I genuinely enjoyed school from primary sections to university, but now as a parent I feel more and more that the school is also there to act as a buffer between the parents and children and push society's values down the kid's throat, for better or worse. i.e. Sitting 8 hours a day in school is a way to make it normal to sit 8 hours a day in a cubicle. I don't know if I'd want my child to go through that and be able to do any corporate job he'd be qualified to, or try completely exotic ways but have him more limited in choice afterwards because he didn't get the 'training'
I feel that way too, so we're homeschooling our fifth grade daughter. BUT -- she hates it and fights us every step of the way, because she feels she would have more friends if she were in school like a "normal" kid.
And she probably would. If you're not on the "normal" track, it is hard to make relationships in the American culture today. Kids don't seem to meet and play in the yard like they used to.
So we're mulling this problem over. If anyone has found some solutions, I'd love to hear them.
Summary: There were 60+ kids and only two teachers. The kids were allowed to do whatever they wanted all day. About the only thing I learned is how to forge the signature of my assistant teacher. And some kid hit me with a metal shovel and wasn't given more than a stern talking to about why hitting people with shovels is a bad thing.
I may have just gotten unlucky in attending a particularly bad Montessori school, however.
