How to beat public school

School sucks. It is a well known fact that the institutionalization of education has created an atmosphere that limits the potential of the individual and stimulates the needs of the "many." However, education wasn't always a breeding ground for self deprivation and feelings of inadequacy. To learn how to utilize the system to one's benefit, he first needs to know the history.

Before the printing press, education was rare and expensive. Such ignorance by the masses was a key factor in the rise of absolute monarchies and theocratic totalitarianism in the Middle Ages. School was originally either done at home or completely privatized, often only accessible to the rich. The easiest source of "public" education for the common man was originally through a religious source. In the precolonial period, monasteries were the some of the only places that had books, and the only way to learn to read was through joining the clergy. Churches and communities sometimes created voluntary and free schools on Sundays to teach the kids. The funding was usually through charitable donations. Thus we get the term "Sunday School." The early Puritans brought forth the idea of institutionalized public school to teach the youth theology and scripture. We must realize that especially during the colonial period, it was communities that funded the schools. (Not a State) The funding was, however, from a compulsory tax instituted by a theocratic church. The quality of such education was not poor. In fact, Harvard College was founded by such Puritans for the teaching of Ministers and Pastors.

During the Revolutionary Era of American history, one of the few supporters of a tax funded public education was the Libertarian icon Thomas Jefferson. However, it wasn't his point that education would be a tool used for the furthering of statist agenda. Instead, his argument was that education to all would be a catalyst in promoting and expanding liberty.

“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”

- Thomas Jefferson

This idea was indeed unpopular among his contemporaries. It was not until the 1800s that public schools began to pop up. But the liberty and intellectual freedom of the youth was not at the forefront of these schools. The goal of these schools was not to create free thinking but instead to make workers for factories who could work to a bell, be taught menial tasks, be forced to follow a schedule, and be graded just as meat was. (Hence Grade-A meat) Students were taught to sit in rows in preparation for an assembly line and followed a distinct hierarchy that oppressed free thinking. This same method is used today.

On top of the collectivism promoted in these schools, matters became exceedingly worse with the "No Child Left Behind Act." Which prioritizes student performance on standardized tests above all else. Test performance was now tied to both school funding, and the evaluation of teachers and administrators. In many cases, there exists no empirical evidence to back up the validity of this approach, yet it's universally accepted as the way things ought to be. If your goal was to achieve the greatest learning outcome possible for yourself, what would your teachers need to be successful? They would need the liberty to decide what to teach, how to teach it, how to evaluate and assess their students, and how to structure their classroom and curriculum. They would need the freedom to make individualized plans or separate plans for students who were achieving at different levels. They would need the resources — financial, time, and support resources — to maximize the return on their efforts. In short, they would need the same thing that any employee in any role needs: the freedom and flexibility to assess their own situation, and make empowered decisions.

In public education, if teachers do that, they are penalized to an extraordinary extent. Passion is disincentivized, as whatever aspects you're passionate about take a back seat to what will appear on the standardized test. Expert knowledge is thrown to the wayside, as curiosity and engagement are seen as distractions. A vision for what successful students look like is narrowed down to one metric alone: test performance. And a teacher's evaluation of what skills are important to develop is treated as less than nothing, as anything that fails to raise a student's test score is something that everyone — the teacher, the school, and the student — are all penalized for. This is not the public education that Jefferson wanted. Nor the type a functional and free society needs.

Now that we have established a brief history of the American public education system, we must ask ourselves the question "Now what?"

What can you, as a student, do to fix the broken public school system from within? How can you promote your own individualism in a system that leeches off of standardized tests, conformity and compliance? Here are a few ideas.

1) See the lie

"I'll tell you how I feel about school, Jerry: it's a waste of time. Bunch of people runnin' around bumpin' into each other, got a guy up front says, '2 + 2,' and the people in the back say, '4.' Then the bell rings and they give you a carton of milk and a piece of paper that says you can go take a dump or somethin'. I mean, it's not a place for smart people, Jerry. I know that's not a popular opinion, but that's my two cents on the issue."

- Rick, "Pilot"

(Rick and Morty)

School doesn't make you. While the district, state and corporations such as the College Board have weaved a monopoly on education, you must realize that the grade on your report card doesn't signify your value as a person. Instead it is YOU who determines your value. While grades may (sadly) be needed to further a career, what you are taught in class isn't. AP classes are just a scam and grades dumb your existence down to a letter. It takes a free thinker to see past the mold. It is the unpopular (but nevertheless true) statement that grades do not define you. The surest way to squash your own individuality is by surrendering yourself to the collectivist ideas of "grade A students" or "average student." Thus the first step is the easiest. We must recognize that the public education system is a lie. Most students intrinsically know this. Many of them loath school. So as a student, you are justified in your distain for school. What you are not justified in doing is using your hate for the monopolized kleptocratic school system to remove your education that you are quite capable of receiving.

2) Read.

We must realize that the literature and textbooks serve the agenda of the district to receive better funding. While some of the books can be helpful in the growth of the mind, we must first assume that it isn't. Reading doesn't mean reading long, monotonous books on dull topics. Instead we must realize that true education can only come from yourself. In the digital age, information is so accessible and prevalent. You no longer need to wander down esoteric bookshelves of forgotten lore, but instead, you can find PDFs, blogs, and independent sources that teach you the things you are passionate about.

It is common among the griping of students to ask "When will we ever need this in life?" Instead of asking "When?" ask "What?" What do you need to become successful? Is it code? Writing? Public Speaking? Find it and use it. There is a plethora of resources that are completely free to use. By educating yourself, you are better equipped to handle the "real world" in a way that your contemporaries are not. Granted, reading is often dull, and not the preferred way of learning for some people. You are not limited to just reading. Podcasts and Youtube videos are also available. Even Wikipedia is a valuable resource if used correctly. By educating yourself, you are breaking the mold of the state and instead, shaping yourself into the person that you want to be.

3) Be Critical

Critical thinking is a core trait of any free thinker. However, as we have previously established, school isn't the perfect atmosphere for such thought. So you must make it so. For example, in history class, instead of asking the "Whos" and the "Whens" ask the "Whys" and the "Hows." There is a stark difference between learning that Hitler rose to power instead of why Hitler rose to power. What factors contributed to the rising of a mass murderer? What ideologies did he promote? How does his regime impact life today? The facts of history or important, but what is more important are the ideas, consequences and "whys" of history rather than the dates. Thus we must question the topics we learn to further expand our knowledge. This is true for any subject. (save maybe math.) This can be achieved in several different ways.

1) Ask the hard questions.

2) Learn outside the textbooks.

3) Introduce meaningful discussions.

4) Challenge old ways of thinkings. (respectfully)

These are all methods of introducing critical and free thinking into the classroom. By doing this (in a way that is unintrusive and respectful) you will create an environment that will better impact your peers and yourself. You will plant the seed of liberty into the minds of your fellow students. You will also expand your repertoire on this topic beyond the basic knowledge provided by the school. You will not only find yourself excelling, but you will also maintain the individuality that is pivotal in your development.

Conclusion

Yes, we all hated school. But education doesn't have to be such a meaningless and dull task. It can be as fun and engaging as you wish. Yes, it does mean putting a few more hours into your work. Yes it is hard. More often than not, liberty is much more difficult than compliance. The question isn't if it is possible or not. Instead, it is reliant on how much it means to you. In the generation of instant gratification and being spoon-fed the subpar, it wouldn't surprise you to find that free thinking is indeed a rare treasure. It is attainable. It just takes more work. Are you willing to do that?