Alright...
... I've read all of the posts in this thread (phew!
. I am hearing some very influential ideas from both ends of this spectrum.
I am 16 years old, and I have already attended a hell of alot of schools. I attended an International school in China, an American school in Russia, a public elementary school in Maryland (Eastern United States), a public middle schooll in the same place, an international school in the Philippines (Manila), and finally an American school in Paris, France. My dad works for the United States government, so we move around alot.
In all of the schools I have been to, for the most part, the teachers were extremely kind. They would acknowledge the shadier parts of the United States history, how the ways everyone fel during the war (not to start any flames here, but did you know Hitler was almost loved by the people? He helped out*his* o****ry alot... too bad he was such a damn bastard).
However, in both of my public schools in the States, I have to admit students and myself are somewhat *pressured* into thinking a certain way or acting in some fashion. From singing the National Anthemn and "I Pledge Allegance" (amazing how many people don't know what the hell they are saying) tot eachers telling you the glory of US history, I beleived alot of it. I will admit when I left the States, I believed it waqs the greatest country on the planet.
Now that I have been aquainted wiht the rest of the world for the past 4 years, I've begun to actually dislike the UNited States. And I am also beginning to dislike school. It is sort of like a barrier; although you gain the protection it covers over you, you cannot leave it or experience anything outside of it.
School, in its purest form, is learning. It is helpful. However, when 3rd party sources, such as governments and religions, get involved in this kind of field, things go wrong. Just look at Nazi Germany with Hitler and his "Hitler Youth" programs. He controlled almsot an entire generation of people. An even better example would be Stalin. Even now, the some of the people he brainwashed long ago support him as a hero, even though he was a ruthless bastard who was just as bad if not more so than Hitler.
Oh yes, the idea of communism is simply brilliance. It is an incredible idea, if any of you have read the Communist manifesto. As many of you pointed out, however, the weakness IS the human factor. Humans are greedy and selfish, and that is the reason such a beautiful idea like communism will never work.
TO answer the original poll, I can't say that school is a fascit regime, however. If there were alot of schools under the jurisdiction of government or church I could agree, but for now I simply have to state that schools do restrict your freedom.
PS: Dont give teachers ****
If you have a very well thought out argument, however, and really want to present it to the teacher in a calm, <b>persuasive</b> manner, than by all means try it. I have argued points against my teachers countless times, and you would be amazed at how some of them will respond. Sometimes you do get pricks who will just flunk you, but other times they may suprise you...