Why do children have to go to school?

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:00am #1

Well?

Does anyone have an explanation?

scooby2791 · 12-09-2011 12:03am

Going out on a limb here, but I'd imagine it would be to learn things?

Biggins · 12-09-2011 12:04am

To be able to give them basic ability to function in an ever increasing complex works using better communication abilities, a grounding of how the world work and why, how one can fit in it, discovers ones own abilities and inabilities and adjust accordingly, then get on with life and living their own, hopefully on their terms with a little extra knowledge.

Short version.

Aodan83 · 12-09-2011 12:07am

To learn, not just the subjects on the curriculum, but to learn important social skills that are best learned young. Also, this probably isn't a reason, but it does give parents somewhere to send their kids while they're at work!

longhalloween · 12-09-2011 12:08am

Because if people didnt go to school nearly everything you see around you wouldnt exist

Saila · 12-09-2011 12:09am

for hot chocolate

El Weirdo · 12-09-2011 12:11am

So they don't grow up to ask retarded questions on the internet.

Insect Overlord · 12-09-2011 12:12am

Because the man made it so.

Spread · 12-09-2011 12:12am

Ah Jasus Chuck! Been at the Sherry again, have we?

hondasam · 12-09-2011 12:12am

Why do I have to go to work op?

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:13am

scooby2791 wrote: »

Going out on a limb here, but I'd imagine it would to learn things?

Learn what?

longhalloween wrote: »

Because if people didnt go to school nearly everything you see around you wouldnt exist

Rubbish^^.

stovelid · 12-09-2011 12:14am

To give us a bleedin break?

whywonder · 12-09-2011 12:14am

Because the ancient Greeks learned that it's inefficient and limiting to educate them one-by-one.

Aoifey! · 12-09-2011 12:15am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Learn what?

Stuff.

Spunj · 12-09-2011 12:17am

"My cat's breath smells like cat food."

And he goes to (cartoon) school.

We don't need a world of Ralph Wiggums

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:18am

El Weirdo wrote: »

So they don't grow up to ask retarded questions on the internet.

Answer fail and thanked for it.

There are inquisitive minds that like to ask questions about things that everyone thinks are normal and there are people who just accept that that's just the way it is.

You are the latter.

I still haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.

Biggins · 12-09-2011 12:18am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Learn what?

Aoifey! wrote: »

Stuff.

...And don't forget the all important, this and that!

digme · 12-09-2011 12:19am

scooby2791 wrote: »

Going out on a limb here, but I'd imagine it would to learn things?

you mean remember things........ rote learning...........
critical thinking is not something they want you to be doing at school.......

Spread · 12-09-2011 12:19am

whywonder wrote: »

Because the ancient Greeks learned that it's inefficient and limiting to educate them one-by-one.

And not to learn Classical Greek a la David Norris. This is my prescient view and not his Presidential one!

Biggins · 12-09-2011 12:19am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

...I still haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.

If you really have to ask the question, I don't think any answer will suffice.

WindSock · 12-09-2011 12:20am

Ask in the CT forum and see what they say,

El Weirdo · 12-09-2011 12:24am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Answer fail and thanked for it.

There are inquisitive minds that like to ask questions about things that everyone thinks are normal and there are people who just accept that that's just the way it is.

You are the latter.

I still haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.

Well if you wanted a serious discussion on the subject and to debate the pros and cons of education as we, as a society, chose to provide to our children, then maybe you should have fleshed out the OP a little bit.

And maybe not posted it in AH where you are going to get pithy, thanks-whoring replies such as mine.

hondasam · 12-09-2011 12:24am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Answer fail and thanked for it.

There are inquisitive minds that like to ask questions about things that everyone thinks are normal and there are people who just accept that that's just the way it is.

You are the latter.

I still haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.

Do you know the answer?

Aoifey! · 12-09-2011 12:25am

digme wrote: »

you mean remember things........ rote learning...........
critical thinking is not something they want you to be doing at school.......

For Secondary School, maybe, but in Primary School children learn to read, write, count, etc.

digme · 12-09-2011 12:25am

WindSock wrote: »

Ask in the CT forum and see what they say,

why would he do something stupid like that? he seems smarter than you, so i doubt he will take you up on that.

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:27am

Biggins wrote: »

If you really have to ask the question, I don't think any answer will suffice.

No.

I will accept a good argument.

