I am not sure there are studies that would support your belief that most children feel fear, powerlessness, anger, and disgust towards school. These are intense emotions that you are describing. I see through my practice, children feeling anger toward going to school but that does not mean they are angry at the school system itself. As a rule, children/youth are very self-focused and do not have the ability to plan or look ahead. They are very attuned to the "here and now." Asking them to participate in an activity that requires effort and structure, is something that goes against their developmental makeup.

Most adults, at some point in their lives, did not feel like going to work on a given day. They wake up and would prefer to stay in bed. What gets them to work is their ability to understand the significance of not going to work. Identifying consequences of the decision and getting past that is something children usually do not master until later on. Expecting them to buy into the importance of going to school at an early age is usually not a successful conversation that adults have with children.

If these emotions are surfacing with your child, I would suggest finding out more information as to what may be causing these feelings. These intense feelings are not typical. There are several possibilities of what may be causing these intense feelings. This would include being bullied, peer problems (not bullying be other challenges), learning disability, school anxiety, or other emotional issues.

I would encourage to start out with a conversation with his/her teacher. If that conversation does not satisfy you, talk with other school officials, such as Assistant Principal or school social worker.