Etarip: Thank you for the link. "Unschooling" certainly seems to fit with what I am describing. It's not something I'm familiar with, so I shall follow my inherent curiosity and research the topic you facilitated me with. Your participation in this thread has precipitated my interest! Were you home schooled, if you don't mind me asking?
I attended what was termed as a special school. They call them extra needs schools these days, or they fit the 'special' children into 'mainstream' schools. The education plan I received was much more individual to me and I was consulted about what I wanted to learn. They set me my own targets, which were obtainable in small steps, and encouraged me in a very personal way. They overlooked that the disability was never in my brain, but I feel I benefited from being schooled in this 'special' way. Whoever deemed I wasn't capable of receiving the regular conformity training actually did me a favour.
Josie: Great post, you clearly share my interest in the topic. For me, you made some good points, most especially:
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"Society doesn't seem to place great value on learning for the joy of learning"
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I very much agree with you here. Is this evidence in itself of mass indoctrination? They say you reap what you sow. Society often seems to have a narrow, closed off mind, with many 'stranded' individuals eschewing its supposed universal opinion.
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Kids today are indoctrinated to be passive observers in so many of their activities that a lot of their active creativity is never developed and eventually just dies.
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Passive observing, in many activities that could participatory, is such a waste of potential achievement. It offers so many limitations, it is hardly an accurate method of learning anything, nevermind encouraging interest. Of course, creativity alone will not pay the rent, unless society decides you're sufficiently talented or you generate enough infamy. So, creativity, along with other areas of individualism, takes a back seat, as it's not what the business needs. Forget the rewards and inspiration in life that creativity (in its many forms) would personally bring people.
Ourcrazymodern?:Perhaps we need to indoctrine our children to see acquiring money as less of a life goal. Though, I guess humanity couldn't handle the widespread ramifications if we did that. People would be more inclined to chose their occupations based on their heart and their natural abilities. Enlightenment, and maybe a different definition of 'happy' would ensue, but at the cost of common (relative) knowledge and our current economic ideals. Problem is, what society wants out of life is so damn expensive.
Anyway, this is a philosophical area that I love to think about, even if my thoughts are a little idealistic. Circumstances mean that my children go to the local state school, but I try to offer a balance of approaches at home. I must say I feel it's the system that dictates the outcomes rather than the majority of teachers and support staff. When I've discussed that topic with them, they've often appeared frustrated by the limitations they face.