I’ve gone through the public school system up to getting my Master’s degree. The biggest regret while going to school is thinking that it would prepare me for the practical issues that life brings. The more that I learn about life outside of school, the more I know that I won’t make the same mistake if I decide to have children. The education system has seen better days, but even at it’s best it is still the not the end all of education. Mark Twain once said, “Don’t let your boy’s schooling interfere with his education.” Sorry for the lack of inclusivity of that quote. Here are the reasons why school doesn’t prepare you for life.

Students Aren’t Allowed to Be Curious

We don’t really get to know what we want to do while we’re in grade school. Honestly, we do what everyone else is doing. School feels more like an assembly line, treating every student the same. By the time students graduate, they are still unaware of their talents because they mindlessly walk from class to class.

Even when it comes to particular subjects, teachers teach in a particular lessons in a particular way. Then the teacher tests the student on only the part of the subject in which the teacher teaches. There is no incentive for the student to go beyond what’s being taught with the little curiosity he/she may have.

No Flexibility

Efficiency is used to generate good practices for a cheaper cost. That’s basically what the public school system is. It’s a way to squeeze out the most with a very small budget. Flexibility is not provided to the wider public because flexibility is expensive. Instead, it’s much easier to have a set lesson plan that has never been changed in 10 years, scantron tests, and essays to prove a student’s knowledge of the subject.

No Education About Money

The worst part of school is its inability to teach the importance of money. There are even business finance classes, but no personal finance classes. There are classes about calculus, but nothing on how to do taxes, or how to put money in a retirement account. Capitalism is probably the cornerstone of our country, and we don’t learn anything about it.

These things put together makes it feel like school isn’t the place to learn about life. As a parent, it’s best to supplement a child’s education with other experiences, especially life experiences. They’ll learn how to multiply, but they won’t know how to navigate the world. That’s where you come in.