Latin and Greek are a waste of time for most people. Good for the literary types and historical researchers. But ah! the vernacular. While we try to rid people of it, poets and playwrights try to capture it for its profundity and sheer joy. For an appreciation of vernacular and street talk watch the film "Educating Rita". Good stuff RBESRQ, the purpose of school is not to facts and math per se but ideally to inspire, awaken and get children to reach for the stars in their own individual ways not creat straight A factoid robots.

Well it has done a lousy job, with the guys on this site. If this is true how did we ever get the flower children and Vietnam protestors out of our school system.

If you all are tired of this crap yet I suggest you google "positive quotes about education". You will have a refreshing experience, However I understand that many like to be miserable most of the time, it is the right wing life style to me miserable. I know no kindergarteners or 1st graders who received negative lasting impressions. I know that I did not, I remember mine fondly and the elementary kids who pass my home are happy and animated. Where actually do guys like Gotto come from.

Come on Bertrand, most people get blase with age. No one knows blase like the French do. If you really wish to experience blase keep kids at home and home school them by their neanderthal parents like Archer on this site.

Archer said he had never heard of the prhase "community school". I said that the world is composed of "community schools" and sited several examples. Stay in the cave with Archer looking at the wall that is where you belong. Truth is not opionated, liberal, or conservative. Truth is truth and community schools are community schools. I fully understand that "community" is anathema to types like you.

Warren school is not socialized at least not in my town. Parents are a hindrance many times. I recall learning many things that my parents knew nothing about but they wanted to argue about it anyway. Not unlike folks on this site like Archer that want to argue about things they know nothing about. To your mind Warren my comments have nothing to do with the quore because you have a lock step mentality and don't think and analyse.

I went to a private college. I had Catholic friends, have attended Quaker Meetings. I did not avail myself of all of my opporturnities in public school to my chagrine. My nephews graduated from Delaware State public high school one is a Phd. one is a carpenter. I was a C+ student in High School and in the top 10% of my college class. Archer you are not even educated enough to know of the existence of the term "community schools" which is used throughout this country and around the world. How stupid and sheltered can one man be? PS: Churchill was a C student and John McCain almost failed to get out of Annapolis coming in 5th from the bottom of his class. I think you have been knocked in the head just to many times Mr. Archer. Public school and Quaker Friends Schools are open minded, and diverse learning environments. Church schools often are regimented iron handed institutions. Some like regimentation and have adopted the uniformed student model even for public school, so goes to show you. As for me I put my son through ten years of a church school, but I was active in his education.

You have often in my opinion shown your ignorance or wrong headed thinking Archer but never so openly and bluntly. I have know you to be overly opinionated and also amazingly one lacking in basic research skills. A basic trait of right wing radical head in the sand types. I just gooled the phrase "community schools" and got innumerable hits; a sampling is "Iowa City Communiyt School District", Dexter Mich. Community School, Flint Community Schools, Miami-Dade County Schoools then hit Community. It sounds like Archer is ready to trade American socialism for communist freedom, you never cease to scare, surprise and baffle Archer. Google "community school" and then google every phrase you can conceive of read and get out of the cave you live in.

BS not in the Ridley Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania public school I atttended. I remember distincly one teacher characterizng the US Army as a former of communism. He did not sound like a Government puppet to me. Other teachers and all of the students came from diverse backgrounds of culture, religion and experience and political persuasion. We held mock Presidential Elections between Nixon and Kennedy. If the Government, which was the Eisenhower Administration was running things do you really think they would let kids freely debate politics. Would love to know what kind of schools y'all went to! PS: Compare the diversity mentioned above to the lock step mentailites in Catholic, Christian, or Muslim Schools.

People have choice now Bryan. Community run school is an option.

Decentralization is always good. That is why in America communitiy schools are generally run by the communities. Mandates from upstream should always be examined carefully. A one size fits all approach should be avoided. That being said isn't it interesting that all states to my knowledge have compulsory education laws. I wonder why that is. Is it because that some folk would not teach their children to read and write if left to their own devices. Maybe just train them to be filed hands.

Public schools are run by communities throughout the USA. The communities start with towns, cities and townships. There are county and state organizations that support the local efforts. The Fed Govt then provides some small support and about 10% of the funding. If you want to call these schools "government" schools do so but it does not make them such. They are run by elected boards answerable to the community, by parents and teachers. Classroom education (be it in run by community, church, or a private organization) and home schooling are not mutually exclusive concepts. Good classroom education should be supplemented by parental assistance, parental field trips, to museums etcetera. If wish to call the citizens of this country, your friends and your neighbors "the government" I guess you are free to do so.

