A case for school

 As this year closes, I’ve had a lot of time to contemplate my education. Was it really worth it? Did I waste all my time grinding APs and SATs? Maybe. To be honest, like everyone, I’ve dreaded my educational experience. It all just seems like monotonous work that didn’t seem important for the future. While probably 90% of it was, whether I like it or not, it has really shaped who I am today. Obviously I got smarter because of education but also I’ve learned to be a better person and care more about the world. 

But I think something that I won’t take for granted is how education has enlightened me on important topics of our world. I really did not start thinking about things like climate change, inequality, or even politics before I was educated. The way I view important topics were drastically changed by my education. For example in AP Lang, I learned about the racial segregation that was occurring right now in our cities through housing inequality and policing. In ninth grade we had to make a project about climate change and how it will hurt us in the long run. School has given me these opportunities to form opinions or challenge my past opinions on these topics. 

Furthermore I’ve learned the value of problem solving and using tools and pieces I have to solve current problems. Obviously I’m never going to use calculus in the real world, but calculus has taught me that I can use different strategies and tools to attack a problem and find a solution. Much like how I need to think outside the box to integrate an equation, I need to think outside the box to solve problems at work or around the house. I think learning is a skill and school allows us to learn how to learn.