Why do we go to school?

 Why do we go to school?

 

So much of what we have our kids in school spend time on is a complete waste of time.  Just think of how much content we “learned”, memorized, and forgot right after the test. Was that content ever useful?

In these times of high test state mandated test taking and shaming of schools/students who do poorly on the test, it is time to ask why are we asking kids to learn this stuff anyway.

Students need to learn to read, use mathematics to do their personal finances and home maintenance, know enough about government to be an informed voter and know enough history that we won’t peat and repeat past mistakes. They need to learn to evaluate information, particularly in this day of so much misinformation.   If we really taught these things there would still be time left for other important issues.

Social-emotional learning comes under regular attack for not being rigorous academic work.  It is VERY important learning.  On a regular basis we learn of some disturbed individual shooting up a school, a house of worship or most recently a grocery store.  Most often the people who are doing these things are filled with hate of some other group.  Somewhere along the line the opportunity to teach these people to live with others was missed.

The very subjects we are quick to delete when budgets are tight or priorities are mixed up are the very ones that kids need the most.

Students should have more time in physical education.   Not to compete but to learn to work cooperatively.  They need to learn the meaning of a team effort with everyone working toward the same goal.

Music is a place where kids can strive and thrive together and learn about each other’s cultures in a non-threatening way. Through music they can learn to appreciate other cultures far beyond our recognition of the month.  Studio art allows children to express themselves in non-verbal ways and to work out aggression in an acceptable manner.

Think about how kids spend their school days.  The days are structured and that is good.  But they are alive today, and yet we consistently tell students that what they are learning they will need when they grow up.  What would happen if we allowed kids to spend their time in school learning things that they need right now.   Maybe then kids would know why they go to school.