Last year, I lived on my own. I still had some financial support from my parents, though sparingly, and I lived in an environment very conducive to my needs. There was all the food I needed within walking distance; I had a place to live where utilities were provided. I paid for these things in one lump sum instead of working to make that payment every month. So my being on my own was not the most independent of situations, but I was essentially on my own. And I learned something about myself from this time of independence: I'm a lot more prepared to take care of myself than I think.
For example, I knew without much trouble which clothes to wash with which. I knew to eat at least three meals a day, and that in order to stay at a functioning level, I should probably sleep occasionally. I found my way around a new city with fair ease. I obtained the financial resources to pay for this environment, and I made it successfully. My parents may not like to admit it, but I can do a pretty good job taking care of myself. Why? Because they did their job.
Parents strive to teach their kids everything they know about life in eighteen short years, and then it's up to the kid make it. They may not like to see us leave, but their ultimate goal is to prepare us to live without them. My parents gave me everything I needed (and most of what I wanted) growing up, then let me wander into the world and make it on my own. I succeeded. Mission accomplished.
In a lot of ways, that same situation could be applied to our education system, or even our government in general. I know education is an incredibly broad subject, and there is no silver bullet that will solve all of its problems. But education could be the silver bullet to solve all of the other problems our world faces. What we need to do is prepare our students to one day live without complete dependence on the government.
If students are taught personal finance in school, some, though certainly not all, will be more equipped to handle their own money some day. If we shift our focus from all math and science to include some more serious talk of government and civic engagement, we may see a more knowledgeable and active citizenry and a huge surge in voter turnout. If kids are required to work hard and earn their grades, and if we strictly reinforce that actions have consequences, we could see a much more trained and ethical work force in the future. And most importantly, if we teach our children that kindness supersedes every other human quality, we may see a different world.
I see sets of curriculum all the time that teaches concepts but not application. We teach our kids "how" instead of "why." If we don't fix this trend, we will continue to see a growth of students that are armed with facts but have no idea how to function on their own or in society. It is important in our schools (and in our homes!!) that we teach children the skills they will need to support themselves. Maybe the best way to improve our government- to reduce the national debt, to cut back entitlement programs, to strengthen our military and our schools- is to have less people reliant on it.
"Education is not the answer to the question. Education is the means to the answer to all questions."
-William Allin
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