What Schools Taught Us - that wasn't true!
Unschoolers aren't typically big fans of schools. While there may be some exceptions, that's no secret, really. Parents have a variety of reasons for stepping away from school or deciding not to go that route educationally.
Once you've taken a big gulp and courageously ventured out on your own, it's not uncommon to look back thinking,
"Oh yeah. That wasn't good either!"
We asked our unschooling community on Instagram and Facebook to share what they were taught that turned out to be untrue.
Sure, science is always evolving and new information comes to light. And, from a history standpoint, we've begun looking at what we've been told through a different lens. This too is evolving as we speak!
But in school, we were taught to memorize "the facts," as they were being presented. And a lot of it was wrong.
75 Untruths We've Been Told
Here are some of the responses from Instagram and Facebook.
- "You won't always have a calculator in your pocket!"
- Pluto. A planet, then not a planet, now...a dwarf planet?
- Your Permanent Record will follow you everywhere.
- Columbus "discovered" America.
- Native American history.
- School is good for kids.
- You need permission (must raise your hand) to use the restroom.
- If you question/challenge, you're deemed "out of line."
- Ahh... the importance of staying in line and conformity.
- School is the best place to learn social skills.
- A set timeline exists for learning certain facts.
- Hiding under desks would save us from earthquakes and nuclear bombs.
- All adults deserve respect.
- Quadratic equations are really important and will be needed in all adult life.
- Trigonometry is important to have a good job someday.
- Bears hibernate all winter - as in sound asleep the entire time.
- Inventor of the light bulb.
- Fluoride is super important - something about "swish days?"
- You only learn at a desk.
- Grades define your worth.
- You'll need advanced math to be worth anything later.
- Test scores will reflect your lifelong success.
- Caring for a bag of flour is equivalent to having a baby.
- Non-STEM career dreams were belittled and crushed.
- Americans peacefully bought Hawaii.
- Pledge of Allegiance every morning to reinforce nationalism.
- Sex education... poorly done.
- Food pyramid and nutrition was swayed by corporations and marketing.
- Doing well in school will mean doing well in adult life.
- College is the only path to true success.
- If you don't make good grades, you're not smart.
- Origin of Thanksgiving.
- Learning only happens in institutional environments.
- Standardized tests reflect what you know.
35. It's cheating to use a calculator.
36. It's cheating to collaborate.
37. It's cheating to listen to audiobooks.
38. Learning is not fun but must be endured.
39. Some schools seemed to really have emphasized Line Dancing. (?)
40. Favorite non-academic activities held no value.
41. Long division is necessary for adulting.
42. Cigarettes are not addictive.
43. School is only about educating.
44. You have to be a star athlete or straight-A student to be important.
45. Universities require high school diplomas.
46. Humans only have five senses.
47. Cursive writing is important to adult life.
48. Everything important to learn is in a book.
49. A career in the Arts or Literature "won't pay the bills."
50. Bullying and social drama is a preparation for adult life.
51. Working in fast food would be shameful.
52. Worksheets and grades are needed in the workplace.
53. Hiring administrators will want to know your grades.
54. History is factual - and not stories from the winner's perspective.
55. Going to college will guarantee a "good job."
56. Good jobs = lucrative careers.
58. Slavery ended in 1865.
59. Indigenous people are always inferior, uncivilized, savages.
60. No racists exists in the North during the Civil War.
61. Rosa Parks was the American to refuse to sit in the back of the bus.
62. Failure in academics = Failure in Life
63. Young teens are pressured to choose a career path before ready.
64. Milk is good for your bones and all kids need 3 servings a day.
65. You can't go to college if you do poorly in high school.
66. Public school is the only place to learn about diversity.
67. Popular kids are going to be the most successful in adulthood.
68. You can't do a problem in your head, it doesn't count if you don't "show your work."
69. You'll never make a living staring out a window. (transportation careers?)
70. You'll never make a living where you're "chatting with neighbors all the time." (hahaha! Me!)
71. Capitalism has no inherent problems to watch for.
72. Boys are good at math and girls are good at language arts.
73. Only path to success is going to college and working for someone else.
74. School is kids' "job".
75. Doing homework teaches responsibility.
