> When you play truant you have a better time… When you betray yourself, when you let yourself down… You have to be bad in order to discover what kind of good you want to be
This implies that being truant from school is some kind of a self-betrayal. School as constituted over the last 50 years ago or so is effectively no different from prison for many many people. If you are sedentary, intellectually inclined, and not cut out for a job in the trades, school may be good for you.
If you need fresh air or are entrepreneurial or competitive in sports or are better suited for welding than for trig, it is 12 to 16 years of punishment and being ground down.
> If you are sedentary, intellectually inclined, and not cut out for a job in the trades, school may be good for you.
The intellectually inclined are also badly affected by school. The slow pace of learning stifles intellectual curiosity, and causes severe boredom. School is a nightmare that grinds them down while not allowing them to pursue their interests.
>School as constituted over the last 50 years ago or so
What changed 50 years ago?
>If you need fresh air
I got plenty of fresh air walking to and from school each day, as well as gym class, and recess in elementary school, intermural sports in high school.
>12 to 16 years of punishment and being ground down
In your example, why would someone attend 16 years if only 12 are required? Also, school year is only 35-40 weeks of the calendar year, so not really like a prison at all.
Starting around 50 years ago things like wood shop, metal shop, home economics, sports, economics, PE, and band started to lose funding. By about 20 years ago most schools stopped these programs. Teachers nowadays think almost exclusively in terms of students getting a college education, not some going into the trades, and some getting degrees.
This has led to many people being steered into college or university when they should really just be out working a job. Hence the 16 year number.
I am delighted this system worked out for you. It is perfectly valid for many. It is also a hellhole for many others.
It's a damn shame too. I was never interested in the trades, but being able to use your hands to build stuff is useful. I still have the clock, cutting board, and dustpan I made in my wood/metal shop.
There should, at the very least, be something where you learn to follow instructions and put things together. Like ikea furniture. Learn how to hang a picture. And so on.
Heck, I know people who can barely change their light bulbs.
I don't really get this sort of dismissal of the education system. It isn't just for teaching vocational skills but for the formation of culture and for teaching people how to participate in democratic society
This implies that being truant from school is some kind of a self-betrayal. School as constituted over the last 50 years ago or so is effectively no different from prison for many many people. If you are sedentary, intellectually inclined, and not cut out for a job in the trades, school may be good for you.
If you need fresh air or are entrepreneurial or competitive in sports or are better suited for welding than for trig, it is 12 to 16 years of punishment and being ground down.