Right on RBESRQ by Dad also taught me chess and he usually argued with me about my latching on to the teaching of my teachers. My parents did not agree with every thing my teachers taught me but of course my parents new little about much of the subject matter like biology, chemistry, alegebra etc. I made choices whether to accept my parents high school educated teaching on these subjects if any or my teachers college educated teaching on these subjects. I usually opted for the teacher except in chess which my Dad knew very well.

Socialization is probably the most important part of schooling. If we really don't want an individual to be social then we should be sure not to teach them to talk. Helen Keller who was blind and deaf was like an animal until her wall of anti-social behavior was broken through. She then blossomed into one of the most gifted and social pesons contributing widely to the world around her. So Warren you believe in positive socialization good for you. I thought you did not believe in socialization at all. This is progress my friend progress. I do believe however that you err in casting such a wide net of criticism on kids in public school.

I like what you said above Bryan, very thoughtful. I heard a study on this issue concerning the issue of friendliness, social cohesion or just plain humanity if you will. A group of "researchers" went around the world to major cities and dropped a sheaf of papers on the ground in order to study which city had the best response in assisting the hapless person. The winner was New York City. NY beat out London, Moscow, Paris etc. I recall that Asia came in last. Of course I agree with you that in the country their would be no one to help. Thanks for saying you did not mean "pack" derisively. Looking down our noses at folk who are looking down their noses at us is not going to get us anywhere.

The biggest buch of bull ever published on this site. Community education has existed since time immemorial, form the first class held under some tree in Africa to teach kids how to make spears. When Jesus called for all children to come unto him was that the start of a socialist state. Communities of parents have for ever come together to educate their children. The sad part is all you starry eyed folks above fell for it. So where did you y'all get your educations!

The aim is to get people up to speed so that they can have their own lives. Thank God that every one is not an Honor Student or a Magna Cum Laude. We need the C students like Winston Churchill and the bottom of their class and playboy types like John McCain. The problem with the Kens, Mikes, and Warrens and home schooler types on this site is they want to create a lock step social order where everyone must be the same bore ass A student and super achiever. School should create worlds of meaning and opportunity for individuals to graduate and branck out and take the world on in their own way. I think that is what Public School does. I have one nephew who is a Phd and his brother is a carpenter. Both are happy public school graduates!

Children are people too! If adults can take classes in scuba, square dancing, grunting (making worms come to the surface for collecting and fishing) why cannot children be taught these things also. Their is much more to the world than reading, writing, and arithmetic. Get out of your boring mentalities, expand your horizons and let people laugh, play and have some fun! The fact that adults today need to consult so many dieticians and fat doctors is proof that they failed to learn these things as kids. Sounds like we need more of that in school.

Probably wholly out of context!

Good even Presidents do that!

Three for truth and withheld two for lack of diplomacy. I was an Agent with a High School Foreign Exchange Student Agency. The students and host families think the program is to somehow enrich their lives and have some fun socializing with each other. The Agents and operators of these programs world wide know that it is for a "higher" purpose which is getting the world to know and understand each other better. I think that is all that the administrator is saying above. Of course people see things from their own perspective and professional educators see the education "game" in a different way than do parents. Of course most of them are parents also. Give 'em a break!

Children who know only their mothers and fathers generally wind up to be idiots. Most reasonable people understand that children need others in their ever expanding lives. That is what field trips and indroduction to others of various trades and backgrounds is all about. Come on guys get off your narrow minded approaches to every thing.

Don't put words in others mouth Warren. I said what I said, calling those down the street or across town the pack is the black hole of ignorance. What the hell do you think they then might call you and yours. If they are the pack to you then you are probably the pack to them. This type of group thinking is idiocy.

What many think is that many leaders used and infiltrated "true religion" for their own political and power grabbing purposes. That is the problem with organized religion.

I believe you are correct Bryan about country folk seeming friendlier. It is not an innate quality but simply because they are excited about seeing someone, anyone. Your son is friendly because he is thrilled to see other kids from whose company he may have felt deprived. Calling others the pack is kind of the impersonal mentality the Nazi's had toward large segments of population. You know strangers are just friends you have not met yet, they are not the pack anymore than your son is the pack to them.