Victoria Pasin, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer
By government obligation, one must spend over a decade in the school system. However, is this truly a productive use of time? With the advent of artificial intelligence, technology is increasingly able to accomplish the tasks students train for years to be able to accomplish. What does this mean for the future of how we prepare our youth for the future?
I was a part of the generation that experienced the loss of letter grades, as well as the decreasing need to memorize any information for tests. Proficiency scale ratings and paragraph-style questions dominated most, if not all, of my assessments throughout my first two years of high school. In math and science specifically, my classmates and I were even allowed one-page, handwritten cheatsheets on every test.
Many concerned adults argued that this system had us coddled, chained to our comfort systems instead of pushing us to true mastery of the material. However, this was part of our curriculum. The argument for the new system suggested that we had the ability to look up any fact or fallacy at any given moment. Therefore, the new system had us answer questions that required an application of the knowledge we possessed at our fingertips.
Although many teachers from my high school who taught senior classes vehemently disagreed with this change to the system, one in particular had a very logical argument as to why this new system was illogical. He suggested that in order to move on to higher-level material, one must be able to recall lower-level information for efficiency. For example, when reading or writing an academic paper, one must have a robust knowledge of terminology used. If one intends to read or write about chemistry, yet cannot recall how to describe an atom, they will not be able to complete the task. Therefore, this approach leaves students deprived of much-needed knowledge if they wish to pursue post-secondary education.
While this case raises the question of whether the removal of memorization has affected the efficacy of the education system for higher education, it doesn’t ask whether or not the education system adequately prepares students for life in the so-called real world. In school, one studies the natural sciences, history, literature and mathematics. But do these skills ultimately prepare students to find a job?
The simple answer is no. On the surface, the analysis of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Newton’s laws and Leibniz’s derivative notation is an utter waste of precious time, as few professionals truly apply this knowledge in their daily lives. However, school is not simply about the content taught. Rather, it is about the soft skills one gains.
Take calculus, for example. Very few professionals will compute limits and derivatives on a daily basis. I believe a teacher once compared it to a workout. Athletes do not simply spend time on their field or court to train. They also will train in a weight room or gym in order to increase their strength. No sport truly requires one to bench press their opponent, but it’s important to have that strength. In the same way, few careers require one to compute problems in mathematics, but many, if not all, careers require the skill of problem-solving. The content is merely a carrier, a way to elicit that skill.
Sure, students could benefit from a greater focus on any one discipline, however, high school produces generalists by design. The idea of presenting students with a tasting menu of as many disciplines as possible is what allows students to make an informed career choice. Although not many students may pursue a career in engineering, science, or finance that would require an in-depth knowledge of the concepts of calculus, the ones that do will benefit, and the rest will learn valuable problem-solving skills.
Therefore, is education a practical use of one’s time? Ultimately, yes. Regardless of whether the content becomes directly related to one’s life, transferable skills will always be present.
As a university student, I often hear a compelling mixture of complaints and warnings that college does not in any way guarantee a job offer upon graduation, effectively making the experience useless. My perspective on this issue is that education will be as useless as you view it to be. Naturally, if one pursues a career in a field highly unrelated to their degree, they may see their education as irrelevant. However, the process of learning to study, manage time and complete work in a team, among other skills, is a large part of what makes education valuable.
School can be a transformative experience or a timesuck. Ultimately, it is what you make of it.
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