"Formal education will make you a living, Self education will make you a fortune" Jim Rohn
~~~
The academic knowledge from school stands at a very high level of importance in society
today. It is regarded as the
be all and end all
of a persons career and position in life. From a very young age
children
are taught to
study
hard, pass exams and qualify in their
chosen subjects to gain a position in a job that should secure them for
the rest of their lives until retirement.
It is apparent that
todays youth is far less concerned with education and doing well at
school as they are with having a good time and enjoying themselves
while still young. Instead of going to school they actually truent and
fall majorly behind in their subjects.
As a result teachers
punish these students by telling them off, putting them on detention,
putting them on report, making them stand in the corner, etc. However,
does this punishment system have any positive impact on the students
themselves? Or
does it
just reinforce their bad behaviours by having
them act out as bad kids?
What
about when a child has learning difficulties or disabilities and they
are taken out of class to study with other special needs children, does
that really help their learning capabilities or
does it just reinforce the fact
that they have problems with learning?
Sex education taught in schools is apparently meant to teach youngsters
the harmful effects of unprotected sex and that STI's and young
pregnancy will be the result. So why is the rate of teenage pregnancy
increasing per year?
Is
the material being taught to children sending out the message to
prevent them from having sex or making them more curious about it?
Seems
as though the more the government and educational institutions attempt
to deter kids from irresponsible actions the more
they just rebel and
continue to act in the way from which they are being deterred.
The problem primarily is not that the information provided by schools
is
wrong but it's about the way it is presented to the students. If you
say 'don't do it' to someone, you are simply installing an element of
curiosity in their mind so they will want to do the exact thing that
they are told not to.
On the other hand the subjects, tests, exams and homework are getting
more and more difficult each year. Seven year olds are put under
unnecessary pressure to do well in minor tests which will have no
significant effect to how they progress in further study. So why
are children made to feel stress at such a young age when
they are still in a highly
impressionable age where every experience they have will have a
significant impact later on in their lives?
Examinations through the whole scope of the educational system going up
to university is proving more and more difficult for students.
Lectures, assignments and essays are becoming more and more
demanding as the standards of these institutions rise.
But what is the point in raising the standards of education when the
standards of students are falling? More and more people are
dropping out of school, college and university in pursuit of a more
fulfilling career than the one obtained through qualifications and
degrees.
Many graduates leave with the degree in a specific subject but enter
into a totally different career choice. Other graduates simply can not
find work
due to inefficient knowledge of how to actually get the job done. Most
employers do not even seek academic certificates when choosing who they
wish to employ. They favour applicants who have the necessary
experience required
to adequately manage the position.
So the question arises is the education taught in schools even as
important as we are made to believe? Is the system beneficial for the
youngsters of today with the result being more and more pregnancies and
crimes?
If you take a closer look to what is actually taught in schools you can
begin to realise that 95% of the material is totally irrelevant to
everyday life experiences. Core subjects such as Maths,
English and Science are important to develop to a satisfactory level
but the majority of the information within these subjects will not be
needed later on in life.
The whole purpose of the education system is to absorb as much
pointless general knowledge as possible and then to finally test how
much can be remembered at the end of each year. That's all.
This does not determine how
intelligent or how successful a person will be when they pursue a
career.
A personal experiment was carried out on financially successful people,
some of which millionaires. Over 90% of them stated that their success
was down to their attitude, ambition and hard work.
School education had not a thing
to do with the success
they achieved in their career and businesses.
So again the question arises is school education even important at all?
We have the potential to acquire a fulfilling career without being
academically qualified all without the added pressure, stress and
tension of exams. Of course if one is to pursue a career in the medical
industry, the law industry or accountancy then a relevant degree would
be needed. However just the specialised knowledge in that field would
be required and not the general information forced upon students whilst
at school and college.
Studies have shown that even the greatest achievers in the world had
minimal or no education at all. They used their
inner mind, their
intuitive side known as
the
unconscious mind and followed their vision
to succeed in making their dreams come true.
Chidren, while still young, see the world as a big play ground to do
with as they please. All they want to do is discover and learn and
through this experience they develop dreams and ambitions.
However, schooling usually dimishes any talents and gifts with which
young children are born and
they
forget about their dreams to pursue with their studies due to the
pressures of parents, teachers and society's expectations.
They are made to believe that education is the only path to a decent
life. Installing an image of
an
employee working under the boss in their minds
and with this
image they continue on to fulfil that expectation. This is why
most people live average lives, with not really much spare
money
to
enjoy life and are kept under the control of the employer.
School teaches youngsters that
thay are to start at the bottom and work their way up.
However, the great achievers who truly are living their lives the way
it was meant to be are the ones who didn't follow the schooling path
but followed their dreams instead. These are the great artists,
writers, singers, dancers, business entreprenuers, chefs, performers,
speakers, etc.
They let
their natural talents come through and went about expressing them to
the world.
Now, education can be of value if only it taught children the things
that would truly benefit them in their lives. Not things like,
name the
biggest mountain in the world, or
, what does Au stand
for in the periodic table of elements, or,
what is the square root of
184745489!
Teach them facts of substance. They need to
learn things that will enable
them to become independent, self-reliant and confident grown ups
when they do go out and step into the career world. Teach
them that they can be their own boss and can
create their life exactly how
they want it to be instead of how society expects it to be.
The trouble is that the government has too much power over the method
of
study
in schools and there is not much that can be done about the present
states of all educational institutions so
it is the job of the parents
to educate their children in these areas.
Parents
rely too much on teachers and schooling when deciding what's
best for their
children, but having learnt a new perspective on
how
school doesn't always have a positive effect, it would be wise to
educate them at home on the things that they should be learning by the
parents.
Things like good
organisation and communication skills,
relationship
building,
self-confidence,
self efficiency, manners, healthy habits,
integrity and a positive mental attitude towards life in general are
essential attributes in which children need guidance but are not taught
at school.
Remembering never to put excess pressure on them unnecessarily to do
well in their studies and forcing them to do their work. Instead allow
them to work at their own pace and encourage them in a calm, loving,
enjoyable and positive way which is the best way we learn.
Parents should always take an interest at how youngsters find school as
an experience in and of itself rather than solely focusing on their
grades and exam results. It is their experience as children that will
have an impact on their future lives not the education they were taught
in their classes.
