You know what really bothers me is even those who claim academic success in the mainstream report socialization problems. School aged kids have many developmental tasks to complete, and the majority are dependent upon those kids being in an environment that helps them learn, through interaction with their peers, how to begin to individuate and develop relationships outside the family, as well as identity development. If they are in a school environment that does not allow for healthy resolution of the psychosocial tasks of childhood, the difficulties created for them last a lifetime, unless they receive help as adults to resolve what should have occurred naturally in childhood. In effect, they spend their adult years trying to learn those things that should have been learned in childhood, but they were prevented from doing so by an environment that restricted their psychosocial development.
A student who has achieved honor role grades, but is incapable of forming healthy relationships with others, has not developed a healthy self concept and has a fragmented identity is not going to be able to succeed in the world of employment. The whole purpose of the academic experience is to prepare a child to be a successful adult across the board. Part of the preparation includes being able to function as an individual and become self supporting not just financially, but socially, emotionally, and psychologically. What good have we done if we neglect these important issues involved in education?
