"Why do I even go to school anymore?"
"Because it keeps you out of trouble."
I don't think I can argue with my mom on this one, but the fact that if I weren't still regularly going to school for 9 hours a day I'd probably be getting in a lot more trouble may be the only reason I can justify high school nowadays. As I look forward to wrapping up my tenure in the American public education system in the next couple of months, I've been thinking a lot about the highs and lows I've experienced in education over the last 12 years, and if there were other ways I could've been spending that time. While it may partially be the senioritis talking, I've come to the conclusion that school really just isn't for everybody.
This isn't to say that I haven't experienced a ridiculous amount of learning, about people, about the world, about curriculum, during my time in school; calling these last 12 years anything less than positive would discredit some of the amazing teachers and classmates I've met. With that in mind though, and as I look ahead to the next stage of education where I'll have more control over what kind of environment I'm in, I can't help but wonder about supplements or alternatives to traditional schooling that would be as or more beneficial.
Again, I can attribute some of my feelings toward school right now to the fact that I'm three months from high school graduation and senioritis is in full effect, but the thought of annotating a novel or delving into some math problems repulses me right now. So what else could I have been or will I be doing in lieu of school? I suppose that hinges partly on how I view school; some people choose a path that sets them up with an entirely different set of skills, but is still considered school. Trade and vocational schools seem much more specific, like an avenue for people who know their purpose and just need the tools to attain it. Had I known from an early age that I was destined to become a welder, maybe a vocational schooling would've been right up my alley, but I definitely have to give credit to the school system I've been in for narrowing my interests over the last 12 years, because there is no way I would've been able to make that sort of career decision at an early stage in my life (I can't even make it now).
There are plenty of credible defenses for traditional schooling, and why certain aspects of it can be beneficial throughout a person's entire life. Liberal arts educations in particular have a lot going for them in terms of how they can help people appreciate culture, and non-career aspects of life, but this is looked at in comparison to a sort of education that has people studying scientific experiments in labs. What if someone's education was only focused on culture? Wouldn't they have a huge appreciation for life then? This raises other questions about being able to contribute to the world, and how people should use their education as a foundation for bettering the world.
I can't help but feel the need to set myself apart from the rest of the scholastic community, an urge that according to Killer Mike could help me become something more than just a factory worker for the rest of my life. I guess I have to give credit to the fact that he said "try to learn stuff outside of school as well as in school," meaning that you probably shouldn't just have one or the other (school or no school). I still think traditional school isn't meant for everybody, but I guess just realizing that in the first place might be enough to set me apart slightly from the rest. After all, I've only got three more months to kill until pretty much all of my learning can be done outside of school, so until then I'll just be happy that I've determined that I don't belong in academia, and plan for how I'll continue learning stuff once I'm free from its shackles.
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