Before You Go to School, Watch This || What Is School For? (2023)

What is school for? Feel free to call me slow, but I spent 16 years going to school and I still don't know. When I finished, I didn't know how to do my own taxes, purchase a home, or apply for a loan. I didn't know a thing about investments, building credit, or getting a job. I graduated at the top of my class and what did I have? This fancy diploma to sit at home with. My mom. But luckily, they did teach me some important skills like factoring trinomials and how mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I'm so happy I remember the Pythagorean theorem because it helped me a lot. Okay, I'm lying. Let me stop. Because all the stuff they taught me, truthfully, I forgot. Mom, remember when you would ask me, what did you learn in school today? And I would say, nothing much. I wasn't being modest. The truth about it, Mom, is I had already forgotten. And it's not just me. Millions of students sing the same song. How many of you guys avoid eye contact with the teacher to try not to get caught upon? Afraid to raise your hand for fear of being wrong, which proves that school isn't an environment for learning or building up the intellect. It's just a game you play for grades and how many A's you can collect. But I guess what do you expect when the most commonly asked question in class is, is this going to be on the test? Is this going to be on the test? See, if school put learning instead of testing and memorizing as the top standard, then the letter F would not stand for failure. It would stand for find another answer. And if school was really interested in our personal and academic success, students would wake up later, have more freedom, and homework a lot less. And that's not my opinion. This conclusion has been scientifically tested and proven. And any teacher that doesn't believe me, feel free to check my works cited page to inspect. Oh, and I did it in MLA format because I know that's all you will accept. See, students would get more benefit from an extra hour of sleep than putting them through the torture of an extra essay, reading 150 pages, doing problems 1 through 60 on a worksheet, and having three projects due by the end of the week. Not only is it pointless pain, but it's also dim-witted because we get so much work, but they don't teach the time management skills to deal with it. See, in school, we are controlled by bells. We have to learn in rooms with the feng shui of a prison cell. We have to ask permission to relieve bodily functions, but not before the teacher asks a million questions like, why didn't you go before class? I'm sorry, my bladder is kind of on its own schedule and it's not always timely. See, teachers always say, use your time wisely, but that never made sense to me because these six cruel hours of our lives we call school might literally be the worst use of time management ever in history. Think about it, the traditional teaching method is foolish. No, it's useless multiplied by the square root of stupid. What they do is they cram information in your head, force feeding you, and then you throw it up on the test. That's not education. That's bulimia. And the more bulimic you are, the better you will do on their assessments. So it's no wonder why so many students graduate mentally and emotionally and erect sexy. School teaches you how to memorize dots. True education should teach you how to connect them. True education teaches you how to catch a fish. School teaches you, yeah, you caught the fish, but you didn't show your work, so it doesn't count. Throw it back. I'm just asking, what is school for? It's not education. That's just not true. If you still think that, you might be sniffing glue. See, the word education comes from the Latin root edus, meaning bring out, i.e. bring the gifts out of a person and make them viable. But school doesn't bring out much. It just stuffs more facts inside of you. Now, some of that stuff is justifiable. We need reading, writing, and some arithmetic. That's fair. But are you telling me metamorphic and igneous rocks are more important than self-care? If suicide is the third leading cause of death of ages 10 to 24, and Harvard studies suggest the biggest predictor for success is self-control and emotional health, then why the heck aren't we taught how to handle stress, bullies, or rejection? How about anxiety or depression? You know, skills we need for our entire lives. Bro, I don't even know how to cook. I'm honestly surprised I'm still alive. But hey, at least I can name all the battles that happened in the Civil War. Seriously, what is school for? Some say you need it to be successful, and that's something we do not doubt. But do you own a MacBook or iPhone? Did you know they both were created by a dropout? Are you watching this video on Facebook or YouTube? Doesn't matter which you choose, they both were created by dropouts. Ever use Snapchat, WhatsApp, shop that Whole Foods? Well, thank a dropout. Does your home furniture come from Ikea? Okay, don't get the wrong idea. He was not a dropout. Don't be a fool. I mean, how could he drop out? Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea, never even went to school. I know what you're thinking. He's just picking and choosing. There's millions who didn't go to school that aren't successful. Who is he fooling? And you're right. But open your history books and start perusing. You'll find the very people we idolize in school never really had formal and or secondary schooling. I'm talking George Washington, Abe Lincoln, America's best presidents had zero school between them. Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, shall I proceed? Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, Margaret Mead. Now, please, I'm not saying drop out. Because some schools are great and many teachers are rare treasures. I'm saying that there's a difference between people who are smart and people who score better. I'm saying that your future is something that no test will ever measure. Even if that test begins in three letters like S-A-T-A-C-T, it's BS if they say those determine your L-I-F-E. No, your destiny is in your hands. You must shape it to be great. So don't expect school to open doors because it's more likely to slam them in your face. Sometimes I wonder about all the dreams lost in school and how much potential goes to waste. If it wasn't for music and YouTube, then I would have been just another lost case. Everybody watching this, please, close your eyes. Imagine a child sitting in the back of some teacher's class in some town. He never raises his hand. He fails most of his classes. But inside of him, there is a passion. And if nurtured and brought out will lead him to discover the cure for cancer. But you see, I'm afraid that that child's gift will never come out. He will never win the Nobel Prize Award because in class he was ignored and his worth was judged only by his scores. So teachers, principals, parents, advisors, and students, I ask one more time. What is school for? Hey guys, what's up? My name is Prince EA and I want to thank you for watching that video. And now I just have one question left. What is school for? Don't you think it's time that we answer this question together? If you are a teacher, a parent, or a student, I urge you to check out the Innovation Playlist. What is the playlist? It is a program that any school can try for free. It's based on the best practices from educators around the world. And through its small, small steps, it can lead to big changes in your school. Go to innovationplaylist.org to learn more. Peace!