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

'cause it helped me a lot.

Ok, 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:

"Nothin' 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 called 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 gonna be on the test?"

Is this gonna be on the test?

See if school really 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 1-60 on the worksheet,

and having 3 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 kinda 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.

'Cause 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 ya

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 assessments.

So it's no wonder why

so many students graduate

mentally and emotionally anorexic.

See 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 u 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 the glue.

See the word education

comes from the Latin root "educe"

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 3rd leading cause

of death of ages 10-24

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 used Snapchat, WhatsApp,

shopped at Whole Foods?

Well, Thanks a dropout.

Does your home furniture come from IKEA?

OK 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

Americas 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.

'Cause 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 no test

will ever measure.

Even if that test begins in 3 letters

like SAT, ACT.

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

'Cause 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 teachers class

in some town,

he never raises his hand,

he fails most of his classes

but inside of him lives a passion.

And if nurtured and brought out

will lead him to discover

the cure for cancer.

But you see,

I'm afraid 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?"