Honestly I think that school is state sponsored babysitting. Once you understand that, the rhetoric teachers are often spouting about "misbehavior" "defiance" and "insubordination" all makes sense. At school a child's job is to not make a stir.

I also think free public school is critical to having an educated productive populace.

There's an apparent disconnect between my first opinion and the second. That disconnect is, and I know this will sound trite, questioning authority and facts. It's a critically important practice that schools actively discourage.