Why the State School System Cannot Offer a (Really) Good Education

Is the state education system outdated? In today’s article, we present our critique of the current school system and alternatives you might be interested in.

Welcome to the state system of indoctrination by abduction and internment of children in compulsory education. This established apparatus presents itself with outstanding efficiency as one of the greatest exponents of the functioning of state agents: taxes are so high that schools should be built of marble; but instead, they are dilapidated, the technical equipment is obsolete and there is a lack of staff personnel in almost all types of schools and institutes.

The education system merely reflects the (in)competence of public officials: is this what we want our children to endure (any longer)?

Let’s start with an obvious fact: the system of indoctrinating children in compulsory education in countries like Germany or Spain is —at its worst— a bastion of mediocrity: while some countries dare to integrate innovative teaching methods and modern technology into their classrooms, Germany stubbornly clings to a totally outdated system, with increasingly restrictive curricular objectives.

The irrefutable proof of the mediocrity (or rather, the inferiority) of the German education system can be found in the results of the latest PISA studies. But what is even more decisive is the trend they reflect: a downward trend! In short: the performance of German students is getting worse year after year.

A bastion of mediocrity

However, the mediocrity we are talking about does not just extend to student performance. The entire education bureaucracy is extremely complex and slow, and schools tend to have little autonomy to respond to the individual student needs of students or to try out innovative teaching methods.

Every small change has to be approved by numerous bureaucratic bodies, which not only hinders progress but often nips it in the bud. This is one of the reasons why some curricula are outdated and teach content that has little or no relevance to the modern world of work and life. Innovation and digitalization are only tangentially integrated way, which means that students are not optimally prepared for the challenges of today’s society when they leave school.

The best example of this is that many schools still do not even have access to high-speed internet. The question we really need to ask ourselves is this: Is there even a serious and real will to promote change?

Established system of repression

From the very beginning, the aim of the system of forced indoctrination of minors has not been to promote critical thinkers and creative spirits, but to produce well-educated and uncritical people, perfectly standardized in the military tradition to fit into the labor market.

The roots of this can be found in the Prussian school system of the 19th-century, the main aim of which was to make education a state task aimed at molding the ideal citizen, not the liberal and critical thinker. Although the school system has, of course, undergone some modernization since then, it is natural to get the impression that our children enter the school institution as rough diamonds full of curiosity and creativity, and sometimes leave it as standardized and grey cogs, ready to fit senselessly into the machinery of society instead of acting in their own interests, thinking freely and developing individual ideas or entrepreneurial attitudes.

In this context, it is particularly interesting to observe which profiles are often considered “school failures” and how quickly “behavioral problems” are diagnosed when a child deviates from the norm: logically, creative, practical, self-taught and entrepreneurial people find it particularly difficult to fit into the straitjacket imposed by the school system.

However, one of the main reasons for this problem is, undoubtedly, who teaches our children.

A system controlled by civil servants and bureaucrats

A question that epitomizes the logic of the school system is: “How can someone who has never written a job application in their life prepare for the world of work?”

What may sound populist is based on fact: in many German federal states, for example, teachers do not apply for their coveted jobs in the traditional way but simply register their details on the platform of the state education authority of the Land itself. These teachers are usually hired on the basis of their qualifications and grade point average, usually without an interview or anything like that – as is the case in the private sector.

However, in the current era of massive teacher shortages, these “minimum recruitment criteria” sometimes disappear altogether, as unqualified personnel or untrained temporary staff become “gap fillers” in school schedules.

This situation would be tolerable if it were “only” a matter of recruitment. But we have to ask ourselves the following questions: how can someone who has never worked in the private sector prepare students for a career in the private sector? And what’s more: how can teachers, whose jobs (and livelihoods) are often completely secure, prepare students for the ups and downs of business life?

Consider what it means to be a teacher in the civil service: a job for life in which they are almost certain to last until retirement, with unlimited sick leave, predictable salary progression, pension rights, and so on. Do we really want these well-off civil servants teaching the next generation how to develop an innovative product or how to take financial risks?

Do we really want to leave that in the hands of people who come from exactly the opposite background? Teachers are immersed in a system based on stability, security and routine, which is bureaucratic and slow rather than flexible and dynamic; and which never reinvents itself or has any incentive to do so.

We cannot afford to leave the task of educating the next generations to people at the other end of the professional spectrum.

It would be presumptuous to blame individual actors for this situation, because teachers are really just pawns in a completely disorganized system that has been neglected, deteriorated and kept out of date over the years.

