Things we’re not taught in school, but should

We get the basics of our theoretical knowledge mostly from school (or should, at least - don’t get me started on that) and we can, after that, look deeper into certain topics that spark interest and expand our general culture. We learn about history, about chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology and so on. But how about things that literally depend on us and our lives during and after school? It’s said that school prepares you for life, but how exactly does it though? Nobody teaches us to be kind to one another or to help one another. Nobody teaches us how to communicate properly, how to talk in public, how to maintain relationships. We are not thought about love, compassion, compromise, collaboration. All these things are usually considered either not important enough or as a private matter.

Picture this: after I graduate and move away from home to University, I will not have the comfort of my parents, who took care of me, consoled me and protected me. I move out, and suddenly I am faced with the reality of living alone, not only having to study significantly more than I had to for school, but also having to consciously take some time for myself. Now, imagine I was very bad at managing my own emotions, making friends or coping with stress. How does what I learned in school help me with a breakdown, with coping with stress on my own, with knowing what to do in order to feel better and to feel like I live a meaningful life? How do I know what I can do to feel better, how to focus on the good things, how to change my mindset? I don’t. Because these factors are never taken into consideration when we say that “school prepares us for life”. It doesn’t. It prepares us for more studying, for more exams, for more papers. It is like a warm-up for our further educational path. But how about our emotional life? Our feelings? Our thoughts? We need guidance on these matters, because we want to reach our full potentials. We see that there is a problem and we want to fix it. We want to learn to be happy. 78% of European teens agree “Choosing to be happy is more important than anything else you can do in your life”.

This new generation of teens is less focused on consumption and more focused on contribution. They’re asking ‘How can I do something that makes a difference?’ and they long to be part of something bigger in a more meaningful way.“ -Dr. Mark Williamson

We agree that happiness is the most important factor in our wellbeing, but all the energies and infrastructures are focused on ‘educating children out of happiness’. In a world of disconnects and divisions, our generation is driven more by a desire to feel part of something bigger, empathy for others becoming a hallmark as we look to bridge divides not increase them.

Picture: “The School of Athens” - Fresco by Raphael