In a world of choice and free movement, children
are more likely to come from families that will consist of a
single parent. Many children will come from environments where
discrimination, poverty, prejudice, and violence have an
overpowering influence. Such an environment is significant for a
society dedicated to democratic ideals. We have to face the fact
that childrearing and education are being transferred from family
to institutions meant to produce the educated person. With the
best of motives, society has created factories for processing
children. These socio-educational entities are accepted quite
obligingly by the majority of the people freed from a
responsibility affecting their own lives. "Everything will be
fine, as long as the education of the new generation basically
repeats the education of the parents," sums up the expectations
regarding these institutions.
Although we know that, generally speaking, cycles (of production,
design, and evaluation) are getting shorter, we maintain
children in education well past the time they even fit in
classroom chairs. One needs to see those adults forced to be
students, full of energy, frustrated that their patience, not
their creative potential, is put to the test. Dropping out of
high school or college is not indicative of a student's
immaturity. Society's tendency to decide what is best for the
next generation has determined that only one type of education
will ensure productive adults.
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