some people think that we learn our most important lessons in school. others think that the knowledge we acquire outside of school is the most important. which view do you agree.
The purpose of a school as an institution is to prepare the young minds to survive and excel in the world once the schooling is over.But what about the millions of people who do not get to attend formal schooling or those who dropout of school? there have been various examples of artists, scientists, professors, technicians etc. who either dropped out of formal schooling or never went to school yet excelled in their lives and field of choice. Therefore, i believe that the knowledge we acquire outside of the school is the most important.
One of the primary reasons for supporting this argument is that when we live and learn we learn by doing and the onus of the development and knowledge building is on the actor himself/herself. The experiences benefit with real life instances, life skills and abundance of trial and error learning. As opposed to the template teaching that takes place at schools, wherein the learner's instincts and individuality is over shadowed by pre-determined goals and lessons set for them which do not correspond to each student's needs.
Also, the knowledge that one is exposed to in schools is very compartmentalized and segregated, therefore, rendering it of little use in practical daily life situations. In contrast to it, the knowledge gained by engaging in pursuing a life course of one's choice enhances the individual beyond the extent of textbooks. Individuals who are self taught are more resilient in life and persevere to excel in their respective domains. The reality of the life of each student and the extent to which the school can offer continuity is very restricted and as a result the knowledge acquired at school may not hold any grounding for an informed adult life
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Therefore, it would be appropriate to say that learning and acquiring knowledge outside of school is more important in life. Success stories of Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Sir Richard Branson, Walt Disney etc. are a few world renowned personalities who dropped out of formal schooling and rather developed the skills that they required to excel in their field and survive in their life on their own.
