The Modern School System: The Biggest Lie We've All Been Sold

Why your classroom is more like a prison than you think.

Aug 12, 2024

You can like homeschooling.

You might dislike it.

But it doesn’t matter, we are all homeschoolers by default.

Whether you like it or not, the most crucial life skills aren't taught in traditional classrooms. As William Upski Wimsatt points out:

“There were no sex classes. No friendship classes. No classes on how to navigate a bureaucracy, build an organization, raise money, create a database, buy a house, love a child, spot a scam, talk someone out of suicide, or figure out what was important to me. Not knowing how to do these things is what messes people up in life, not whether they know algebra or can analyze literature.”

When we were younger, our family and friends taught us the skills we needed. As we get older and more capable of independent self-education, we start taking on this role ourselves. This marks the beginning of a lifelong journey of self-directed learning.

However, there's a problem. Most people never embark on this journey. The majority stop learning as soon as they leave school. Society has taught us that education is a finite process—attend school for a set number of years, and then you're prepared for life. But life doesn't work that way.

Industrial Revolution and the Birth of Modern Schooling

Traditional schooling barely prepares us for the complexities of modern life. To understand why, we need to look at its origins.

Before the 19th century, homeschooling was the norm. The modern school system emerged during the Industrial Revolution, and this wasn't a coincidence:

Factory Model: Schools were designed to mimic factories, with rigid schedules, standardized curricula, and assembly-line-like progression through grades.
Preparing Workers: The primary goal was to prepare children for factory work, emphasizing punctuality, obedience, and the ability to perform repetitive tasks.
Prussian Influence: Many countries adopted elements of the Prussian education system. It was the first to introduce mandatory schooling for all children, regardless of social class. The Prussian system had some noble goals, like creating a literate population and reducing poverty. But it also had a darker side. The system was designed to produce obedient citizens and soldiers who wouldn't question authority. It was all about creating a unified national identity and maintaining social order.

A century later, while most of us in developed countries no longer work in factories, our education system remains largely unchanged. Schools focus more on the process of schooling than on actual learning. They were designed to create obedient, easily managed workers instead of promoting creativity, innovation, and growth.

As H.L. Mencken critically observed:

“The most erroneous assumption is to the effect that the aim of public education is to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence, and so make them fit to discharge the duties of citizenship in an enlightened and independent manner. Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States, whatever the pretensions of politicians, pedagogues and other such mountebanks, and that is its aim everywhere else.”

School as a Prison

School is just like prison. Both institutions operate on rigid schedules, controlling when you eat, move, and even when you go to the washroom. Your freedom vanishes. You're told what to learn, when to speak, and how to think. You're always being watched. Any misstep will be punished quickly. This system isn't nurturing free thinkers or innovators. It's manufacturing obedient workers who follow instructions blindly. Just like prisoners become numbers, kids turn into test scores and GPAs.

The similarities between schools and prisons are unsettling. It's like the school system looked at prisons and thought, "What an amazing system!" Modern schools aren't just similar to prison; they're locking up our kids' creativity and passion. They've become a mental cage, limiting potential rather than nurturing it.

It makes us wonder if our school system prepares us for life. At least we know we are mentally prepared for prison.

Ironically, the skills that make us successful in school often make us struggle in real life:

Memorizing facts for tests → Difficulty applying knowledge practically or thinking critically
Working individually → Challenges collaborating effectively in team environments
Avoiding mistakes at all costs → Fear of failure, avoiding risk-taking and innovation
Competing with peers → Difficulty building cooperative relationships and networking
Focusing on short-term goals (next test/assignment) → Difficulty with long-term planning
Expecting clear right or wrong answers → Struggling with nuanced, "grey area" decisions in real life
Prioritizing academic knowledge over practical skills → Lack of "real-world" skills like financial management or emotional intelligence

I came across an interesting story a few days ago.

In 1981, Maya Lin was a 21-year-old undergraduate student of architecture at Yale University. That year, she entered a nationwide design competition for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be built in Washington, D.C. The competition was open to all and attracted 1,421 submissions.

Maya submitted her design as part of a funerary architecture seminar at Yale. Her concept for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was deceptively simple: two black granite walls forming a V-shape, inscribed with the names of fallen soldiers. The design wasn't impressive enough for her professor at Yale and earned her a B, which she later said she raised to a B+.

So when competition officials appeared at her dormitory room in May 1981, Lin was shocked to learn she had won not only the design competition but also the $20,000 first prize. Maya, who was not yet a trained architect, won the competition against seasoned architects.

After all, it was a college kid's "average" assignment that ended up healing a nation.

Maya Lin's story is a powerful reminder of the potential that lies outside traditional educational structures. It challenges us to reconsider not just how we view success, but how we approach learning itself.

We Are All Homeschoolers, But Many Choose Not to Learn

Remember, education doesn't end when you leave school. In fact, that's when the most important learning begins. The world is your classroom, and every experience is an opportunity for growth.

By embracing self-directed learning, we can break free from the limitations of traditional education and unlock our full potential. We can develop the skills and knowledge that truly matter in life, not just those that look good on a report card.

But most of us outsource our education to a broken system that was designed to create easy-to-control workers. The irony is that while we are all natural homeschoolers, many of us have been conditioned to believe that learning only happens within the confines of a classroom. We've been taught to value grades and degrees over practical skills and personal growth. As a result, many stop actively learning as soon as they leave the formal education system.

Embracing Your Inner Homeschooler

Here's the truth: you are your own best teacher.

You have the power to shape your own education, to learn what truly interests you, to develop the skills that will serve you best in life. Don't let the end of formal schooling be the end of your education. Embrace your nature as a homeschooler, cultivate your curiosity, and never stop learning.

In a world that's constantly changing, the most valuable skill you can develop is the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn. This adaptability is at the heart of effective self-directed learning.

Take charge of your learning journey, question everything, and never stop growing. After all, life is the ultimate classroom, and class is always in session.

The future belongs to the curious, the adaptable, and the self-directed learners.

Be a lifelong homeschooler.