Education and learning is an intrinsic element of human life, can not be stopped, and institutions are not necessary for children to get good educations. The world would be a better place without compulsory schooling.
And, yes - I do know, education is the way out of poverty for many. Still, compulsory curriculum (often public) institutionalized schooling is an old-fashioned, outdated, and wrong way of approaching education for everyone.
Look at the findings of Sugata Mitra: He has proven several times, school is not necessary to educate children; even homeless orphans can educate themselves end WILL do so if provided the slightest possibility.
In my clinical work as a psychologist, mentor, and coach, I often have to work with the balance between life-flow and systematized organized control. The latter being the problem more often than not. I often see control as a response to fear, inferiority emotion, lack of understanding of the situation, lack of clear goals, lack of choices.
In many ways, compulsory mandatory government-dictated curriculum one size fits all schooling is all the same: A control response to a situation we do not understand.
My appeal is this:
- Do make your own choices.
- Educate yourself as to what is essential and what is not.
- Trust your children to find their passions and goals.
- Help and guide them to find their ways and methods.
There is no way we can know what they need to learn. Time will tell. But we can talk with our children, guide them, help them, and let them know what others think makes sense and why, and then set them free to make their own choices.
By doing so, we find the balance between responsibility and freedom and lift our job as parents.
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