[lbo-talk] Ends and Odds

Chuck0 chuck at mutualaid.org
Tue Jul 20 10:34:46 PDT 2004


Dennis Perrin wrote:


>>>Of course there will be no schools! We don't need schools
>>
>>to learn, in fact they interfere and inhibit the pearning process.
>>
>>But they do a lot of good in the area of spelling.
>>
>>Brian Dauth
>>Queer Buddhist Resister (who likes Dharma schools)
>
>
> My kids were home-schooled for a few years, and it does have its advantages
> (my daughter was exposed to more world history than she would get in an
> average public, or indeed private, school, which allowed her to skip a grade
> when she went back into the public school system), but there are many
> downsides as well. The home school "community" that I encountered in this
> part of Michigan (a state that has a large population of home-schoolers) was
> made up primarily of white hippie Green-types. I don't recall ever seeing a
> black, Latino, or Asian kid in any of the "free" classes my kids attended.
> And that the "teachers" weren't the smartest people I've met didn't help
> matters. They were more into "feel-good" learning, no structure, no
> homework, where fuzzy dippie ideological mantras served as lessons. After
> about a year of that, my wife & I yanked the kids out of there and put them
> back in public school. And not only does Ann Arbor have some of the better
> public schools in the country, they are culturally mixed and
> parent-friendly. And while we continue to teach at home, my kids, esp my
> son, have blossomed in this environment.
>
> No schools? Please.

In other words, you don't favor any form of fundamental social change? Food co-ops suck too, but they have to compete in a capitalist economy. Alternatives to schooling do work and they can have a significant impact once society is changed to better support learning alternatives. Otherwise, throwing more money at schools is not going to turn out young people who love to learn and who are capable of controlling their own education.

As they said about the "Schools Not Jails" slogan a few years ago in California: Schools are jails!

Chuck



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