Formal education (K-12) ought to be compulsory in the United States

I will now define terms relevant to the resolve. These definitions will be used frequently and their meaning will remain the same throughout the round. If pro thinks my definitions hinder his chance in winning this debate, than he may *offer* new ones. I expect most of this debate to rely on observation so evidence is welcome but don't expect me to hound you for it unless you claim something really outlandish. Formal: being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements [3] Education: the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill [1] Compulsory: required by rule [2] C1: Compulsory education doesn't serve a meaningful purpose. As defined, education should impart knowledge or skill. The only skill education has successfully imparted is obedience and the will to accept authority. This is not a meaningful purpose and is actually harmful. When these children grow up and go to get jobs, they will not be concerned about how a company/corporation/etc is being run nor if the pay they are receiving is fair. Compulsory education (CE) makes kids accept being a tool of the working machine; just a part in a soulless mechanism. After all, they are nothing but a student at a desk in school. It inspires minds to become dull and non-inquisitive by redundant work ethics and concepts. Schooling has become a rite of passage and an unjustified one at that: "it's just something that everyone has to go through." It takes away one's free will and forces them to do things they'd rather not. This is not justifiable. CE fails to educate; how many people do you talk to on a daily basis that you would actually consider intelligent or interesting? Most people are not intelligent and not interested in learning. Of course, it is impossible to provide proof for this but I would hope it is self-evident. If not, how can you vouch for the intelligence of the public? CE has dissipated intelligent conversation and it is the main force behind "small talk." Teachers generally do not permit their students to speak and when they are speaking, it is generally not about anything meaningful. CE does nothing but waste precious and irrevocable time. Students aren't wondering, students aren't curious, students are bored = students are not learning and I conclude that CE is purposeless. C2: CE only teaches superficial information. The majority of what is learned at your average K-12 district is not meaningful. It is a given that we will use our language and some form of basic mathematics everyday. Secondary languages and advanced mathematics (including but not limited to trigonometry, calculus, algebra, etc) are superfluous. An important subject that one may overlook is history; how can one form an opinion on now if they never knew then? Parents can easily teach history to their children. After all, it's pretty common for children to espouse their parents political beliefs anyway, which are highly pertinent to history. A good example of pointless information would be learning about Huckleberry Fin or To Kill a Mockingbird. I consider both of them great books but kids simply aren't interested in them. They will retain some of the knowledge for a short while to pass the numerous quizzes and tests they will be faced with that relate to the books but it will be discarded afterward. I am not trying to devalue the importance of reading but reading books like the ones I gave examples of fail to teach anything of pragmatic value and usually just pertain to the curriculum. What does school educate you about that is a). necessary and b). couldn't be learned by yourself or taught by parents? C3: CE hurts people trying to attain jobs. To quote Rebecca Nelson of Mary Washington College, "Employers and graduate schools alike look at future employees' education record as a tool of measuring academic achievement, work habits and competency in a particular field. A college transcript is often the most influential document future employers have to judge potential employees by," [4]. All of the following is true. If you are tempted to argue that the resolve is about CE and not college, than you should remember that one must usually complete CE to go to college. They are dependent upon each other. Employers also rely heavily on experience (volunteering, sports, clubs, and internships) to evaluate future employees [5]. The former are all a result of compulsory education. Without CE, kids can sooner become a part of the workforce whether their position is meaningful or not. It will teach them true responsibility and provide to them a more accurate representation of the work place. It also allows greater bonding time with parents which will teach skills that are not teachable anywhere except in the house by the parents and family. Conclusion: The resolution is negated. Compulsory education is not a necessary force in the United States as it serves no purpose (C1), teaches nothing of substance (C2), and actually hurts people in getting a job (C3). Evidence/Sources 1,2,3: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu... 4: http://org.elon.edu... 5: http://www.associatedcontent.com...