Do Schools Waste Our Time?

Many people ask if schools waste our time, but I believe the real waste is finding it too taxing. The average lifespan is 80 years, and you spend 12 years in school, from first grade to twelfth grade, which is just a fraction of your lifespan. If there’s no college, your education ends at senior year. That's 12 years out of 80. Does it feel like a waste? While not everyone finds school comfortable, it serves a crucial purpose. This is why schools are actually important for success.

Common Myths vs. Real Success

People often worry that schools take away precious time. However, without the proper education and skills, it’s much harder to achieve success. Success can be anything from achieving a fulfilling career to raising a happy family. However, reaching these goals requires several key factors.

Firstly, you need to maintain focus and remain dedicated to your goals. Secondly, you need to plan your actions to ensure your goals are realized. Lastly, you must be willing to adapt your plans when life throws unexpected challenges your way. These attributes—grit, conscientiousness, and social intelligence—are what schools teach you, either directly or indirectly.

Building Grit

Let's consider an everyday scenario: imagine sitting in a challenging, boring lecture where your teacher is explaining how to solve quadratic equations. At first glance, the sight of alphabets without numbers might overwhelm you. However, if you continue to pay attention and keep trying, even despite multiple setbacks, you are building what psychological researcher Angela Lee Duckworth calls grit. Grit describes the perseverance and passion for achieving specific long-term goals. Developing grit through school means you are more likely to pursue and reach your aspirations in life.

Teaching Conscientiousness

School also indirectly teaches conscientiousness. For example, if you are given a worksheet with four questions, and you can easily solve two but need help to solve the last two, you might organize your time. You would first complete the questions you can do on your own, then seek help to ensure all questions are solved. This ability to plan and manage tasks efficiently increases your chances of success in various life situations.

Nurturing Social Intelligence

In addition, school fosters social intelligence. When you try to convince your friend to help you in the last two questions, you are navigating social interactions. You are learning how to convince others and how to handle social situations. These skills are essential for building positive relationships and navigating through different people and environments to increase your chances of success.

To summarize, while you may find school challenging and time-consuming, it is not a waste of time. School provides a structured environment where you can develop important skills like grit, conscientiousness, and social intelligence. These skills are critical for success in various aspects of life. Thus, not only does school not waste your time, but it offers significant benefits that no other environment can provide.