Will what we learn in school would really help us in the real world?

Does what we learn in school really help us in the real world?

Have you ever thought why are we learning this in school? Will we ever use this in the real world? I have.  Most people after they graduate from school barely use half of the things they learned in school. On the other hand, some of the important things that we learn in school are not in the lessons. But also we should learn other things.

People who graduate use barely half of the things they learn in school. According to an article called Survey: Average American Uses Just 37% Of Knowledge, Skills Learned In High School by Ben Renner, it says,  “A recent study that found the average American uses just 37% of what they learned in school in their daily lives.” So, it is saying that most people say that they only use some, not even half, of the things they use in school. This is important because they are saying that they barely use what learn in school. It says, “In fact, 84% of people said they learned things in school they’ve never utilized after they graduated.” They are saying most people didn’t use much of what they learned in school after they graduated. In conclusion, most people say that they don’t use most of the things they learned in school.

People wished they would of learn something other than Pi or the periodic table. They wish they would have learned something like how to pay taxes. As mentioned by Renner, topics people wished they had learned about in school included “Money management and budgeting (57%), How to properly do taxes (44%), How to manage emotional/mental wellbeing (42%), Understanding credit and student loans (39%), How to negotiate (39%), Time management (35%), Household repairs (34%), How to make conversation/personal relationship skills (33%), Car repair and maintenance (31%), and How to find a job (30%)” In other words, it is saying what they wish they learned in school and what things they wish school had prepared them to do. 

It also stated topics that survey respondents didn’t find useful included the “Pythagorean theorem (48%), Knowing PI is 3.14 (40%), Periodic table (40%), The types of rocks (37%), The difference between protons, neutrons, and electrons (37%), Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell (35%), Naming the presidents in order (35%), Osmosis (32%), How to make paper snowflakes (30%), and Photosynthesis (30%).” This demonstrates that they didn’t really need to learn this because in most jobs you won’t need this. This important because they think that they shouldn’t learn this and are interested in something else because they didn’t use this in the real world.

According to reader feedback to a story published by the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), many people think that the most important thing student learn are not the lessons but to not to be afraid of asking questions and more. One reader wrote that “My most valuable school experiences weren’t academic. They were all about people—social skills, respect, self-worth, empathy, and realizing your own potential.” Therefore this shows that we learn about ourself and we know more about our self than anyone else. Also that this type of learning helps us to not be afraid to talk to people and to make friends.

Another reader wrote that “The most important thing I learned in school is that there are no questions too stupid to ask. Curiosity and the courage to ask questions are essential to learning. The answers might also evolve as we get older, gather more facts, and view things from different vantage points. The ability to deal with uncertainty is part of learning and growing up. I demonstrate by example—by treating every student as a unique resource. Everyone has something to give if we step back, take time to listen, observe, and draw it out.” Therefore, this means that true learning helps us be curious and the courage to ask questions is essential to learning and that teaches us to not be scared to ask the question. This is important because schools can teach us to not be scared to ask a question or ask for help. Also, it teaches us to step back, take time to listen, and observe. 

So some of the most important things that we learn in school are not in the lessons, but I think that we should learn things that will help us after we graduate from school like how to pay taxes or to how to buy a house. School teaches us to be curious, be courageous, be unique, observe, and more. But we should learn things that would help us. What do you think about school and what we learn? What do you think we should learn?