School does not help me with life. Why go?

Question

So many years at school then thrown into the adult world with no preparation. What good was my perfect memory of the dates of battles in an American war in 1201, my perfect memory of working out mathematical functions, etc. I did not know how to make good decisions, good relationships, discuss, have purpose, direction etc. Education ,that is, memorising facts, seems to miss the point to me.

Answer 1

I agree with you. Our school system was designed hundreds of years ago, and its purpose is to select and train professors. If you're not interested in an academic career, theres no good alternative yet.
I think that most kids know whether or not they want an academic education, and think that beyond basic English and Maths skill most people would benefit far more from learning subjects such as basic animal care, computing, sewing and gardening and cooking, painting and decorating, social skills,art and design and money management and basic car maintenance.
Teenagers could learn Photoshop, 3d software, web design and Flash instead of just Word and Exel.
Lets face it, when you leave school your most likely to work in a shop, or an office. Employers would prefer to hire you if you could talk to people, type, use Office and knew how to answer the phone.
Wouldn't school be more interesting if you could do real projects ands learn how to manage once you leave home? Wouldn't you feel more motivated to go, and get more from it?
I think the current system is crazy, and lets down kids and staff alike.

Answer 2

There was no American war in 1201, so you must have failed history. IF the experience you had in school was restricted to memorizing facts without applying them both to the time things happened and now, your school let you down, and you have a complaint. However, I really do not think that is at all the case. Rather, I think you are confused and not goal oriented and are looking for a scapegoat for your own inadequacies. Too bad too, because you need to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and start thinking seriously about your future.

Hopefully you will!!

Answer 3

Wrong definition of education.

Education is what remains after you've forgotten everything you learnt. Einstein said that (in slightly different words). He was right. He was also crap in school, being dyslexic in the days before anyone cared. You are learning:
- how to defend yourself in a commercial, exploitative world
- how to understand other points of view
- how to analyse difficult situations and come up with a solution
- that there is beauty, and that it is worth nurturing
- that where you come from affects what you are
- that you can make yourself in any shape you want to

Don't stop going.

By the way, any American war fought in 1201 was between indigenous Americans, and possibly Vikings. If you're learning that, you're at one broad minded school!

Answer 4

The seemingly pointless facts make you a well rounded person who is informed about the world, plus - even though you might not necessarily use the actual facts learned again - the fact that you did learn them proves to employers that you have certain skills and capabilities. So then you have choices - unlike someone with no education at all.

The rest has to be learned from your own interaction with the world and your own hunger for knowledge and betterment I'm afraid - no-one will spoon feed it to you and it's a lifetimes learning...

Answer 5

No..you're missing the point. You have to learn to focus and commit yourself to something. When someone employs womeone with a degree they aren't looking necessarily for someone that knows a lot about that subject..they're looking for a person that starts a course, works hard, and three years later has a qualification that shows they didnt give up. Thats what further education is all about. Basic education is needed all your life for basic tasks (maths and science), letters and forms (english lang) and conversation / social skills). Do your best...

Answer 6

Sounds like you are talking about high school. Yes, that is missing the point of education, but educating you is not the point of high school. High school is meant to teach you to conform to society, teach you how to memorize things and prove that you can be trained to perform menial tasks. I agree that high school is pretty much useless because when you get to college, you learn that most of the crap they told you was incorrect. All you can do is be glad that you get through it and don't have to go back. Try not to let the wasted time get to you. College is better about teaching you how to think, but a lot of college is spent learning things that you won't need because they want to get more money out of you. At least you will learn ways to methodically figure things out for yourself in college.

Answer 7

America did not have any wars in 1201, silly. Obviously you went to a rubbish school.

Go to school because I am a teacher and I need the job. Simple as.

Answer 8

Only life can teach you about life, as you grow, you will realise the value of the education you have, and how lucky you were to get it. You will meet people who were expensively and brilliantly educated who squandered themselves despite it, and people who never had the opportunity to attend school and whose poverty knew no bounds, but rose above all anyone thought they could be despite it. Direction comes later, only a few know what they want to do or be from a young age.

Answer 9

School was not designed to educate you, benefit you, or really create in the people attending these places, the mind set to think clearly or to think at all.You've asked the question that I asked myself when I came out of school, many years ago. I found the books that allowed me to "Study Thy Self", in order to maintain my balance and anchor me firmly here on planet "Mother Earth".
Try the Bodie Tree book store in west L.A.You might want to start with the "Master Key". Good Luck in your Life.

Answer 10

It is obvious you have lousy teachers. Education is not just memorising facts and figures , its about how to use what you have learned to be better able to live.