These essays bring to focus issues about our school system that I've instinctively known since middle school having experienced the problems first hand.
Essentially the problem is this; going to school is not the same as getting an education. I can attest to this fact as I didn't truly start learning anything useful until after I left the education system. Oh, there was the annual family vacation and the odd field trip here and there, but for the most part, school was a 12 year prison sentence.
That being said, an interesting thought occurred to me after my family visited Max's doctor to discuss new medication options for his A.D.H.D. (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). During the course of conversation we started talking about finding a medication that would allow him to function well in the school environment. That's when the thought occurred; Why on earth would I want my son to excel in a school system that I don't believe in myself? I don't want my son to do well in a system that stifles education.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against my son taking medication that helps him to self-regulate. However, the thought of him trying to conform to a system that dumbs people down instead of raising them up is, to me, intolerable.
However, because Max needs extra support at this point in his development of which I can not personally provide, I'm forced to put him into the very system I despise.
My hope is that one day I will be able to find a place for him where he can get a true education and thrive.
