I'm not sure this is a fair characterization of GP. He wrote that his wife poured lots of energy into schooling the kids, but also that they learned things on t

I'm not sure this is a fair characterization of GP. He wrote that his wife poured lots of energy into schooling the kids, but also that they learned things on their own when they wanted to learn them. Certainly we should assume that the energy poured into their schooling involved discipline for the kids involved. I didn't get the impression that the kids were frolicking through the Austrian Alps behind Maria von Trapp as their teacher. > There is something to be said for forcing kids to learn things they hate. It is necessary preparation for the important stuff that comes later, stuff they cannot learn from their parents. That's what advanced education is, learning something because an expert tells you to. Whether you enjoy every moment of it or not is beside the point. You can judge things once you become an expert. I'm not sure what to make of this. How is "forcing" kids to learn things they hate "necessary" preparation for what comes later? Is it the only way to instill discipline? I'd rather force my kids to do the productive, boring things like chores (washing and folding laundry, cleaning dishes, cleaning their room, cleaning their bathroom and playroom, taking care of the pets) which will instill the same discipline and delayed gratification without potentially making them hate learning and schooling at a young age when they are least emotionally prepared to handle it. Plus, if they're being challenged in school they'll have that experience of leaping into the unknown, which can be quite scary and requires discipline. I find it much more likely that homeschooling induces that challenge and discipline over public schools, where above-average kids are often bored and subject to authoritarian threats. > I have to go away for a two-week training course on monday. It is going to be hell. Twelve days of memorizing stupid powerpoints about stuff I will probably never use. There will be tests at the end. I will pass them. My training at school/university, learning stuff I often hated, allows me to power through such things. I can sit in that chair hour after hour without drifting. Not everyone can do that. They work very different jobs. Their employer doesn't spend tens of thousands of dollars sending them to such courses. I'm not sure why romanticizing or glorifying suffering and waste is somehow the raison d'être for public schooling. I've worked in toxic environments before where some of the employees, fully resigned to how toxic the place is, would make statements like, "not a lot of people could succeed in this environment." I got the hell out of each of those situations as soon as I could. In my opinion, I'd rather suffer for people like my kids or my wife or God or even to defend my community for which I am duty bound, but not for my employer. Best of luck with that horrible upcoming training course.