Education and schooling are two of the most important things we can get, at least that’s what our parents tell us when they forcing us to go to school for the first time. My memories of school are sitting in a classroom behind my desk along with classmates, all of us having been arranged in a grid like pattern, the teachers spewing out whatever was in a textbook (with the exception of a small few who would do things differently), us being given far too much homework to do, and giving tests whose answers needed to match exactly what was written in the textbooks or else it was wrong. I’m sure there are a lot of people who share similar memories of their time in school. There were times back then when I would wonder whether what I am learning is even necessary, and as an adult now I really resent the school for not teaching me important things to prepare me for my adult life like taxes, bank loans, the importance of the type of education needed for certain jobs, proper ethics in work and life in general and all the basic stuff we have to face as adults.
And that brings me to the question I would like to address. Would life be better or worse without teachers and a formal education system? Would it be better if we let our children learn only what they wanted to learn? Can we just leave them be and not interfere with their education? Can they simply learn the skills they need to live, all by themselves?
Personally, I think the world would be worse without these two things: education and teachers. We’re not born knowledgeable and no matter how bright a child may be, it is impossible for them to learn everything properly without some form of guidance. Knowledge needs to be passed on so that we can use it and improve upon it in the future. We also need proper and different ways to understand and explain that knowledge, because everyone is different and will learn differently. That’s why we will always need teachers and some form of education, no matter what.
I’m not saying that the current education system is perfect; in fact I think it could do with some major changes (like having practical classes about taxes and the like), but we still need a means by which we can learn and pass on knowledge.
Even if say we one day find a way to implant knowledge directly into someone’s brain, they still have to be explained as to what that knowledge is and how to use it, otherwise it as useful as an untouched encyclopaedia.
Even machines need to be taught how to use the information they are given, that’s what programming is all about; heck even AI need to learn how to use the knowledge they are given, remember it’s called machine learning, not machine knowing.
So I think the world is a better place with teachers and an education system. The system could definitely do with tweaking and there are a few teachers who could do with more training on how to be a good teacher, but I’m glad that they’re there and I respect them.
Well that’s it for this post, I hope you like it and I hope you have a good day ahead.
Alternative Yoga 