Learning To Forget - The "Education" Crisis
If you'd rather listen to the podcast than read the blog, click here for The Parents' Solution. The podcast drops May 30, 2023! As a parent, you want the best for your child. You want them to have a good education, learn valuable life skills, and be prepared for the future. Right? Of course you do. Unfortunately, the public school system often falls short in these areas. Instead of teaching children the skills they need to succeed in life, it dulls them - with mostly useless facts and easy-to-Google knowledge. This type of education can lead to a "learning to forget" mentality, where children learn rote facts for a test and promptly forget them afterward. This is not only turning into a widespread epidemic of complete dependence upon technology, but speaks of a generation dangerously lacking in soft skills, or what some may call "life skills."
I can hear you now. "But Kimberly," you're protesting, "It's not school's job to teach life skills. It's the parents'."
You're right...and wrong.
You're right that it is the parents' responsibilities - but you're wrong that they are the only ones responsible. Schools were established to both instill and uphold certain values in society. It used to be that those values aligned heavily with that of "good citizens," of factory workers. I'd venture to say these values still exist in modern schools, in some sense. But now, in today's world? Schools are responsible for changing with the societies they purport to uphold, and that means assisting parents with teaching those essential life skills.
You're right that it's not schools' job to teach to specific agendas - but you're wrong that schools shouldn't be upholding the values of work ethic and creativity. Regardless of religion, gender, age, ethnicity, or any other label, we are all human, and we are all capable of great things should we be given the proper toolkit - values like a strong working drive and a creative passion of some sort are global in their reach. Why do schools not instill these skills across the board? That's a point for another post. Check out some of the linked ones if you care to read further on that! Teaching life skills is one of the most valuable things we can do for our children, and by extension, for society. While academic knowledge is important, it's the life skills that truly prepare them for success in the real world.
Life skills are the everyday skills we need to navigate life successfully - including but not limited to budgeting, time management, cooking, and communication. These skills are not only practical, but they also help build confidence and independence.
When children learn life skills, they are better equipped to handle the challenges that come with adulthood. If they know how to budget their money, they are less likely to fall into debt or financial trouble. If they know how to communicate effectively, they are more likely to have successful relationships both personally and professionally.
Teaching life skills also helps children develop a sense of responsibility and accountability. When they learn how to take care of themselves and their surroundings, they learn to be responsible for their actions. This translates into other areas of their life, such as school and work, where they learn to take ownership of their successes and failures.
Another benefit of teaching life skills is that it can help children discover their passions and interests. If a child learns how to cook, they may discover a love for baking or creating new recipes. If a child learns about LEGO, they may one day want to turn to the drawing board for diagrams and schematics. This can lead to future career opportunities or simply be a hobby that brings them joy.
But none of these things does public school do. It's not the way the system was designed. The way that real education should be done, simply can not be done with the system we have currently created. Check out this blog post here to see an absolutely fascinating conversation I had with Tim Kelly, about the practicalities and nitty-gritty of the restructuring of education as we know it. (And if you prefer to listen to the podcast, it's linked there too!) So what am I suggesting here, as a solution of sorts, to mitigate the challenges public school brings with it? 1) Take your children out of school, and homeschool them. They learn far more life skills that way any way! Whether it's DIY or with a program, or a variety of programs. 10/10 would recommend speaking to a trained consultant and/or educator about this first - having someone to help guide you along the way means you can rest a little easier. Not everything has to be done the hard way.
2) Get involved with your child's education, and supplement what the system is missing. Make the time, spend the money, collect the resources, do the necessary things to make it happen. Your child is worth more than they are currently getting from the public education system. It is your God-given duty as a parent to ensure you do everything in your power to see they have an education that fits them, and not the other way around.
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