Kathleen,
What I noticed right away was the gathering of people in a group activity. Together we can imitate each other and be in the presence of supportive cues flying all over the place. I'd prefer to call this bonding over a case of learning.
School removes the simple human desire for belonging and emphasizes the individual. Not to mention presenting a value system held dear by people you don't know--and normally wouldn't associate with. School plunges kids into a system of interaction where the purpose is not to show mutual support or being of the group, but to perfom in an "acceptable" manner.
Somewhere it was decided the best model of the world to display at school is neutral and de-personalized. The equivilant of life's journey designed by the Greyhound Bus interior design department.
This caught my attention for no reason in particular while looking through the I Ching for advice on emergence: #25 Wu Wang / Innocence (The Unexpected). We can let Roy work on the meaning:-)