The consensus is that the school system fails to teach us many important aspects of life. Well, that is true for the most part. There is much to discuss about things we wish school had taught us. Today, however, we are not going to dwell on that. It is essential that we also discuss things school taught us. The school system is not as bad as it might seem. I will be the first to implore an extreme makeover or overhaul, especially of the Zimbabwean school system. Regardless I know there is some good, so let us delve into things school taught us.
Time Management
Many people struggle with time management. School, by design, forces you to morph into time-bound routines. Every day you will have to wake up at a certain time. This is such that you can arrive at school on time. During the day, you will be going through timed lessons. You will be taking timed tests and exams. You will also be required to hand in assignments at prescribed times. All this must be balanced with extracurricular activities plus life outside school. Blending all of these many aspects conditions you to appreciate time management. Whether you enjoy or value it, the school will hammer time management into your existence. This also feeds into pushing you out of your comfort zone, an important life principle.
Navigating Success And Failure
The school system is designed to take you through those two poles. You may, at times, excel, whereas sometimes, you may fail. It is very few students succeed throughout. Even they go through the dynamics of success and failure somehow. Failure can mean not proceeding to the next stage along the school journey. At times failure can mean being screened into not-so-glamorous groupings. These scenarios prime you to learn how to navigate being successful and failing. Later on in life, this is something that will be of significant importance.
Critical Thinking And Problem-Solving
School is all about solving problems in many ways. To be able to grasp what you are being taught, you have to be able to think critically. Critical thinking is taken a notch up into problem-solving when faced with assignments, exams, projects, etc. Closely examine those who excel more than others in school. You will discover there is a way they think and approach problems presented to them.
When I was in high school, I learnt a study technique which I have used ever since. I perfected it with a friend of mine. We called it CRIDABESSQ – Critical Data Analysis By Effective Self-Set Questions. If you want to know more about it, read an article titled two critical thinking techniques to Use in business. The point is that you are taught to become a critical thinker and problem solver during school.
Communication And Networking
When you are in school, you are not on an island. It depends, but you will always be in the classes of several other students. These are students that will be from diverse backgrounds. You may be introverted, but you will have to interact with others somehow. Several different teachers and other school staff will also surround you. Again these are people you will have to interact with. Their diversity will prime you to explore different ways of communicating with them. Sometimes you may have desk mates, roommates, teammates, etc. You will have to interact with them in specialised ways. In going through all that, you learn the dynamics of communication.
This is also closely tied to networking. Networking is particularly noteworthy here because it can define your life. Some people you meet in school can go on to become life-changing destiny partners in your life. If you have ever noticed, in school, there are these groupings that ultimately form. That shows you that you will learn to identify and join networks that appeal to you. Consider the extracurricular activities you choose to join. That is networking at play. Especially if you attend a school that is highly interactive internally and externally, you will become so skilled in communication and networking.
Resourcefulness
Resourcefulness is the ability to cope with difficult situations or unusual problems. In going through school, you typically face many adverse challenges or situations. Yet, for the most part, you learn to move forward despite them. Many of us in school never always had all that we needed. You probably never always had the favourable circumstances you desired. Yet you figured out how to map and chart your way forward. You will even find that disadvantaged students often rise to the top. It is because they become masters at being resourceful. This is one of the most defining things school taught many of us. I bet you that if we could closely examine your life now, it would relate to how you sailed through school. As in, your approaches now are rooted in your approaches then.
These 5 things we discussed are central to our lives after school. The school taught us these things. Thus we should not entirely downplay school as a time that did not teach us much. Most of the core things school taught you did without realizing it. It may benefit you to look back and appreciate the invaluable virtue you got in school. The school does induct us into the broader school of life. What else do you feel school taught us? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments below.