But how can we maximize the impact of education and ensure that it really bears fruit? The answer is quite simple: individually. Cognitively, learning follows similar patterns: above all, we need motivation to want to engage in something. Ideally, we need an emotional connection and an approach through our senses, preferably several at the same time —touch, taste, sight, sound, smell…—; but what makes us very different from each other is whether we prefer to do it in the company of other students —whether we need someone to accompany us—, when our brain works best —at 7.30 in the morning or at 11. 00?” What style and strategy I use to learn, whether I prefer to learn visually or aurally… and, of course, everything related to the content being taught: What do I want to learn?

One of the most indisputable factors is also ‘how I feel every day’: Am I in shape today? Did I sleep well? Is it possible that I am in poor health or that I am feeling down today? We have all experienced what it is like to take a test or an exam on a day when our cognitive performance is not as high as usual. In the worst case, I get a bad grade at school because of “a bad day”, which can mark me as incapable or deficient in that subject for a long time. And what does that grade really say about your ability and performance? Absolutely nothing.

The school system cannot structurally guarantee education, because ideal learning has to start from the cognitive point of view.

It is clear, therefore, that the school system, in its present form, cannot at all guarantee education in the way that cognitive science tells us it can. For it to be effective, every pupil would have to be free to attend school at the time when they learn best, they would have to be motivated and they would have to learn the content in a way that provides maximum stimulation for them —they might not even have to show up in a school building if it turns out that they learn better with an audiobook, for example, or in an undisturbed environment. Apart from the fact that none of this is legally possible, as can be assumed, the truth is that it is not structurally feasible either.

The school system cannot guarantee ideal learning.

If we really want to guarantee maximum educational success for our children, there is little reason to send them to overcrowded classes in dilapidated buildings, to leave them in the hands of some “day care service” during classes that are permanently cancelled — due to teacher absence or lack of resources —, to give them an education that leaves much to be desired because of burnt-out teachers counting the days until retirement.

And from the perspective of a young person of school age, the question becomes more and more relevant: by what right does the legislator keep me here as a prisoner for ten or more years of my life? As a free person, do I not have the right to decide where I spend six hours a day, five days a week until I complete the so-called “full-time compulsory education”? Don’t even my parents have the right to freely decide where, how and with whom I spend most of this first stage of my life?

The strictest requirements for “compulsory education” despite the poor quality of teaching:

GREEN: The state does not intervene in children’s education, either through control or through requirements. Homeschooling and non-schooling are possible.

YELLOW: Free choice of education is partially allowed. Homeschooling is sometimes linked to a single official registration or a test of specialized knowledge on the part of the parents.

WHITE: Member of the European Union

RED: Compulsory education means compulsory attendance at school. Schooling is supervised by the state. Homeschooling is only possible in exceptional cases under official supervision — for example, for the children of diplomats abroad, the children of celebrities and inland navigation bosses or young pop stars.

ORANGE: Freedom of choice of education is slightly restricted. Homeschooling is possible under certain conditions, and the level of education is monitored through inspections by the school authorities or the child protection office.

GRAY: No information

However, like taxes, most people assume that compulsory schooling is an immutable law of nature that is as much a part of life as day or night, sleeping or breathing. Fortunately, this is not the case, and there are many ways to educate children in other ways, to delegate teaching to parents or even to let them study freely.

German legislation has introduced stricter regulations than any of its European neighbors, establishing “compulsory school attendance” in Germany, which means that German children must in almost all cases remain at school from around 8am until 1pm. However, there are enough options and variations to avoid compulsory school attendance if parents or children legitimately request it. The Flag Theory also offers countless options when it comes to “education, school and family”, so that no one is forced to submit to the state school system as the only option for their children’s education.

To find out how to leave the state school system and escape compulsory education contact our team.

4 case studies

First case: My husband is registered in a country where education is compulsory and I have deregistered, I am travelling with the child in a motorhome. How can my child study properly?

If there is no habitual residence or residence in a country is not triggered (this must always be determined on the basis of specific periods of residence), there are several strategies for “teaching” the child in the best possible way. The most common ones are:

Free learning: This approach is particularly suited to the motorhome environment, as there is usually a constant change of environment and social contacts, which are also usually different depending on how the trip is organized — which in turn invites the child to freely develop his or her interests. In this context, the child can learn without a fixed curriculum or formal teaching. Instead, learning is guided by the child’s interests, curiosity and natural learning processes: this approach is based on the premise that children are naturally curious and eager to learn, and that they learn best in a supportive environment where they can follow their own interests and questions.

Homeschooling: Unlike independent learning, homeschooling usually follows a structured curriculum. There may be fixed hours and subjects organized throughout the day and week. This structure helps to create a regular learning environment. This approach is particularly suitable if you can afford a private tutor or if the educational background of the parents (for example, children of teachers) allows it.

Online school: Online schools offer considerable flexibility, as students can often set their own schedules and study locations. This type of education allows for the organization of individualized learning plans that are adapted to personal strengths and weaknesses and provides access to modern digital resources and technologies. It also offers one-to-one tutoring with specialized teachers is also offered, and it saves on additional costs such as travel and materials. One of the best known international online schools is, for example, the Wilhelm von Humboldt Online Private School.

