Home » Education is a Waste of Time: What Really Needs to Be Learned by Our Youth

OK, regurgitate on cue from beginning to end everything you've learned in high school. OK . . . .Go.

Alright, that's unfair, especially for you old timers. And that's defined as having graduated five or more years ago. Yes, that information dissipates from the average sieve-like mind quite rapidly. And even if you love or like what you've learned, the old adage "if you don't use it you lose it" applies here. After five years of graduating high school most of that "learned" knowledge is gone.

So the belief in education as the great equalizer, the "no child left behind" philosophy rings hollow. And even if a child is "educated," what of it? A high school diploma guarantees little "financial security," and even the college graduate with watered-down grades, given mostly by adjuncts or "part timers" who look to encourage positive review from students and faculty for full time jobs that are becoming more and more difficult to obtains, means less and less over the years.

With the death of pensions, social security, a fading economy with bailouts in high swing, there better be things that are learned that are essential, used frequently, and refreshed in their use so they don't merely fade away in the "don't-care-never-needed-it-in-the-first-place" bin. What of all those math, science, language and literature factoids that are forgotten or not needed in an ever changing world that no longer requires the byproducts of an archaic, arcane education? Most give lip service to education but few can explain its need or just what it is our children are going to do with the knowledge they've allegedly obtained.

So what is it that our youth needs to learn, if not that which they mostly forget through lack of use?

As an educator for over nine years, mostly at the college / university level, I have found that most young adults are not only under-prepared for school but because of other lack are setting themselves up for failure regardless of intelligence, talent, desire, and ability. And there are other areas of education that are remiss that are essential to their emotional well-being and success in relationships, finance, achievement, character development, and political responsibility.

First, most have little if any understanding of goal setting and working from a well-examined understanding of personal desire, interest, and talent. Most students come to class merely mimicking mis-informed understandings of education and its benefits by parents, peers, society, as well as the selecting of a major from the same. Few students have taken the time, or been coached to do so, to really get to know their desires, talents, and skills. Very seldom do students choose a major based on this self-analysis, but fewer even come to school having the slightest ideas as to what they want to focus on. This is really not the student's fault but poor planning and execution of school systems. One can certainly understand here why we have some of the world's best universities but some of its worst schools. Such a disparity should not persist in a country that has proven that if it desires to achieve something it does. Achieving successful, complete, thorough education of our youth should be a priority, of course.

Second, our youth comes to college with little understanding of how to think thoroughly, rigorously, and accurately. Too much time in high school is spent on learning fact. Fact is fine, but learning how to think accurately is an essential skill as well. Unfortunately, only having one logic or critical thinking class in college is not enough. Students should be learning how to develop intellectual accuracy in high school from the outset. It is essential in going beyond mere memorize and recall to synthesize and create of solutions. This is not a world based in mechanized repetition but rather one based in knowledge. Applied knowledge, not mere information or fact.

Third is an understanding of not only work ethic but of facing and preparing for failure, challenge, difficulty, and trials. I've meet and known too many students with "good educations" who not only haven't learned anything (poor schools or focus on grades over building interest in knowledge and achieving) but don't have the "life skills" needed to overcome challenge and failure. One of the keys to success is understanding that problems exist and at times these problems are grand in nature but are, nevertheless, those that can be overcome.

I know of many a successful person who has spent months, years, decades facing failure but have overcome to great success. Abraham Lincoln, many-time failure in business and politics, achieved success in his late forties. Anthony Robbins achieved success in the personal coaching field only to fail and begin again. He began again alone, those around him abandoning ship left and right while he stuck to the hope of obtaining success again. Achieving this type of mindset and toughness of tenacity is essential not only at work but in the family and even at play--ask any successful athlete.

Fourth, the great leaders, thinkers, doers, shakers and movers use synthesis and creativity to not only problem solve but to live a fuller life enthused on the joy of creating and discovery rather than mere recall of fact and its dry application. I personally know many a chemist, attorney, business owner, college professor who eventually tired of the mere repetition and drudgery to expand oneself into challenge that took twice as much work and ten times the creativity. One constant in life is the need for not only change but growth, challenging, life giving growth.

There are those who have built the mindset of the great by ignoring convention, the status quo to invent and build beyond most imaginations. This is the stuff of the eventful, exciting, fulfilling life, not one merely done by wrote. Greatness is not given it is taken. The mind of da Vinci was not singular. He was for his efforts, not necessarily his invention, but his efforts are duplicatable. One creates an observant, focused, disciplined, creative, unconventional mind through practice and application. Da Vinci worked at observing shadow and detail for his art and the polymath passed on that same discipline and skill to other fields: engineering, mathematics, anatomy, and botany.

Some may say that one should specialize, stick to a niche, but what of diversity? What of going beyond the done to the doing of the new? The great motivator Earl Nightingale said, and I paraphrase, if you want to be successful and don't know what to do, just see what everyone is doing and do something else. Convention was never the inventor of sustained success.

The greatest leaders are those with broad educations who read extensively. And it is from this extensive read that they find their genius, genius derived from synthesis of knowledge al la da Vinci. Another counter to the popular belief that one needs to merely specialize. There is certainly limitation in time and application of ideas, but to pull from a diverse knowledge base is the stuff of champions.

Fifth, what of character? Why is character essential? It is so for we live amongst others and to do so successfully is born of solid character.

I write for an article directory. Of the over 5,700 authors, I rank 30th. I don't say this to brag but to make a point. What is it that my readers read the most? Of the top 20 articles, 15 are motivational in nature. Motivation quotes on perseverance, experience, risk and reward, leadership, integrity, cope and hope, change, and character. It is motivation and the building of desire and character that is not taught in our schools and remiss in many of our homes. For why do so many come to be lifted up in heart and spirit above anything else that I offer? It is certainly something that needs to be promoted more in our youth so that so many will not be lacking later in life.

There are other issues that our youth need serious assistance in, such as finance; a growing, expanding, dynamic economy in which a mere education no longer builds the American dream, what with the death of pensions, social security, and an ever growing cost of living standard; and because of the previous, a much greater understand and self-accountability for current and future investments.

Overall, motivation, self-understanding, tenacity, work ethic, relationships, ability to synthesize and think creatively, finance and a basic understanding of government (Constitution--state and federal--Declaration of Independence, general U.S. history) are among some of the essentials that our youth lack, knowledge that will be used time and again and retained, essential knowledge, that which ultimately will make good husbands and wives, workers, and citizens of this greatest of countries.

God bless.