Why Are Unschoolers Skipping School ?

5 Reasons to Avoid School

But here are five reasons you may not have considered. And you may think of more - feel free to tell me in the comments at the podcast platform or at the website where the transcript will be stored.

1. School conditions you to be a People Pleaser.

Whether it’s gold stars, A’s, or teacher approval, the Learning is not front and center. The Approval Factor is. And many of us carry this with us into adulthood. Yes, lip-service is given to “resisting peer pressure.” But isn’t it peer pressure when the teacher says, “We’re not going to recess because Johnny is acting badly. Class, you can thank Johnny.” Cringe-worthy for sure. But we know it happens. We witnessed it ourselves.

2. You learn that Mimicry and Performance matters most.

Learning to perform is more important than internalizing the information. You copy, and regurgitate - and promptly forget the information because it had no relevance to your life or context in your world. The brain weeds out information it doesn’t use or need.

3. Your self-esteem relies on competition.

Your class ranking, your grade, how you compare to others around you - these all matter more than your own personal best. Or your own competence. You may get a 92% on the Friday quiz, but when your classmates beside you come in at 96%, you are no longer pleased with your score.

These kinds of situations become school-kid realities. Not Real World realities, but the frequency and repetition create those stories we tell ourselves for a long time. “I’m not THAT smart.” “I’m not good at math” or science, or whatever. And that takes us to the next point…

4. You learn that failure is a source of shame.

And you learn ways to bluff or deflect so people don’t notice your shortcomings. And any time your insides and your outsides don’t align, we create uncomfortable situations. No wonder many of us came away with a lot of anxiety! But an equally problematic part of this is that it keeps us from trying new things or being innovative. We want to play it safe so we never have to experience the shame of trying and not having it work out. When in fact, this is just data for the next attempt at something. But schools don’t help us see it this way. Getting it right - and doing it as quickly as possible - that’s the goal in the classroom.

5. You learn an over-reliance on authority.

Those who are “good listeners,” or integrate any of these other characteristics I’ve just mentioned, are rewarded. Those who want to explore other ways to solve a problem, or have a desire for something more creative - nope! Don’t do that in this classroom. Our natural curiosity and creativity is squashed and we are redirected to simply follow directions. No deviation. Stay in line.

I could list all kinds of reasons why classrooms operate like this. They have a lot of kids that have to be moved from Point A to Point B - intellectually and sometimes even physically. But these five reasons may make a person pause and think about whose best interest isn’t being valued here? The Learner or the System? And I know, I’ll hear from teachers or friends of teachers who will tell me all the creative ways they attempt to mitigate these scenarios in their classrooms. But they can’t really deny that these situations still exist - even in the most progressive classrooms. And, it’s my belief that the System, as an entity, hides behind these good teachers who are trying to have a positive effect on the lives of their students.