We dont knead no edukation
In a week when concerns have been expressed about the complexity and fairness of schools admissions procedures, iPM has heard from parents about the lengths they have gone to ensure that their child enjoys the best education possible.
Nigel_N left a couple of comments, including:
"Sent him to the local sink schools. Nothing wrong with the education and it gave him a chance to be top of class."
Lady_Sue described a different route.
"We struggled to pay an absolute fortune for private (or do you call them public?) school. Lots of sacrifices were made but it was the right thing to do for him."
We've also heard from parents who took very active roles, some becoming governors ("I'm really proud to be part of the team working to improve the quality of education at my son's school."), or opting for home schooling ("It was far better to put all my energies into teaching him than fighting the system.").
As a parent, do you think that you can never do too much to improve your child's educational chances? Or perhaps you've taken a more relaxed view that you can only do so much?
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I was chatting about the school shootings over breakfast this morning when Susanne (my partner) told me that she though the idea of putting armed guards in or around our schools was crazy. (It had been discussed on some TV program over here in Germany). She said it was a waste of time if the kids did not learn about dealing with conflict.
For some reason this subject made my blood boil. For a long time now I have been a critic of what we would call our school system. IMO the problem is systemic. The system is causing these things to happen. I say... No child should have to go to school, it is a waste of time and money to force people (in this case young people) to do something they don't want to do. Education yes... but not without free choice. If the government was to force your (our) children to work in a factory or field from the ages of 5 till 16 we would all flip out, but because it's so normal to be forced to go to school we just shrug and get on with it. We tell our kids.... you've got to.
I am convinced that the time (and money) it takes to educate a young person could be cut by at least half if the young person was actively choosing to learn.
If society fails to respect the choices of young people, how can society expect these same young people to respect others?
I'll leave you with this thought.. The basic school system we have today was started by the Germany military many years ago in order to raise an army capable of defeating Napoleon. It differed form previous education systems in that choice was taken away, the kids had to go, and early because one of the main purposes of the system was to teach these future soldiers that their parents where no longer the highest authority in their lives but the State. Is this really what we want for our kids?
Simon.
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@1 - No child is forced to go to school, just to receive an education. This is called home schooling.
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