I totally disagree, but I think you highlighted some wonderfully bullshit excuses for why it doesn't matter that our schools are failing to train kids in Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, and Arithmetic - skills which will never go out of fashion.
I can't stand either side in this debate over what attitudes students should be taught. One camp says "students need to learn how to be creative, independent, caring, and improve their self-esteem". The other camp says "harden the fuck up, and get ready for the real world". Neither side can justify 12 years of school. In either case, kids can be conditioned in about 3 months (the time it takes to go through army boot camp). 3 months afterwards, they'll have adjusted to whatever environment they found themselves in after graduating.
My brother-in-law mentioned his OK primary-secondary schools didn't prepare him for college. "Oh, how long did it take you to catch up?" I asked. "About a year!" he exclaimed.
Hm. So a primary-secondary education can be recapitulated in 1 year when you're 18 years old. Then why the heck do we make such a big deal out of it? Why torment the kids with all that artificial stress?
I suggest - take control of your child's education. Make your family projects More important that busy-work homework. Take the heat for them from the teachers, and spend your emotional capitol teaching your kids some self-reliance, common sense and kindness.
Got three Eagle Scouts this way: Sgt Al, CMU grad-school graduate Joseph (1st job: working at a Mt View startup), and young Andrew auditioning at Julliard. A shed full of home-made trebuchets, chain and plate mail; a yard full of vines and trees; a watch tower 2 stories tall with gun slits and camo netting. They did all that. The schools had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Anyway a little off-topic but sure I agree, 'boot camp' at 18 will do more to prepare your well-rounded kid than 18 years of stressing over grades.
I don't think it can be recapitulated unless you already have a good foundation. But a good foundation doesn't require stress or grades or tonnes of homework.
I can't stand either side in this debate over what attitudes students should be taught. One camp says "students need to learn how to be creative, independent, caring, and improve their self-esteem". The other camp says "harden the fuck up, and get ready for the real world". Neither side can justify 12 years of school. In either case, kids can be conditioned in about 3 months (the time it takes to go through army boot camp). 3 months afterwards, they'll have adjusted to whatever environment they found themselves in after graduating.