My son is the most confident person I know.
Poirot,
That's good to hear. What does he do ? What's his goal ? I know some highly confident youngsters such as those who stole all my gear & some who are actually pulling their weight by either staying for a profession or a trade.
The thieving ones had far more priviledged schooling yet turned out wrong. I know of one who did about $80,000 damage to some premises & as punishment he was given an apprenticeship to 'get him on the right track'. He's back to his old ways & the good kids couldn't get an apprenticeship despite education. That kind of nonsense has to stop soon.

individual,

What is your point?

"What does he do? What is his goal?"

He's ten years old.....he's just growing and learning at the moment.

One thing, though. It's my honest wish that he never develops the sort of attitude that you regularly display on this forum. As far as I'm concerned, attitudes like yours and diver dan's are exactly the kinds of mindsets that weld ordinary people to institutionalised life - all you do is attack and disparage those who seek a better way.

Killarney,

Here's an example of someone who tried to make a positive difference to a school in a challenged neighbourhood in London in the 60's Risinghill School. The education authorities closed it down.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Duane

Thanks for that link, Poirot. I had vaguely heard of Risinghill. Unfortunately, intolerant education authorities and local councils can be the biggest enemies of community/alternative schools, as well as the struggle to make the general education community aware that they even exist.

Another internationally renowned alternative school is Sudbury in the UK.

Ah, what the heck! I don't know if this is against OLO rules, but here is a general list of some of the community-alternative schools in Australia - or at least the east coast. Also called 'independent' and 'democratic' schools, because they have no religious or ideological affiliation, being entirely run by and sometimes owned by (via cooperatives) the school community - kids, staff, parents and alumni. Most of them have websites and are easily googled.

Victoria
Preshil - Kew (est.1931), Alia College, Village School, Melbourne Community School, Collingwood College, Fitzroy Community School, Lynall Hall, Berengarra, Candlebark School

NSW
Currambena School, Kinma School

QLD
Brisbane Independent School, Pine Community School (Brisbane), Blackhall Range Independent School - Maleny, Booroobin - Maleny, School of Total Education - Warwick

And of course, the many Rudolf Steiner and Montessori schools around Australia, although they have a lot less independence and hands-on democracy than the community schools.

(Trivia for the day: Anne Frank attended a Montessori school in Amsterdam before, and for a while after, WWII began.)

wish that he never develops the sort of attitude that you regularly display
Poirot,
Has it ever occurred to you that you lot are the cause ? if your young feller is as confident etc as you say then, by hanging around the likes of you will turn him into one of us, that is the curse of caring. We wouldn't need to constantly dew attention to your selfishness if you were less selfish. I say selfish because you don't appear to care about those who don't fare as well as you because of the policies you support.
What is my point ? I have sufficient evidence to realise I'd be wasting my time to explain the benefits of caring & responsibility to you.

individual,

That's rather a grotesque little commentary coming from the likes of someone who doesn't know me.

This is the last time I'll be addressing you on this forum as I find your false assumptions and petty labelling puerile and offensive. Are you a grown man?

The only thing you have "sufficient evidence" of is your own malicious penchant for distortion and invective.

Poirot:

...I think you are taking a ridiculous stand on this issue. The direction this thread has taken us all at present, is in discussing the social benefits or otherwise, for children of the conventional school. We have, all of us, converged into that particular aspect of the debate, which is quite legitimate under the heading of the article “Do Schools Educate”? Teaching social integration is a huge and important aspect of the learning experience in the school of “mass” education.

...I remain a critic of people who extract their children from school under the guise of a mental illness. I do agree there are times in some childrens lives, where to extract them from school for short periods of illness, for example, are very legitimate. But you do not seem to qualify on that point, since in your rounded criticism of the conventional school system, private or public, you appear not to discriminate with your dissatisfaction.

...Interestingly, the condition you specify for your son, autism; is a controversial modern-day phenomena diagnosis. (Add to it, Asperger’s, same category). One of its highlights is an inability to concentrate on subjects the patient deems uninteresting. For Christ sake POIROT, that is what schools are about, expanding learning and exercising childrens ability to concentrate. It is you Poirot, exhibiting the dreadful attitude here.

...Unless your child was expelled from his school for uncontrollable behaviour, you have a social obligation to force your child to conform to a school system which includes as a priority, social integration. You do your son no favours, now or into the future, allowing him to control you in the way he obviously has, by giving in to him, and allowing him access to the path of a “cushy” and unhindered bludge; and now totally disconnecting him from the society of “normal” children at school!

...So, what do you hope to achieve by that obviously flawed and misguided decision, to extract him from the influence of children in the “real” world of the common school?