<p>sittingbull, I said someone experiencing school as a prison sentence, is not in a healthy situation. What’s absurd about that? </p>
<p>When before in all of history was it necessary, for a healthy social life, to force young people to spend their days in large same-age groups with minimal interaction with older and younger people? The current system is a product of industrialization, and like the sixteen hour work day, it should evolve into something more reasonable over time. </p>
<p>The idea that our only choice is between sending children to school in large same-age classes or homeschooling and isolating them, is simply mistaken. There are school models vastly different from the standard American model. For example the New Zealand model calls for small multi-age classes and has been quite successful from what I’ve seen.</p>
<p>Few homeschooling situations allow for the kind of isolation you are assuming. My homeschooled daughter went on trips with other young people, attended dances, and saw friends on a daily basis. I think if you were to investigate actual homeschooling situations, you would be surprised to find things quite different from what you expect.</p>