Other than the fact they’d probably hurt themselves with farm equipment, we send kids to school for three reasons:
- Attain knowledge
- Develop the ability to learn
- Develop the ability to reason
Dumb kids don’t know much, have a hard time learning, and aren’t very good at problem solving. Smart kids know a bunch of stuff, are capable of learning more, and can figure their way around most situations.
Knowledge
Since we can’t teach everything, kids learn what the system deems appropriate. Much of it’s building blocks for further education (like, advanced chemistry building on intermediate chemistry), but some subjects standalone—requiring little foundation.
We can’t always make school applicable to everyone’s interests. Part of the plan is to expose young people to as many subjects as possible so they’ll discover what they like. Then once you know what you like, you can focus (and the experience becomes more enjoyable).
It’s a pity we forget most of what we learn. Algebra, chemistry, Shakespeare, and how to rip apart a frog will be mostly forgotten by the time you start a job. That’s why it’s good to keep a book of knowledge to document the parts you’d like to remember.
Ability to learn
Like a bodybuilder develops physical muscle in a gym, students develop intellectual muscle in a classroom. So when they say, “Why do I need to know about Japanese people in the fourteenth century?” The answer is, “To develop your ability to learn.”
The goal isn’t to shove information inside your head so you’ll remember it all. It’s to teach you how to get information shoved inside your head so you can do it again—with future stuff that’s important. It doesn’t matter if the information is applicable, what matters is whether you’re good at learning. And if you are, certain industries can work with you.
Ability to reason
School is about more than memorizing material to later regurgitate. You also need to know how to be logical. Reasoning comes with the understanding of core foundations and base principles—and then knowing how to apply them. Math is one of the subjects that develops this.
Reasoning also involves having the confidence to question things and apply common sense. We don’t want people running around believing everything they hear.
More reasons
Okay, so we send kids to school for three more reasons:
- Develop social skills
- Develop the ability to think
- Get them out of our hair
Social skills
Without question, much of survival depends upon one’s ability to interact with others. So the notion or ramming multitudes of little pumpkins into one small room is a great idea. Because in life, you have to learn how to get along.
Sure, techy jobs pay well, but a people-person can also make a good living. Not everyone has to be mired in details. And what’s really hot is if you have both—technical skills and people skills. That’s how you get to be a manager.
Kids attending private schools, especially in the early years, are denied a significant portion of the whole experience. Because if your kids can’t handle working class people when they’re young, how are they supposed to at age 30? And just like skiing is easier to learn as a child, school age is the best time to mingle with the masses (since seven year-olds rarely stab each other).
Creative thinking
Thinking isn’t reasoning. Reasoning is using principles that others have already created. Thinking is coming up with new ones.
Creative minded people picture the world differently and live outside the box. They’re the ones who write plays, cure diseases, and invent laptops. That’s why it’s good to have school projects like writing your own novel or starting a business. They force you into using your imagination.
Out of our hair
The last reason is to get kids out of our hair. Not just because today’s parents are out there working—what else do you do with a 12-year old? That’s why we have subjects like Phys Ed.
Foods, fashions, and film—though somewhat useful—are mostly offered to make kids spend more time inside the building. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because as we’ve already said, they’d only hurt themselves with farm equipment.
Note: You may also be interested in the article on Inquiry-based Learning.