It is important to check which teaching method you would like your child to use (for example, Montessori or the national curriculum of your country of origin), what financial resources are available for teaching and what the child’s individual needs are. Depending on this, it is advisable not only to choose one of the methodologies, but also to find a suitable approach within that methodology — for example, I choose on the concept of an online school, where it is crucial to check which school offers the greatest match with the client’s wishes.

However, for the stateless reader, if your spouse remains in the country of origin, it is possible that your center of vital interests will remain there, and you will therefore to continue to pay taxes. Often, a pro forma separation through an amicable separation agreement with a lawyer can solve this problem without the need for a divorce.

Second case: Do I still want my children to obtain their diplomas while we are abroad (ambition in their studies)?

Depending on the place and duration of your stay, the easiest and most obvious way to achieve this would be to attend an official school in your country of origin abroad. However, if you are a perpetual traveler, it is advisable to first choose the methods presented in the previous case study. The route to school qualification would then be via the so-called external exam, which is often linked to certain requirements.

– Third case: How do I deal with the fact that my child has no social contact if he or she does not go to school?

For many clients, the issue of social interaction is one of the main reasons why any form of “out-of- school” education is initially viewed very critically and with suspicion. However, this is completely irrelevant, as the allocation of people to interact with in the school context is based solely on age and, possibly, region/neighborhood. These are all factors that hinder social maturity rather than promote it.

In general, place of residence and age are factors that have little to do with the maturation of social contacts. So the opposite of what is desired is happening. We are convinced that it is not only useful but also beneficial to choose social contacts in the same way as we would choose them in an “informal” context: according to interests and hobbies, according to shared values, goals and ambitions, according to shared and freely chosen experiences, etc., but never by chance grouping together neighbors from the same neighborhood. Therefore, when it comes to de-schooling, the socialization factor should clearly be seen as a fantastic opportunity rather than a problem.

A typical setting for supporting the socialization of children outside of school can be any group related to the child’s interests (such as sports, art or music clubs), but also homeschooling groups, volunteer and community work, family and friend networks, summer camps and cultural exchanges, travel, etc.

Social contact for out-of-school children can be ensured through a variety of activities and networks. It may take a little more planning and initiative, but there are many better ways for children to develop social skills and make friends while learning outside the traditional school system.

– Fourth case: We are travelling with our son (12) as perpetual travelers and support free learning, but we would like to have a rough framework of how we could teach our son certain subjects.

First of all, we need to determine the child’s level of knowledge: unlike in a traditional school context, age alone does not give any information about the child’s level of knowledge.

It is also necessary to find out what their interests are. Contrary to what happens in school, you have to take advantage of the opportunities offered by independent learning and use all the possibilities for motivation to focus education in a personalized direction. Let’s take language as an example: you can decide which texts to use to introduce the child to certain topics — if I know that my child likes detective stories, then it makes a lot of sense to choose a mystery text to teach him the rules of capitalization and spelling, rather than a boring and old-fashioned school non-fiction text or a text with stories about medieval horses.

If you had to draw up a rough weekly language plan to guide the child and the family could use as a guide, it would look like this:

• General objectives for the subject of language: the child needs to work on four areas of learning: “active speaking and listening”, “writing”, “reading and comprehension” and “thematic language”.
• Task area for “speaking and active listening”: Narrating, retelling and reporting (using an audiobook or a play). Giving one’s own opinion on the text heard
• “Writing” tasks: Knowing the basic rules of word formation (conjugating verbs, adding suffixes and prefixes, etc.) Knowing the rules of spelling (capital letters, accents, etc.)
• “Reading and comprehension” task area: Knowing strategies for reading comprehension (dividing a text into units of meaning, summarizing parts of a text, highlighting key parts of a text, specifying statements from a text, reformulating parts of a text, explaining the meaning of words, etc.)
• “Thematic language” tasks: Knowing the elements and attributes of the sentence (subject and predicate), knowing the main and subordinate clauses (position of the verb, dependency of the subordinate clause, etc.).

This type of learning plan is suitable if it is personalized for each child and should be individualized according to their level and the given circumstances.

In principle, it can also be supplemented with appropriate material (e-books, apps, etc.). Everything can be personalized in the context of a specific consultation to elaborate on these approximate learning plans. Our consultant Chris is an expert in free education and can help you and your children with legal issues, as well as developing a personalized learning program. As a former teacher and learning coach, he knows how to inspire children’s curiosity and make education fun again.

As you can see, there are alternatives to the system of forced school indoctrination through child abduction. We hope this article will help you understand how they work and perhaps even put them into practice.