I hardly discount independent study. I'm self-taught across a wide range of subjects. Curiosity varies, and all the areas where it's applied are not of equal

I hardly discount independent study. I'm self-taught across a wide range of subjects. Curiosity varies, and all the areas where it's applied are not of equal value. Some kids would far rather learn everything there is to learn about Minecraft and mindlessly play it instead of developing literacy skills. Having schooling establishes a baseline: we try and bring up every student to some fundamental level of competence in each subject.