Attending elementary school should not be mandatory in the USA.

>>It is also such an important right that it is not to be given to the parents. Just wondering, but since when was the government more qualified to make a decision for children than the children's own parents? You would think that the parents would know the child better and be able to determine what is best for them, not the government, right? >>For nowadays you no longer need just a high school diploma…it is essential that you have a college degree and just to get into a decent college you need to be on the cutting edge in your class. And therefore the government should force little children into spending 8 hours a day learning about things they will often not have any interest in or need. For instance, grammar is a subject that is not often liked. Why should children spend 8 hours a day learning about conjunctions when they would most likely never use that knowledge when they exit high school? Also, what if the child does not want to get a college degree? You do not have to have a college degree to get a job. If you think that you do, then you should ask people who work, and see if they have a college degree? Chances are, some of the people you ask will say no. >>So if the parent's would rather have their child do something else such as working for there living than that would be horrible considering the fact that education is a catalyst for development. Again, because the parent might not want their child to go to school and might want to teach them something other than algebra, the government should take this right out of the parent's hands and force children to go to school? >>That is why it is so key to offer education to third-world countries—if it weren't, than why would we be constantly wasting our time? This is an irrelevant argument because this debate is about the USA, which is not a third world country. >>Thus, it isn't fair for a child who might yearn for the power of knowledge yet denied it because of their parent. Knowledge is not defined by how well you know your ABCs. There are many things that you learn outside of school. True, there are some things that you would most likely not learn without going to school, but going to school does not guarantee knowledge. >>It's the child's right to have the same stepping-stone that most of their peers will have. If a parent objects to the way the school system is run than they have a choice of home-schooling their child but if they are too lazy to do even that…then they don't care about their child and obviously incapable of making such a decision on whether or not their child should even have an education. In today's world, there are many different ways to attain knowledge. You do not always have to have someone teach you for you to learn. An education does not have to be attained in a classroom. It can be attained on the computer, through books, etc. There are many different media for information to be transfered. >>A parent has a right to make adaptations to their child's education—share their beliefs, take an active part, choose the school, and the choice…but to deny it altogether is a risk for the future. It is like food—the child has a right to eat but the parent chooses what mainly goes in it. The child has a right to education but the parent may choose what mainly goes in it. I am in no way saying that parents should force their children to not have an education in a classroom. I am saying that parents should have the right to not take their children to school, not that they should have the duty to pull them out and not teach them. Also, a lot of the time when the parents volunteer, they do what the school wants them to do, not what the parent wants to do. I am done refuting all of your arguments, and now I will move on to my own argument. Like I said earlier in my first post, education should not be something forced upon children. If the child would like to go to school, it should be up the indivudual child. Not the government. The crux of my argument is that it should not be the government's job to make sure that children go to school. It should be up to the individual child and his/her parents. You don't force people to learn. Anyone who has taught children knows that you don't just throw information at children and hope that they can figure out what you are saying. That is ineffective and frustrating for the child when they do not understand, and it is frustrating for the teacher when they find out that they are not teaching the child effectivley. Likewise, the government should not force children to go to an environment where they may not be comfortable. It is not the government's job to do so. It is either the child's or the parent's job. Thank you