My views are not static.

Nobody has put forward a good argument for why children have to go to school.

In fact I'm surprised nobody has picked up on the most important word in the title of this thread.

'have' i.e. forced by threat of sanction to attend a state run school.

It's bit 'Soviet' don't you think?

Fremen · 12-09-2011 12:27am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Well?

Does anyone have an explanation?

To give teachers someone to teach.

Duh.

hondasam · 12-09-2011 12:28am

So chuck you just want to argue with someone.

whywonder · 12-09-2011 12:28am

As far as I'm aware, you can choose to home-school your children.

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:28am

hondasam wrote: »

Do you know the answer?

Nope.

I wouldn't ask the question if I knew the answer.

I was thinking of googling it but I thought it might be better as a conversation on AH (poor judgement perhaps).

darragh16 · 12-09-2011 12:29am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Well?

Does anyone have an explanation?

So parents have a "Free" child minders when they're working during the day?

Aoifey! · 12-09-2011 12:29am

whywonder wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, you can choose to home-school your children.

You can, but it's very rare in Ireland.

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:29am

hondasam wrote: »

So chuck you just want to argue with someone.

No Ma'am.

El Weirdo · 12-09-2011 12:30am

whywonder wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, you can choose to home-school your children.

Indeed, you can.

WindSock · 12-09-2011 12:30am

digme wrote: »

why would he do something stupid like that? he seems smarter than you, so i doubt he will take you up on that.

Why is it stupid? They might have more answers in there that the op is looking for. And why make an unprovoked dig at me, digme?

hondasam · 12-09-2011 12:31am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Nope.

I wouldn't ask the question if I knew the answer.

I was thinking of googling it but I thought it might be better as a conversation on AH (poor judgement perhaps).

poor judgement yes it's 01.30, who wants a serious discussion on schools.
you sound rather annoyed in your posts, maybe you should go to bed.

hondasam · 12-09-2011 12:32am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

No Ma'am.

Yes sir you do.

Biggins · 12-09-2011 12:33am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

...I'm surprised nobody has picked up on the most important word in the title of this thread.

'have' i.e. forced by threat of sanction to attend a state run school.

It's bit 'Soviet' don't you think?

Read your post and honestly the first thought that came to mind was just "sometimes you do have to be 'cruel' to be kind."
School tries to give you further awareness and some answers to questions that as of yet, might not have even occurred to you.
With as little of that knowledge that you wish to pick up, after that the rest is up to you.
At least you can say the state (or someone) to some degree, tried its best in setting you off with a bit of knowledge so that you could take an eventual first step into the world after your schooling, on your own.

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:34am

hondasam wrote: »

poor judgement yes it's 01.30,

Fair enough.

who wants a serious discussion on schools.

I'm not asking about schools. I'm asking why children are forced to go to school by threat of sanction.

you sound rather annoyed in your posts, maybe you should go to bed.

No Ma'am. I'm not annoyed at all.

Fremen · 12-09-2011 12:35am

Let's come at this logically.

Is it reasonable to ask that every adult in modern society is literate and numerate? I'd say yes, more than reasonable.

The question then becomes how does one ensure that that happens. One possibility is to require that parents teach their kids. That's a bit inefficient, and some parents would definitely do a shít job. One very sensible solution is school. This has the side effect of socializing the kids at the same time.

Obviously, that's not the only solution. You could probably do something using the internet, but there's a certain cultural inertia involved here, too.

El Weirdo · 12-09-2011 12:36am

Isn't it also better to have someone that is supposedly qualified to teach children than parents who may never have attained any formal qualifications doing it themselves?

If you were born to parents that couldn't read or write then you'd be at a bit of a disadvantage, wouldn't you?

Aoifey! · 12-09-2011 12:37am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I'm not asking about schools. I'm asking why children are forced to go to school by threat of sanction.

Because children start school at the age of 4/5. At that age they are not mature enough to make a decision on whether to attend school or not, so it's better make them all go so they can learn, mature, and in the future make a decision about whether they attend school or not when they are 15/16.

digme · 12-09-2011 12:38am

WindSock wrote: »

Why is it stupid? They might have more answers in there that the op is looking for. And why make an unprovoked dig at me, digme?

You went to school yourself. Perhaps you can tell him what it did for you?

