| > Is forcing children to eat their vegetables, take regular baths, and go to bed on time an example of "one size fits all" parenting? Each parent has a different style, sometimes very different from one to the neighbor. For good or bad, there's no official manual on being a parent. On the other side every child has to learn every item of a bunch of subjects at each specific age. > I find it very difficult to believe that learning to read later in life won't adversely affect your maximum reading proficiency later in life. All Sudbury Valley School students have excellent SAT scores. Also, children of Finland which have the highest PISA score in the world don't learn to read until a few years later than in other places of the world. > it is the most basic possible skill required to function in society after learning to speak Maybe recognizing e.g. subtle differences in dense shapes is more important. Or basic things like remembering left and right. Things one shouldn't rush. Things children learn by playing. Reading depends heavily on those. > I don't think either that it makes sense to give children a choice in the specific matter of whether or not they should be instructed in this skill that is so critical to their development and usefulness to society Why not? You forget that children _are_ social, even more so in an environment like SVS where they have voice and vote to decide on school matters. Children are very curious and _want_ to learn stuff. As I said, all students have very good SAT scores. Also they're regarded as having very good social skills and tend to be very successful. Is there any better measure of the outcome? > they are by definition the least experienced and informed about the consequences of their decisions And the best course of action is not giving them the exposure to gain experience? SVS is not just "children do whatever they want all day". There are rules. Made and voted by all children. Most people don't have that kind of social interaction until much later in life. Instead they get bullies. Or they become bullies. > That's not to say I don't think kids should have a choice in anything, just that part of raising children involves not letting them make choices that significantly and adversely affect their future. Read more about SVS, or read the work of John Taylor Gatto. You may rethink what kind of choices are adversely affecting their future. |