"Just how much time do kids get to "socialize" during school hours anyway? On the bus trip to school, 5-10 minutes before the school bell rings, less than half an hour during lunch, many schools don't even have a play period for younger kids anymore, 5-10 minutes after school, and finally on the bus trip home. Socializing during class hours is not only not allowed, it is rigorously discouraged. So, it looks like maybe about an hour per day?"
Good golly, what schools have you been around? Is this typical? Most of the schools I have been in (doing outreach work) the kids are doing activities nearly every day in every class and doing lots of socializing, team-work, etc. while doing the activities.
"If your primary peer group are all your age, then I see it as soaking in a pool of collective ignorance."
Not to be too harsh, but I find that to be very cynical. The old model of the teacher lecturing from "on high" supposedly from a position of wisdom has been shown to be ineffective to many children. By giving the children inquiry-based activities and letting them go though the process of discovery with their peers (guided somewhat by the instructor) the studentes retain the key lessons much better.
"before subjecting them to the cruelty that is part and parcel of the primary school experience, much less the middle school level."
You are right there. One reason I would consider home schooling is to avoid the bully-victim mentality that is so pervasive (and permitted by far too many teachers, principles for my taste) in schools.
"the inability to pursue your curiosity for more than a short period of time if at all"
Again, maybe I am living in an unusual environmnet, but most teachers in this area have very activity/inquiry-based classes.
"For all the whacked out homeschooled kids (and I know they're out there) I can only point out that they are the result of whacked out parents"
Good point. I guess the real question about homeschooling is what is the primary reason? Are you doing it for the benifit of your children, or because of some insecurity you have? The problem would be that the people who are doing it out of insecurity would have convinced themselves it was for the betterment of their children.
"If socialization (and is there a qualifier of good and bad here?) is performed so well primarily in schools, then they have something to answer for in relationship to the group dynamics that are an integral part of the schooling situation because the disfunctional kids shouldn't exist since they've been properly socialized."
No argument here.
"Kids with different learning styles aren't accommodated in a group schooling situation."
Again, not the situation I see in school around here. There is lots of hands-on activity-based learning, very little "chalk-and-talk." Now at the university ...
"but we do flunk kids who aren't at a specific educational place at a specific grading time in a few specific subjects."
Whoa! Haven't you heard of social promotion. Very little flunking and holding back goes on anymore. In fact, now that the government has its nose stuck in schooling so much, state/federal funding is tied to head-count, so there is administrative pressure to not fail students. I have teachers tell me that they are forced to give students time in class to do homework, because the students know that they won't be flunked so they don't do their work at home.
"Recollect me darlin, raise me to your lips, two undernourished egos, four rotating hips"
