common denominator) can teach them anyway, and kids who end up not being good at a field will probably pick up the same information they're being taught naturally, at a more natural and less painful pace. > What are the odds that a child is interested in Shakespeare, civics, biology, and trigonometry High? Lots of kids choose to read books on various topics with their free time and focus, which they would have more of if they weren't swamped with pointless make-work. Plus, it's not like you're actually going to get a comprehensive or even useful understanding of any of those things from the bottom 80% of schools. > but it has value to have gone through it Even if this is true (but I suspect the "kicking and screaming" might actually be net counterproductive), I really doubt it's worth the cost of spending something like 25% of your waking hours in Factory Labor Simulator for the first 13 (or whatever) years of your life.
jotakami 7y ago
The chronic stress of having to complete bullshit assignments on subjects I had no interest in does not justify it. If I could make one law by fiat, it would be illegal to tell a child “You have to learn to do things that you don’t want to do” as justification for the mindless hours of frivolous work. Honestly, judging by the amount of stress it caused me as a child, I’m tempted to call it psychological abuse. Children are human beings too.
umanwizard 7y ago
Most students in public schools do not learn any meaningful amount of Shakespeare or trigonometry, regardless of whether it’s part of the curriculum.

matchbok 7y ago

How can you possibly compare a small group of friends to everyone at our public schools? Clearly you have a bias. If public schooling was doing such a poor job at adjusting children we probably would have noticed by now. On the flip side, I can't possibly imagine how an average parent can homeschool their child in advanced calculus or chemistry. The knowledge simply isn't there. And saying it can be replaced with videos or books is missing the point of education.

charlieflowers 7y ago
> If public schooling was doing such a poor job at adjusting children we probably would have noticed by now. We did notice! How have you not noticed? Almost everyone comes out of public school marred in some way that they then have to unlearn as a young adult. It's just a rough, toxic place. Sure, while it is harming you (some mildly, some significantly), it also delivers some benefits. But it is a net loss.