Yeah I know that. It more of a humorous statement than a literal one. Regardless though, it's an interesting thin, to not have a plan. More or less that's what Montessori schools do and students learn a great deal there.
I am not convinced those places work. Paying for an education that would be bettered by intelligent homeschooling? In my experience they basically exist as an "alternative learning environment" for kids who screw up regular school. Do people actually seek them out for the education?
Oh yeah, people seek them out all of the time. It's more than intelligent homeschooling though, although if it were an individual student, I can see how this is applicable. In Montessori schools, the teacher only provides a guide line as to what the students should learn. They have a curriculum, but it only states what the students should learn by the end of the section as opposed to how to try to get then to learn a concept. So, if the students need to memorize the state capitals, the teacher will allow the students to do it in whatever way they want. In this situation, students often collaborate and work together by their own accord. They aren't forced to, but frequently they'll do it on their own. When students no longer feel motivated to work on one assignment, they move to the next and could return to the first whenever they like. How often have we been in math and thought, "Man, I'm really not in the mood for this. I could do some Bio homework though" or vise versa. In these schools, the students are allowed to do that.
While it is "intelligent homeschooling," Montessori schools provide a deeper learning. Because it's a school there are more resources/learning tools than a parent would probably want to buy on their own. And also having peers is an important aspect of it as kids learn to interact with one another in a mature way, even from a young age.
The only downfall that I know of is when students leave. They aren't accustomed to the severely stricter guidelines of other institutions and have a difficult time adjusting. In Montessori schools for example, students don't have to ask permission to use the restroom, they just go when they need to (similar to a college classroom). So when their Montessori schooling ends and they enter the public school realm, teachers become very upset with this because they feel as if the students are acting insubordinate.
If prices go down by the time I have kids, I intend to have them go to a Montessori school as opposed to public school.
Okay, good answer. But the problem with this (according to generalizations I can draw and a few observations I've made) is that it caters to those who I would call for want of a better word, losers. Slackers. Kids who don't give a shit. Just imagining my average high school acquaintance -- a few would positively thrive, and the rest would crater. It encourages a lack of order in life, and as you point out, the rest of the world is about order. Going to college from a Montessori would be like moving from a Greek island to Manhattan. In my opinion, that's why this sort of educational system will never catch on widely. I firmly believe children should attend public school for the social immersion, though, so I'm on the extreme end of this question's spectrum.
Yeah, I know what you're saying. Going to this sort of school does promote a sort of chaotic lifestyle. But, I think that might be a good thing to be honest. In a world with so much order, it might be nice for people to let loose to some extent. Perhaps education is too much of an extreme to accomplish this, but I wouldn't denounce living a somewhat chaotic lifestyle. And actually, both slacker as well as overachievers excel in Montessori schools.
That seems a bit more accurate. I'll talk to my girlfriend about it tonight who is in the teaching business.