I was homeschooled from kindergarten through highschool. While I don’t dispute much of what you said here (I was mis- and under- informed, I was anti-social, and I was xenophobic), I think the situation is more nuanced than you make it out to be.
First, I don’t think it’s the role of the school to make sure that students are not xenophobic or anti-social.
Second, it took me one remedial class in college (trigonometry) to get caught up.
By the time I reached the university level, I was extremely good at learning things on my own, and the raw information was available online. The ability to learn on my own without anyone holding my hand has proven to be very useful, and it’s a skill that is lacking in a lot of public school graduates.
First, I don’t think it’s the role of the school to make sure that students are not xenophobic or anti-social.
It is the duty of school officials to maintain civility among the students. When districts aren’t already segregated by state leadership, that means cultivating a certain degree of egalitarianism and inter-racial tolerance among the student body. Similarly, teachers and admins have a duty to discourage bullying and guaranteeing students an opportunity to participate in school life without fear. That gives students the freedom to interact without fear.
Second, it took me one remedial class in college (trigonometry) to get caught up.
To a student at the high school baseline. Not a student who has been taking AP classes since junior year. This isn’t just a question of meeting the minimum standard. High Schools - particularly well-funded and expertly administered schools - offer a wealth of college-level class opportunities at the high school level. And holding kids back from these schools means denying them access to a wealth of professional education and advanced tools.
the raw information was available online
Yes, it was cool to grow up in the early '00s and have a relatively reliable and robust online free-at-point-of-access reference library. Its a shame we’re dissolving these resources and gatekeeping them behind paywalls, as well fill up the basic search tools with bullshit and FUD.
I was homeschooled from kindergarten through highschool. While I don’t dispute much of what you said here (I was mis- and under- informed, I was anti-social, and I was xenophobic), I think the situation is more nuanced than you make it out to be.
First, I don’t think it’s the role of the school to make sure that students are not xenophobic or anti-social.
Second, it took me one remedial class in college (trigonometry) to get caught up.
By the time I reached the university level, I was extremely good at learning things on my own, and the raw information was available online. The ability to learn on my own without anyone holding my hand has proven to be very useful, and it’s a skill that is lacking in a lot of public school graduates.
It is the duty of school officials to maintain civility among the students. When districts aren’t already segregated by state leadership, that means cultivating a certain degree of egalitarianism and inter-racial tolerance among the student body. Similarly, teachers and admins have a duty to discourage bullying and guaranteeing students an opportunity to participate in school life without fear. That gives students the freedom to interact without fear.
To a student at the high school baseline. Not a student who has been taking AP classes since junior year. This isn’t just a question of meeting the minimum standard. High Schools - particularly well-funded and expertly administered schools - offer a wealth of college-level class opportunities at the high school level. And holding kids back from these schools means denying them access to a wealth of professional education and advanced tools.
Yes, it was cool to grow up in the early '00s and have a relatively reliable and robust online free-at-point-of-access reference library. Its a shame we’re dissolving these resources and gatekeeping them behind paywalls, as well fill up the basic search tools with bullshit and FUD.