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Susan M Hall's avatar

John Taylor Gatto's book Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling makes similar observations about public education. Gatto argues that the goal of compulsory education is to provide a compliant and complacent workforce. If a parent feels ill equipped to home school the curriculum can be supplemented with apprenticeships, community college coursework etc.

My son spent a year at a Sudbury school which is a model for interest driven education. Students chose what they want to learn. The misperception is that students left to their own devices while lie around on the couch watching TV or playing computer games. I observed a five year old student reading CS Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Students built a computer from spare parts. They learned to use a sewing machine and create a budget. My son took an auto mechanics course at the local community college and built a potato launcher from PC pipe and an ignition system. His home school advisor had a lot of fun taking him out to the high school football field and using it 🥔 😂

I was bored out of my mind in high school. The only relief was participating in the track & field and cross country programs. I'm still running at age 66. I cobbled together a fine art program and went back to college in my 40's on a reentry scholarship. A lot of my coursework was independent study projects inc. a portraiture project in Afghanistan. I've currently been doing international running races & photography in countries adversely affected by conflict, such as, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus & Cuba.

So much opportunity for a rich & robust curriculum, as a result of, home schooling.

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Marijke van Veldhoven's avatar

Why would you assume that all parents would be good (enough) teachers? And that all parents would want to put in that effort? It sounds very idealistic to me, not realistic. For so many kids school is a safe haven compared to home, and the place where they get a meal.

I for one am glad beyond belief that I wasn't home schooled.

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