Formal Education – The Big Lie (Part 2)

 

This is the second of two parts. You can find part 1 here.

During grade school, I spent more time in detention than I did in class, but by high school I was a little more successful at staying out of trouble.  I hadn’t really become a better student, but I figured out the game.

During my freshman year I discovered we could cut classes with little or no consequences. There were a few, but by my sophomore year, I had those figured out too.  Soon I made friends with a student aid in the attendance office or had a girlfriend call me in sick posing as my mother while I went to the beach.

Back then I didn’t know as much as I do now, but with the confidence of youth, I thought I knew it all. But now with more experience, “I know what I do not know.”  In other words, now I have more knowledge, but realize I do not know it all.

However, with that in mind, I wasn’t completely wrong back then with my pessimistic view of school.  The reason I spent so much time in detention was because I was bored. I was board out of my mind and had no qualms letting my teachers know it.   For the teachers reading this, I was one of those defiant brats in your class, and to this day, I secretly want to track them down and apologize.

My Strange Parents

I grew up with strange parents and one of the few benefits of an odd upbringing was that I was encouraged to question everything and always be suspect of authority.  As a result, I was wary of what was being taught in school and could not see the point of much of it.

“Why do we have to learn this” was a frequent question of mine. Occasionally the good teachers provided reasonable explanations, but usually I was told to shut up and do my work.  Sometimes it was put nicely, other times it wasn’t.  Growing up with little supervision, I did not respond well to the latter and that almost always led to a visit to the principal’s office.

Now, after having my own children and teaching some college classes, I wish my attitude had been better, but my complaints were valid.  One problem with education is the mistaken idea that all kids should be programmed to fit a predetermined mold, and any kid who doesn’t fit that mold is considered a failure and pushed aside.  This is a mistake.

Schools Create Robots

From grade school through the doctorate level, schools are designed to program robots that follow orders and can and put round and square pegs in their corresponding holes.  Schools aim to create factory workers where everyone is the same and discourage entrepreneurial thinking.  This is one reason there is such a focus on rote memorization and multiple choice standardized testing.  The other is that it’s easier for those few teachers that don’t want to work.

There is little point in much of the time spent in classrooms memorizing facts or figures that will immediately be forgotten after the exam. I remember arguing with my geography teacher, during an exam consisting of a blank map, why we were required to fill in the names and capitals of all fifty states.

I couldn’t do that then, nor can most people can now.  Why should students waste time memorizing facts that can quickly be found in reference books? I never did get a satisfactory answer. Several years of study could be eliminated and then put to more productive use.

The education system is poorly designed specifically for students who will leave school and continue into very similar structured environments in corporations or government.  But not only is the design incredibly inefficient, it leaves no where for entrepreneurial or artistic students.

The environment in big companies or government is not much different than in school. Success is primarily determined by your ability to fit in.  The more you make your boss’s job easy, play the political game, and keep yourself occupied with busy work, the more successful you’ll be.  Sound like school?  Make your teacher’s job easy, play the game, and keep yourself busy memorizing crap you’ll never use.

Now think about the vastly different world of the small business owner.  He has to find the shortest and most efficient way of doing everything or quickly be out of business. So an entrepreneur will never waste time memorizing states if he can quickly find the answer on the map. Instead he will focus on the fastest and most efficient ways of finding customers and satisfying the ones he has.

The Big Lie

Education is inefficient and rarely stimulates free thinking, but the problem is much worse than that. Our society has been taught that if you work hard and get good grades, you’ll get a good job and be “successful.”  Nothing could be further from the truth and the teachers and parents that preach this know it’s not true.  Everyone has a different measure of success, but during my work with private clients, almost everyone is seeking the exact same things:

• Love & to be loved
• Health
• Time & freedom
• Money
• And careers where their contribution matters

The above list is how most people define “success” or what would lead to happiness. And really, most people don’t want much money either, but instead want money to get the other things on the list.  So what percentage of parents and teachers preaching the “work hard in school and get good grades” mantra, feel they’ve achieved success based on the list above? Very few if they’re honest.

