Samael wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: EvMick@aol.com <EvMick@aol.com>
> To: extropians@extropy.com <extropians@extropy.com>
> Date: 09 December 1998 02:52
> Subject: Re: The Education Function
>
> >In a message dated 12/8/98 8:00:20 AM Central Standard Time,
> >retroman@together.net writes:
> >
> >> Kids
> >> have no real need to know the people they are in primary and secondary
> >> school
> >> with that well.
> >
> >Interesting.
> >
> >That echo's a concept I've been developing for quiet some time. I'm agin
> >government schools. I think that children should be homeschooled. When
> asked
> >how those homeschooled children are going to learn social skills by
> >interacting with their "peers" I point out that it's irrelevant.
>
> Except that they learn together. Most adults cannot be bothered with the
> social learning processes that children go through.
Listen, unless the kid is in the Alaskan outback, he or she is gonna have neighbors, siblings, and or cousins to socialize with on a regular basis. Schools are not meant for socialization, otherwize there would be regular tea times through the day. They have been adapted to the job, poorly, because too many parents avoid their responsibilties to their kids and want professional nursemaids or chaperones. A kid does not need to do mundane things or just hang out to learn socialization. Socialization can just as easily happen in an academically challenging environment as a matter of course without having to dedicate 'quality time' to it. The interesting thing about socialization in an academically challenging situation is the supposed 'geeks' tend to shine, as opposed to being dominated by the dumb jocks.
Mike
>
>
> >By that I mean.....why teach children to interact with children?
> Childhood
> >is a temporary thing...the remainder of their lives they will be dealing
> with
> >adults. Why not teach children to deal with adults to begin with and be
> done
> >with it?
As a child I dealt with adults much better than with my peers. At age 12 I could easily have substantive discussions on world events with a whole group of my parent's peers.
> >
> >Yes...I know...look at all the things they would miss by not interacting
> with
> >their peers.....like drugs...bullies...teenage pregnancy...and other such
> >character building experiences..
> Are you trying to raise these children to follow some particular agenda you
> hace? Or are you just trying to stop them having fun?
>
I had much more fun when I was not being bullied by idiots or being rejected by bimbos at school. Getting locked in a locker for two hours as a freshman is not a character building experience.