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:40am

Biggins wrote: »

Read your post and honestly the first thought that came to mind was just "sometimes you do have to be 'cruel' to be kind."
School tries to give you further awareness and some answers to questions that as of yet, might not have even occurred to you.
With as little of that knowledge that you wish to pick up, after that the rest is up to you.
At least you can say the state (or someone) to some degree, tried its best in setting you off with a bit of knowledge so that you could take an eventual first step into the world after your schooling, on your own.

Yay \o/. Someone actually chewed on the question. Thank you Sir.

I would answer that children didn't have to go to school for centuries and there was plenty of progress made.

Actually, if you think about it, since children were forced to go to school there have been massive world wars where millions and millions of people have been killed.

So could I make the argument that school failed to teach people not to kill each other on an industrial scale?

Greentopia · 12-09-2011 12:40am

Real answer?

Because it's an institution that while seemingly has fine, noble and egalitarian motives like the education of our young people actually is instrumental in ensuring the widespread submission to authority essential to the success and ongoing survival of the capitalist wage-labour system that began with the industrial revolution.

Schools, like prisons, and factories was simply one aspect of what Michael Foucault* calls the 'carceral system; the all-encompassing, all-powerful dominant mechanism which created-and recreates- modern society.

He argues persuasively that the disciplinary systems prevalent in all capitalist institutions-prisons, schools, factories, companies, universities, the military etc.-helped to ensure a submissive populace and the ongoing survival of capitalism.

*In his book Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison System.-recommended reading

AH answer: to learn stuff so you can get a good job and career of course!
:pac:

Fremen · 12-09-2011 12:44am

Greentopia wrote: »

He agues persuasively that the disciplinary systems prevalent in all capitalist institutions-prisons, schools, factories, companies, universities, the military etc.-helped to ensure a submissive populace and the ongoing survival of capitalism.

Historically speaking, weren't those same institutions a bazillion times more authoritative under communism?

WindSock · 12-09-2011 12:45am

digme wrote: »

You went to school yourself. Perhaps you can tell him what it did for you?

Clearly sweet f.a. as here I am posting on the internet at 1.45 on a Sunday evening...

I would image there are more interesting theories in the CT forum though as regards to keeping people in an institution for 14 years after they learn the basic educational skills that enable them to function in society, which is done mostly in primary.

Biggins · 12-09-2011 12:45am

Greentopia wrote: »

Real answer?

Because it's an institution that that while seemingly has fine, noble and egalitarian motives like the education of our young people actually is instrumental in ensuring the widespread submission to authority essential to the success and ongoing survival of the capitalist wage-labour system that began with the industrial revolution.

Schools, like prisons, and factories was simply one aspect of what Michael Foucault* calls the 'carceral system; the all-encompassing, all-powerful dominant mechanism which created-and recreates- modern society.

He agues persuasively that the disciplinary systems prevalent in all capitalist institutions-prisons, schools, factories, companies, universities, the military etc.-helped to ensure a submissive populace and the ongoing survival of capitalism.

*In his book Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison System.-recommended reading

Piff... I would have said so that you can some day qualify for Starfeet Academy!
I'm hoping myself to still get on the next Enterpise!

El Weirdo · 12-09-2011 12:45am

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Yay \o/. Someone actually chewed on the question. Thank you Sir.

I would answer that children didn't have to go to school for centuries and there was plenty of progress made.

But look at the technological advancements in the last century alone.

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Actually, if you think about it, since children were forced to go to school there have been massive world wars where millions and millions of people have been killed.

So could I make the argument that school failed to teach people not to kill each other on an industrial scale?

You could, but it'd be a shit one. Education isn't the cause of wars. Surely religion would be a bigger culprit.

Chuck Stone · 12-09-2011 12:47am

Aoifey! wrote: »

Because children start school at the age of 4/5. At that age they are not mature enough to make a decision on whether to attend school or not, so it's better make them all go so they can learn, mature, and in the future make a decision about whether they attend school or not when they are 15/16.

I think it's, frankly, a bit weird forcing children of 4/5 years of age to go anywhere even if it is a place where they are taught stuff which they may or may not want to learn.

longhalloween · 12-09-2011 12:50am

Good education = Good job = Good life (usually)

Bad/No education = No job = no prospects (usually)

Chuck Stone wrote: »

So could I make the argument that school failed to teach people not to kill each other on an industrial scale?

Lateral thinking at its finest!

Why do children have to go to school?

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