Wool & Words

My pal, Gwen, posted a link to this piece on her LiveJournal today and I felt compelled to pass it on. "Why Nerds Are Unpopular is a meditation on nerdom and school culture that, while pessimistic (this is the nerd's side, after all), really resonates not with my memories of school (cause I've blocked those out), but with my administrative experiences.

This quote, a comparison of schools to prisons, was enough to make me really consider the value of homeschooling:

In outline, it was the same at the schools I went to. The most important thing was to stay on the premises. While there, the authorities fed you, prevented overt violence, and made some effort to teach you something. But beyond that they didn't want to have too much to do with the kids. Like prison wardens, the teachers mostly left us to ourselves. And, like prisoners, the culture we created was barbaric.

My final reactions:

A pessimistic view, but an honestly stated one. And I must admit that I have had some of these same leanings and observations.

I think that schools are too large in general to be effective. Quite frankly, while having lots of activities may be admirable, kids need attention and caring more than they need to be able to pursue X while at school. I went to an all-girl Catholic school for most of my primary & secondary education. There were 50 girls in my graduating class. We had the major sports for girls at the time, a variety of clubs, and that was about it. I took dance lessons outside of school, was involved in church activities (at my mother's behest), and often took summer classes because, quite frankly, I liked being in school. And I think I liked it because my experience was so wonderfully small.

The teachers knew me and everyone there. We'd all passed through their classes at one time or another. The classes were small enough that we got individual attention. We had school spirit activities where everyone attended and cared. Parents were actively involved in school fundraisers--if they weren't, there might not be a school.

Was this idyllic? Probably. Certainly there were problems, and the school is no longer open due to the decision to open the Catholic boys school to girls. But even though I was just as much an outsider in some of the senses that the author states, I think my experience of that was mitigated greatly by the smallness of the school. If you caused someone pain in that environment, everyone knew about it, and you felt really freakin' bad. There were no street-sized corridors swarming with students where you could disappear after your attack; that girl was probably going to be in the next class with you. No way to hide or to avoid the effects of your actions.

So, what do you think?