4 Things School Doesn’t Teach You (But Should)

You’ve seen the memes, the Tumblr posts, the tweets, and the remixes, but everyone knows that schools have taught us two things:

One, They really don’t teach us enough about life, the challenges we will face and how to face them (TAXES!).
Two, “The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”.

As someone who left school only 2 years ago and is now a university student, it is my obligation to expose the education system for not teaching me that I don’t have to ask my lecturers permission to go to the bathroom…(shoutout to Tumblr.com for giving me life skills)

1. Actual Problem Solving

(When I asked my friends for ideas on this topic, almost all of them said this)

So we all know about Johnny and his 50 industrial sized packets of Cheetos, each containing about 3072 Cheetos each, and that he has approximately 153,600 Cheetos—but he also has a serious addiction problem. And Johnny is your best friend and roommate. How do you tell him he needs to get help, maybe make some changes in his life, for his own good? How do you tell him that the rent was due a month ago and you just aren’t as passionate about Cheetos as he is?

*Squints at the syllabus I studied*
I learned that honesty and straightforward communication might bring on uncomfortable conversations, but it’s better than being kicked out of your room and have to pay for the smell of Cheetos to be removed…

2. There’s Nothing Wrong With Being Wrong.

Yup. Read that again. Once more. You got it? Okay.

When I started high school, I was one of the “smart cookies” who always did well and refused to do anything unless I was already perfect at it. I hated being wrong. (We won’t talk about how someone can make you feel reeaaally dumb for asking a question). Over the next 4 years, I slowly let go of the idea that always being right was a good thing.

It was only after I graduated and realized how little I knew about life, that I realized that I didn’t need to always have the answer, and that it’s okay to be open to learning something, even if other people already know it. Everyone experiences life differently, learns differently, and at their own pace AND THAT IS A-OKAY! What’s important is that you are learning, period.

3. FUN is OKAY

Yeah I was shocked too. Because according to my teachers, if I even attempted to have fun, my grades would go from A’s and B’s to F’s faster than Thanos could snap his fingers. Needless to say, I wasn’t outgoing, and I turned down a lot of fun opportunities to sit at home. I mean, I enjoy bingeing a series or finishing a book but I really wish I had taken time to have fun outside.

Fun fact: Fun is also good for your health. It boosts your endorphin levels, decreases stress  levels and improves your mood.

It’s important to make time for a little bit of fun while you’re in school. I’ve found that all you gotta do is manage your time wisely.

4. Art is VALID—Everything is VALID

I’m minutely triggered because I am an art student. Choosing art left everyone shocked. (“BuT yOu’Re sO sMaRt WhY dIdN’t YoU tAkE pHySiCs?”—actual quote, I swear). It was the best decision I ever made because I stopped caring what everyone else expected of me, and did what I wanted.

If you want to do something, whether you’re halfway through high school, a college course or even out of the education system, THEN DO IT! It’s your education, your degree, your life and if you love it or want to try it, do it. I sucked at art at first but I still wanted to give it a try and it was awesome.

Don’t take subjects or choose courses because your parents or anyone else expects you too. Do it for YOU, and remember that mistakes are okay. You can drop a course or change a subject, the world will not end (even if the admin office secretary acts like it will).

What about you? What are some of the things you wish school had taught you? I’m sure there’s a lot.

P.S. the memes are just for fun; I’m literally studying to be a teacher 🙂