Home schooling

[Moristans]

I don't think anyone is going to argue that the social problems of kids outside of school in rough areas are positive experiences or that nothing should be done about it - but in the discussion at hand I think that the argument that the competitive and social environments of a school can be a benefit over home school.

I understand that. My point is that socialization in high school, not just in rough urban areas, also involves elements that tear kids down if kids aren't given support, which they have plenty of at home. I'm not arguing that public schooling can't be a rich experience, but there's nothing inherently better about goung to a public school versus being home schooled which is what people here want to argue. As with most things concerning kids, you have to look at the circumstances.

In short, I agree that public schooling can be a benefit over home schooling, but home schooling can also be a benefit over public schooling.

I would argue further that competition isnt the key, or even an important factor seperating the two.

I guess my question at this point is, outside of intra and intermural sports, debate club, chess club, and academic decathalon, exactly what are these healthy, competitive experiences that your average K-12 kid is supposed to be experiencing?

Most kids do not experience these things and just go through K-12 as your quiet unassuming kid with varying amounts of interaction with schoolmates. I would hardly call school cliques, trying to get a date for prom, or hormonal raging in an environment with 1500 fellow hormonally raging kids to be a necessary experience for every kid to experience in order to be a fully realized successful adult.

Contrary to popular belief, kids in K-12 do not compete with other classmates directly for grades either. Grading on a curve where you have to have X number of As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Fs is not how students in K-12 are assesed. Every kid has the opportunity to succeed or fail in a classroom independently of how their classmates do. The class Valedictorian is not the survivor of a single elimination tournement.