In his 2007 edition of What Color Is Your Parachute? author Richard Nelson Bolles opened with a criticism of sorts of the education system.
Besides teaching us reading, writing and math, as well as the many other academic and trade skills, Bolles believes school should have taught us, among other things, how to choose and find a job; not just a way of making money, but a gainful activity that matches as much as possible one’s gifts, skills and experience.
Bolles also believes school should teach us how to find an appropriate life partner or spouse, as well as how to build relationships and how to find and value friends.
Finally, he says schools should teach us how to think and make good decisions, especially decisions related to work, money, sex and religion.
Indeed, what exactly does school teach us about the world of work? What does it tell us about money besides the fact it exists? Besides the basics of reproduction, contraception and disease prevention, what does school teach us about sexual relationships, consent, properly choosing the right moment for a first time? And what do we learn in school to avoid being taken in by cults or religious authorities who abuse their power and our trust?
Children today, at ever earlier ages are also learning about all sorts mathematical concepts, and this is fine. Even if the eventual field of study and work doesn’t include quadratic equations, trigonometry or calculus, it’s useful to know about them. However, I’d like to know why no school course ever included learning how to fill out a tax return. Everybody needs to fill out a tax return to either find out how much money is owed or how much of a refund one can expect. In some cases, even people on welfare must fill out a tax return to qualify for benefits. This is basic stuff that we should know before we graduate.
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