WHAT IS SCHOOL FOR? Feel free to call me slow but, I spent 16 years going to school and I still don't know. When I finished, I didn't know how to do my own taxes, purchase a home, or apply for a loan. I didn't know a thing about investments, building credit or getting a job. I graduated at the top of my class and what did I have? This fancy diploma to sit at home with... my mom. But luckily, they did teach me some important skills like factoring trinomials and how mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I'm so happy I remember the Pythagorean theorem 'cause it helped me a lot. Ok, I'm lying let me stop. Because all the stuff they taught me truthfully, I forgot. Mom, remember when you would ask me: "What did you learn in school today?" And I would say: "Nothin' much." I wasn't being modest The truth about it mom is I had already forgotten. And it's not just me-- millions of students sing the same song. How many of you guys avoid eye contact with the teacher to try not to get called upon? Afraid to raise your hand for fear of being wrong, which proves that school isn't an environment for learning or building up the intellect. It's just a game you play for grades and how many A's you can collect. But I guess what do you expect when the most commonly asked question in class is: "Is this gonna be on the test?" Is this gonna be on the test? See if school really put learning instead of testing and memorizing as the top standard then the letter "F" would not stand for "Failure." It would stand for "Find another Answer." And if school was really interested in our personal and academic success, students would wake up later, have more freedom and homework... a lot less. And that's not my opinion, this conclusion has been scientifically tested and proven. And any teacher that doesn't believe me feel free to check my works cited page to inspect. Oh, and I did it in MLA format because I know that's all you will accept. See students would get more benefit from an extra hour of sleep than putting them through the torture of an extra essay, reading 150 pages, doing problems 1-60 on the worksheet, and having 3 projects due by the end of the week. Not only is it pointless pain but it's also dim-witted. Because we get so much work, but they don't teach the time management skills to deal with it. See in school we are controlled by bells. We have to learn in rooms with the Feng shui of a prison cell. We have to ask permission to relieve bodily functions but not before the teacher asks a million questions like: "Why Didn't you go before class" I'm sorry my bladder is kinda on its own schedule and it's not always timely. See teachers always say: "Use your time wisely." But that never made sense to me. 'Cause these six cruel hours of our lives we call "school" might literally be the worst use of time management ever in history. Think about it, the traditional teaching method is foolish. No, it's useless multiplied by the square root of... stupid What they do is: They cram information in your head, force-feeding ya And then you throw it up on the test. THAT'S NOT EDUCATION.... that's bulimia. And the more bulimic you are the better you will do on assessments. So it's no wonder why so many students graduate mentally and emotionally anorexic. See school teaches you how to memorize dots. TRUE education SHOULD teach you how to connect them. TRUE education teaches you how to catch a fish. School teaches you: yeah you caught the fish but u didn't show your work so it doesn't count. Throw it back! I'm just asking What is school for? It's not education, that's just not true. If you still think that, you might be sniffing the glue. See the word education comes from the Latin root "educe" meaning "bring out" i.e bring the gifts out of a person and make them viable. But school doesn't bring out much. It just stuffs more facts inside of you. Now some of that stuff is justifiable. We need reading, writing, and some arithmetic-- that's fair. But are you telling me metamorphic and igneous rocks are more important than self-care? If suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death of ages 10-24 and Harvard studies suggest the biggest predictor for success is self-control and emotional health, then why the heck aren't we taught how to handle stress, bullies or rejection? How about anxiety or depression? You know-- skills we need for our entire lives. Bro, I don't even know how to cook. I'm honestly surprised I'm still alive. But hey at least I can name all the battles that happened in the civil war. Seriously, what is school for? Some say you need it to be successful and that's something we do not doubt. But do you own a MacBook or iPhone? Did you know they both were created by a dropout? Are you watching this video on Facebook or YouTube? Doesn't matter which you choose. They both were created by dropouts. Ever used Snapchat, WhatsApp, shopped at Whole Foods? Well, Thanks a dropout. Does your home furniture come from IKEA? OK don't get the wrong idea-- he was not a dropout, don't be a fool. I mean how could he drop out, Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA never even went to school. I know what you're thinking: "He's just picking and choosing, there's millions who didn't go to school that aren't successful. Who is he fooling?" And You're right! But open your history books and start perusing. You'll find the very people we idolize in school never really had formal and/or secondary schooling. I'm talking George Washington Abe Lincoln Americas best presidents had zero school between them. Ben Franklin Thomas Edison Shall I proceed? Ernest Hemingway Mark Twain Teddy Roosevelt Margaret Mead Now, please! I'm not saying drop out. 'Cause some schools are great and many teachers are rare treasures. I'm saying that there's a difference between people who are smart and people who score better. I'm saying that your future is something no test will ever measure. Even if that test begins in 3 letters like SAT, ACT. It's BS if they say those determine your L.I.F.E No, your destiny is in your hands. You must shape it to be great. So don't expect school to open doors 'Cause it's more likely to slam them in your face. Sometimes I wonder about all the dreams lost in school and how much potential goes to waste. If it wasn't for music and YouTube then I would have been just another lost case. Everybody watching this please close your eyes. Imagine a child sitting in the back of some teachers class in some town, he never raises his hand, he fails most of his classes but inside of him lives a passion. And if nurtured and brought out will lead him to discover the cure for cancer. But you see, I'm afraid that child's gift will never come out. He will never win the Nobel Prize award because in class he was ignored and his worth was judged only by his scores. So teachers, principals, parents, advisors, and students, I ask one more time: "What is school for?"
how do i upvote this a million times?