We were discussing education in class today, when one question really got me thinking which is “Besides reading, writing and arithmetic, what are some of the life skills that you learn at school?”
In my own thought, I think the other life skill we learn at school is social and interact with friends. If we don’t attend school, our life will be totally different. Social and interact with others are an important lesson in our life, because if we never socialize with people then we might get nervous and lost easily in our life. Also, when we are finding job in the future, we might have some issues to deal with our colleague between working. So I think expect learning reading, writing and arithmetic, socialize and interaction are also important in our life lesson.
The other skill we learn in school is organization of our schedule. I learn how to organize my time schedule for study and homework, if I never attend to school, then I will never know how to make myself to do something at the right time.
I think school is an interesting place, because we learn different thing and skills during school time. The life skill we learned in school is really helpful for us in the future to be ready for a job.
So what is your thought for the meaning of school?
March 15, 2015 at 4:39 pm
Hi Anya! When I was primary school age, school seemed to be very much about the three “R”s – reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. I seem to remember that at that age, I was pretty good at all three too, though I no longer feel very confident in math. Also at that time, high schools in my area were selective, so on completing primary school, students who were strong in the three “R”s went to one school, and the students who weren’t, went to others. This is not dissimilar to the schooling system in Taiwan and China I think. Certainly I know that in Japan, students must do tests to get into middle school, and the kind of school they gain entry into has a significant impact on their future life. Personally, I think this kind of system is flawed. Of course skills in literacy and numeracy are important, but as you say, we also learn social skills and other skills that help make up the whole person and carry us forward in life. I’m curious to what extent you think these other skills are valued in the educational systems of countries like China?
I think it is interesting that you ask for an opinion on the “meaning of school”. Whilst in most circumstances, it may seem education is all about preparing students to pursue careers and engage with the world around them, I think it is also worth noting that national educational systems are also driven by governmental agendas. That is, what is taught in public schools in different countries is dictated by the governments of those countries, and these agendas are determined by what those governments/societies value in their citizens. Thus we see some very different educational systems and objectives present in different places in the world. Could this be the meaning of school? On the other hand, schools like Léman are “international” and do not fit the model of public schools like above. To understand the meaning of our school, I think it is worth looking at our school’s mission and vision statements…