Dr. Thomas Stanley described in the fascinating book The Millionaire Mind the common traits among millionaires.  Doing well in school and standardized exams was not one of the factors.  In fact, one of the common trait among millionaires was lower than average grades and SAT scores. He proved this with empirical evidence.

What School Really Provides

So if hard work in school and good grades don’t lead to success, what does school provide? I’ve already explained that schools indoctrinate students to become slaves to corporations or government, but here are the real benefits:

• A certificate that is often a necessary, but poor measure of employability
• An experience. Sometimes enjoyable and other times not
• Exposure to different people and ideas
• Important fundamental skills—reading, writing and basic math
• Practice at social skill building
• A test of stamina

Some of these benefits are good, but do not at all include the skills needed for “success.” Very few of the critical life skills come from formal educational, especially after grammar school.  Much of what we learn after grammar school is a very inefficient waste of time.  Countless hours are dedicated to advanced math, science and other studies that are quickly forgotten and rarely used by most adults.

School does serve a few other purposes, but not for the benefit of the kids. It provides free child care for parents, jobs for teachers and administrators, and helps groom students into someone who can follow orders and fit into a structured environment.

School also serves as a rite of passage and a tool to narrow the field of employees.  It creates a ranking system, but unfortunately the ranking system is a very poor measure of success—no matter how you chose to measure it.

The Solution

Changing the system is unlikely. The bureaucracy is deeply entrenched and the self interests maintaining the status quo are powerful. But to the few brave teachers and administrators doing things differently, I commend you. However, to make a difference, you’ll need the strength of great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.  Most people don’t have that kind of commitment.

Since not attending some form of school is illegal, and would also deprive children of some of the benefits, kids must attend through high school.  After that it’s optional so the student and parents have to weigh the options of college or self study. After having done both, there is no doubt the same time and money that would have been spent on college, would result in a more well rounded, happy, and successful adult by undertaking a comprehensive self study program.

Four Critical Life Skills

Self study can come in many different forms like internships, reading, attending specialized seminars or conferences and foreign travel.  There are four areas that everyone needs to master to live a healthy and happy life. Those are:

• Personal Finance
• Health and Fitness
• Emotional intelligence (Social Skills)
• A means of developing income

Mastery of these four learned skills will lead to the greatest success and happiness. If you look at most of your problems, or those people around you, it’s likely one of these areas that need improvement. It’s also these areas that are ignored at all levels of education or taught very poorly by people that have no idea what they’re doing or have no experience outside the classroom.

A College Alternative

“I value learning, but formal education and learning do not always go hand in hand. If your primary goal is to learn instead of to prepare for a career, you may be better off going it alone.” Chris Guillebeau.

Consider this as one idea for an alternative to college. Spend one year traveling to each of the continents of the world.  While traveling, read 100 of the top business and marketing books written by people with experience and success creating businesses and earning money.  During the travel, volunteer extensively in poverty stricken third world locations.

After the first year, seek out four top experts in different fields of interest and offer to work at each for four to six months for free. In return for free labor the expert agrees to train the student in their trade.

It’s important the learner is clear about the desire to learn and not just spend time doing menial tasks, although some of that will be expected in exchange for the expert’s time.

If during these internships the student is solely doing clerical work, then quickly leave and move on to the next one.  Remember, you’re not looking for a job reference; you’re looking to learn a new skill that will help you earn income in a field you’re passionate about.

And finally read extensively about personal finance and fitness or continue the internships at a fee-only financial planning firm and with a fitness expert. It’s imperative that at a young age, the student learns how to manage their finances and develop a healthy lifestyle.

This is just an example of a self-guided education. It’s not for everyone, but gives one alternative for people who want something different than the traditional college experience. With a little creativity, the student can come up with something that will be far more interesting and custom made to her. The result will be a more well rounded adult with life skills and earning capacity that will surpass anything a college can offer.

 

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