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> Does the author resent staying out of school because... it didn't prepare them for the awfulness of school? I kind of got that impression. No. The author res

by rmk2 11y ago

> Does the author resent staying out of school because... it didn't prepare them for the awfulness of school? I kind of got that impression. No. The author resents staying out of school because it also meant staying out of more diverse and more regular social interaction. Successful social interaction requires shared values (which wasn't really the issue) and, at least to a degree, shared social experiences. If two people have hitherto had experiences that are so divergent that ego cannot understand any of the structures or references alter uses, then social interaction becomes very difficult. Accordingly, fitting in was difficult because of their non-standard upbringing, and while the parents might not have minded that they did not quite "fit in", the children did not have a choice of their own or even the necessary experience that would have enabled them to make an informed choice in the first place. What is described is the removal from the Zeitgeist, which becomes a problem if others simply assume a shared set of conventions and experiences or if you would like to be part of a group that is based on different premises. That school was (at least partially) awful was merely a symptom of this underlying social schism, not a cause.

1123581321 11y ago
I've observed that it's easier for homeschooled students to mimick being products of the zeitgeist than for products of the zeitgeist to gain the benefits of customized education. Raising a child in a beneficial environment gives them more options as an adult in that way (I.e. I'm not making a broader point.)
abecedarius 11y ago
Thanks, I think you parsed a message that I could not (I never fit in at school). This ought to be less of a problem now with so many more unschoolers and homeschoolers for support; I think there are better ways to address it than by imprisoning more children rather than less; and it sounds like these ones had a better childhood on the whole and turned out fine as adults.
Turing_Machine 11y ago
"The author resents staying out of school because it also meant staying out of more diverse and more regular social interaction." How is sitting in a room with other people, all of whom are within 12 months of your own age, with an authority figure at the front constantly telling you what to do, a "diverse" social interaction? American schools were designed to produce factory workers who would stay on-task based on the direction of a foreman and bells ringing at certain times. That world doesn't exist any more.
- lk145 11y ago
  The public schools I attended were far more economically, culturally, ideologically, and ethnically diverse than both my private college and post-college work environments (and you can throw in gender diversity too wrt my work environments). I would not have met kids like this otherwise -- certainly not if I had been in a homeschool group socializing with the children of parents who had similar philosophical views about schooling. Public education is certainly in need of big reforms, but I'm grateful for the diversity I was exposed to attending one. It's a big part of what keeps me grounded in the ridiculous Silicon Valley bubble.

by rmk2 11y ago

1123581321 11y ago

I've observed that it's easier for homeschooled students to mimick being products of the zeitgeist than for products of the zeitgeist to gain the benefits of customized education. Raising a child in a beneficial environment gives them more options as an adult in that way (I.e. I'm not making a broader point.)

abecedarius 11y ago

Thanks, I think you parsed a message that I could not (I never fit in at school). This ought to be less of a problem now with so many more unschoolers and homeschoolers for support; I think there are better ways to address it than by imprisoning more children rather than less; and it sounds like these ones had a better childhood on the whole and turned out fine as adults.

Turing_Machine 11y ago

"The author resents staying out of school because it also meant staying out of more diverse and more regular social interaction." How is sitting in a room with other people, all of whom are within 12 months of your own age, with an authority figure at the front constantly telling you what to do, a "diverse" social interaction? American schools were designed to produce factory workers who would stay on-task based on the direction of a foreman and bells ringing at certain times. That world doesn't exist any more.

lk145 11y ago
The public schools I attended were far more economically, culturally, ideologically, and ethnically diverse than both my private college and post-college work environments (and you can throw in gender diversity too wrt my work environments). I would not have met kids like this otherwise -- certainly not if I had been in a homeschool group socializing with the children of parents who had similar philosophical views about schooling. Public education is certainly in need of big reforms, but I'm grateful for the diversity I was exposed to attending one. It's a big part of what keeps me grounded in the ridiculous Silicon Valley bubble.