S/O ed.neglect thread: FaithManor's posts on Amish schools and the law

[Stacy in NJ]

"Anyone who doesn't want to be there - leave." Making education compulsory relieve families and individuals from thinking about, making decisions, and taking responsibility for the educations their children receive. Nothing clarifies the mind like needing to determine for yourself what you actually value and what you're going to do about it.

 

 

ETA: I think the biggest problem in education, both k-12 and college, is that there are way too many people taking up space who really don't want to be there. There are families in Asia and Africa that would kill for the opportunity to send their kids to one of our mediocre public schools. Some folks in America throw away with two hands the very thing others are dying to get access to.

I agree with Faith. And I don't believe in government oversight of the situation.

 

Because I also believe that, while it is good for the well-being of a nation to have an educated citizenry, we are going about it the wrong way.

 

I believe that it is ultimately the individual's responsibility to become educated. Most young children can't/won't make that decision for themselves. They need to be presented with the alternative - work in poor-paying crummy jobs, so that they will seek an education with which to better their situation. Education should be free to anyone who wants to learn, at any time in their life. School should be able to kick out students for a variety of reasons. Student loans should only be needed for an adult to support a family while they are taking free classes (and therefore not working because they are going to school).

Edited December 7, 2011 by Stacy in NJ

[Jane in NC]

if we require attainment of a basic education to prevent individuals from becoming a burden to tax payers as part of a social contract, then we should also be able to compel other behaviors as well.

 

There are behaviors that are far greater factors in determining whether individuals become burdens or independent. Correlation vs. causation - see my signature line.

 

And is there universal agreement on the causation? I'm curious to read about the "greater factors". Will they too describe perceived correlation or causation?

 

Society does compel a number of behaviors. I suppose that one person's nanny state describes another person's set of reasonable community rules, depending on priorities. Can a society attempt to determine a common good or does one person's individual liberty always trump the common good? That is the question, is it not?