As the parent of two children who went through public school, and was very active, volunteering in the classroom, on the PTA board, etc. I can say that the schools are designed to NOT teach children to read.
The teachers don’t understand that they are being used to “dumb down” kids, they are just teaching what are supposed to be the “most effective” methods.
What they are actually doing is teaching kids to hate reading. People who read can get lots of different opinions and form their own conclusions. Something the powers that be aren’t always in favor of.
If you’ve never heard of Charlotte Iserbyte - she has a web site with a free download here:
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/
I read her book a few years ago, and it stunned me because it confirmed all these weird things I’d been seeing in the classroom but couldn’t understand.
By the way, my kids learned to read before kindergarten using nothing more than Dr. Suess books and a set of phonics flash cards that I happened to pick up at the dollar store. It just isn’t that hard. But if you have young kids, don’t count on the schools to do it!
You’re right. I was fortunate to have read Charlotte’s book, and books by Sam Blumenfeld and John Gatto, before I had kids. Fortunately, I was able to convince my wife to homeschool.
I can’t think of a single positive aspect of mass, compulsory schooling.