It seems like a never-ending debate. A majority of people who are a part of any particular civilized society strongly favor school. They directly relate it to moral values, social ethics, and a lot of things that children learn in their early life to get prepared for their adulthood and professional life.
However, the ongoing pandemic situation has totally changed our lives as we knew them. Public activities and social gatherings have now been restricted for more than a year. Corporate and educational institutions around the world have gone partially or completely online. This has also impacted the school life of students, who now rely on digital mediums and online platforms to continue with their education.
In one of our previous articles, we have discussed how digital learning is going to change the concept of schooling and education. Well, it seems like it is happening now and giving us all the more reason of doubting the need for regular schooling.
So, does school really matter? And does it actually help you in your life? Let’s take a detailed look at the subject to know more about the learning environment and skills that school teaches us. We’ll also be taking a look at the downside of regular schooling.
Understanding the Concept of School and Learning
We live in a modern world, the educational scope of which is constantly evolving. Learning at school is directly associated with the acquisition of knowledge through a particular set of courses offered in a curriculum.
The school life of a child is mainly focused on the information and skills they learn from their teachers and mentors. Grading is also an important part of the schooling system. A child must earn good grades on the basis of which they are promoted to the next standard.
In their school life, children learn in groups that make things fun and entertaining for them and it supposedly expedites the entire process of learning and acquiring skills. Now, let’s learn about the environment that is also another very essential part of school life.
The Essential Role of Environment in School Life of a Child
You would always come across bright and multicolor interiors of elementary schools, especially the ones that are teaching children in pre-primary and primary grades. It is because bright colors appeal to children and they make them feel comfortable.
It could be one of the many reasons why they like going to school. Also, there may be other children of the same age group in their class who can be their friends. They can all then take part in group activities. All this is essential for the mental as well as social grooming of a child.
Teaching methods in different kinds of schooling systems have evolved a lot, especially over the past few decades. After all these advancements, they have devised four different types of learning environments for schools. A school learning environment can be student- or learner-centered; assessment-centered; community-centered or knowledge-centered.
A majority of schools usually work with one or maybe more than one of the aforementioned learning environments. The only thing that matters the most is their students are learning something new every day. Group activities, competitions, and field trips can all be a part of a school curriculum, depending on the field of education they are teaching to their students.
Now, let’s ask ourselves the question once again — why does school matter in our lives? Is it because of the learning environment that it provides to us or because of the life skills that it teaches us? Let’s find out what matters the most!
Why Does School Matter? It’s Because of All the Life Skills It Teaches Us!
The modern concept of education mainly focuses on skill-based learning. Through our school life, we learn a lot of different skills. We learn how to socialize, make friends, participate in competitions and group activities. Every bit of it for us to grow both socially and mentally. Schooling systems do not only focus on soft skills but also teach you lifelong skills. Some of the most important lifelong skills that school life teaches us have been mentioned as under.
- Creativity: Our ability to be more creative
- Social Interaction: Make us a socially active person
- Problem Solving: Teach us problem-solving skills
- Critical Thinking: Increases our capability of critical thinking
- Information Management: Grooming our brains to effectively grasp, handle and manage complex information.
- Leadership: Sometimes school life brings out the leader in us.
So, does school matter? Considering all the lifelong skills we have discussed above, the only answer to this question would be a definitive yes. But before you jump to any conclusion, we would like to tell you that the next section of our article is based on the downside of school life and its impact on the life of a student. Make sure to read it till the end.
The Major and Most Concerning Cons of School
Now, that we have already taken a look at the bright side of the subject, it’s time for us to shed light on some of the major disadvantages of school life.
- Instead of spreading positivity, the schooling systems of today’s world are promoting confusion among students. Different schools are following different curriculums, causing students of the same age to compete with each other in an unhealthy way, lowering their self-esteem.
- Lately, schools have also be blamed by parents and societies on the whole for putting unnecessary assessments and exams pressures on their students.
- Following a certain set of courses or educational curriculum may limit students from getting familiar with their true abilities. Parents should also be listening to their children. If they complain about something they are experiencing at school, they should talk to the management at once.
- Bullying is also becoming more and more common nowadays, which also makes a lot of students feel bad about going to school and sadly school management are not taking sufficient actions to improve the situation.
Does School Matter? The Bottom Line
Well, we can’t deny the fact that schooling is essential for children to gain some of the most important life skills. However, you need to be very careful when it comes to choosing a school for your kid as things they may experience in their school life may have an impact on their whole life.
Also, as a parent focus more on digital learning tools and online resources to help your children learn new educational skills while they spend time at home. As a parent, we all have to be extremely responsible and concerned for the future of our children.
If you like reading this post, feel free to share it with your friends and family. For more informative lifestyle posts, keep visiting Openiun.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch.
