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A “Prussian-style” system worked well for providing a basic foundation, on which other learning could build; what we have today doesn’t seem very “Prussian” to me, though I confess I don’t know the particulars of it. I’d imagine Prussian children were much more attentive in class, and there was more done to ensure that lessons “sank in” (even if learning by rote, which has its benefits in some subjects).

Well....Without controlled studies we can't know for certain if existing institutional schools are effective.

I have asked many times, here on Free Republic, for professional educators to provide the studies that would show exactly **where** children learn ( at home or in the class), and **who** is doing the hard work of teaching. ( Is it the parent, child, tutors, friends of the family, study groups, or classroom teacher?)

Certainly, many people have anecdotal opinions and experiences to share, but without careful studies no one can say for certain that the typical institutional government school teaches anything. It could be that nearly all the results are due to the work done in the home.

The amount of homework my children bring home is quite a bit

When I ask parents of academically successful children about their home study habits, I have found that academically successful homeschoolers and institutionalized children both spend about the same amount of time doing schoolwork in the HOME! That is what made me think that, maybe, institutional schools don't teach anything! Maybe it is the free curriculum that the schools send home. Maybe the real work of teaching and learning is happening in the HOME. Maybe the academically successful institutionalized child is **afterschooling**.

; “No Child Left Behind” has really turned up the pressure on the education industry. I’ve even had things sent home from teachers asking parents to sign a contract that we’ll provide a good homework environment, etc.; the gall of my employees to dictate the terms by which I involuntarily spend several thousand dollars annually on them is stunning (those “contracts” are never returned to school).

Intuitively these teachers must know that their success depends on the efforts of others ( the parent and the child). At some level they must know that little of what they do in the class makes any difference in what a child learns.

On top of the dysfunctional non-learning environment in the classroom is a problem where children outside of school spend less time doing anything other than watch TV or play video games. The number of times I’ve taken my children to a park or playground, and they are among the only American children there, it too high to count; other children (mostly Latino or Asian) are there with one or both parents playing very actively. I understand the work schedules of parents make this difficult, but when I think of how we played outside when we were younger, as compared to how kids are today, it is very sad. Games like man-hunt, and trips along the lines of the movie “Stand By Me”, were routine (I grew up in the edge of the NJ Meadowlands - lots to explore); now when I take my children hiking or camping they don’t get the same out of it that I did.

One of the blessings of homeschooling is that formal homeschooling is rather quickly finished. For my kids it was rarely more than 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, but we worked all year, except major holidays. The rest of the time they **played**. ( We had no TV.)

It was a fascinating process to watch. Their play was extremely intense and even as preschoolers the same task would occupy hours, and even days and weeks. Gradually, this intense concentration that was devoted to play evolved into highly focused adult work and perfection of adult hobbies such as dance, art, and music.

If children are robbed of the opportunity for sustained and uninterrupted play, how will they learn to concentrate and work hard? If children are interrupted constantly by a school or day care's bells and whistles every half hour or so, where is the opportunity to learn sustained concentration? Is it surprising that we have so much ADD or ADHD when children have so little chance to play and explore?