The problem with education is…

The problem with education is the reason we value education.  There, I said it.  That thought has been bouncing around in my mind for a long time.  The problem with education is that we care about it for many of the wrong reasons.  At all levels, from kindergarten through graduate level, we care about education for the wrong reasons.

My son (a college sophomore) told me recently that he didn’t think he was making enough progress. that he felt that school was slowing him down or something like that.  Of course it is.

One of his friends has been frustrated because he is required to declare a major by some date for some reason.  Another friend is considering changing schools/majors or dropping out altogether.  Given the cost of a baccalaureate degree, it amazes me that we allow 17-18-19 year old students to make decisions that will impact their financial status for 10 years post graduation or more.

So what are the reasons we value education?  Truth be told, ranked in some order we value education for the following reasons:

• Citizenship
• Independent Living Skills
• Better Career Options
• Social Opportunities