Rethinking Education for Kids
The biggest mistake you might make as a parent is letting your children attend public school. Another significant mistake is allowing them to go to any school at all. Schools are designed to produce employees for businesses, not to make your children smarter.
Consider reading Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto, a five-time Teacher of the Year in New York. Gatto became disillusioned when he realized that his job was not to teach subjects like math or English, but simply to teach students how to navigate the system of school.
In schools, students are taught that many things are unimportant. They work on something for 45 to 55 minutes, a bell rings, and then they immediately shift to a different subject. This method doesn’t make sense for real-life applications. The bell system is derived from assembly lines – a bell rings for lunch, a bell rings to return to work. The aim is to train students for a stimulus-response type of environment.
The Problem with College Expectations
Many people still tell their children that to be successful in life, they need to go to college and get a degree. However, this is often advice given out of habit rather than a well-thought-out plan for success. Here are a few reasons to reconsider this advice:
- 🔔 Job Preparation: Schools mimic the factory work environment with bells and strict schedules.
- 📚 Life Skills: Schools may not effectively teach practical life skills or critical thinking.
- 🎓 College Hype: The push for a college degree is often not based on individual needs or career paths.
- 💼 Alternative Pathways: There are many successful career paths that don’t require a traditional college education.
Rethinking education might lead to more meaningful and personalized learning experiences for your children, perfectly tailored to their skills and interests.
