I did attend public school briefly, and it was literally a psychologically scarring experience in some respects.

On one occasion I was the New Kid in a classroom full of out-of-towners who needed to feel superior to someone. On one hand, I saw the absurdity of another 4th grader trying to make fun of me for reading books with no illustrations, but on the other hand, it still hurt. I also remember the music teacher pullong random names to reward kids, and those who misbehaved were disqualified. All year, I behaved myself, because I am not inclined to that sort of mischief, but I never got any reward. The kids who were scolded the before seemed to get multiple chances all year. It just felt too arbitrary. I also one commented to a vullybthat a friend was not a [insert racial epithet here],
and instead of being commended for standing up to a bully, I was the one reported to the principal's office for using that word. The i justice if the system was laid bare, even if I couldn't fully comprehend it then. I was also struggling even then with undiagnosed chronic illness.

My teachers were good people, and there were some fun activites in class, but on the whole I do not have fond memories of school. It felt even then like a waste of my time to be trapped in someone else's schedule. I also hated class reading. We read out loud from books, taking turns reading a sentence at a time. Most of my classmates stumbled along slowly. I got bored, even though the books themselves were often good.

It's interesting to lopk back and be better equipped.to articulate the frustrations I felt. I wasn't equipped yet with the perspective or vocabulary then. I just knew I was deeply dissatisfied with the experience and had no objection to being homeschooled again.