It’s easy to think back to schools as long hours of  Mathematics, Science and English. And that was just during the day; there was even more work, in the form of homework waiting for us for when we arrived home. However, while education does of course account for a lot of what we do in school, it’s so much more than that. Below I am taking a look at some of the things that school aren’t necessarily “about,” but which they nonetheless provide. There’s much more to school than just learning the ABCs and 123s!

Finding Their Passion

In the early days of education, you’re more or less going through the motions and doing whatever is put in front of you. By the time you’re in secondary school, however, interests are beginning to become a little bit more niche. Students find themselves naturally gravitating towards the subjects that they enjoy – and away from the ones that they don’t. Sometimes, this isn’t even obvious to the student at the time. It only becomes clear many years after they’ve left school, and they have a sense of perspective on the type of student they were, that they realise they’ve understood their passion all along.

Broaden their Horizons

If there’s one regret that people who have left school behind have, it’s “I wish I’d made more of all the opportunities I had in school.” Because indeed, schools are a great platform for trying out new things and having experiences that would otherwise be difficult to come by. You can join a music club, get involved in drama productions, and take NST trips to places in the UK and beyond. So aside from becoming more knowledgeable in the classroom, they’re also expanding their knowledge of the outside world and all the exciting things it contains.

Making Friends

When older adults think back to their school days, they often say that it was the friends they made that made the biggest impression. Though many people go on to find another friends group (at university or after, if they move away from home), the socialisation process that happens at school is hugely important. You begin to understand the type of people you like to spend time with – and perhaps more importantly, the ones that you’d rather avoid. While school can be an awkward time, it would be all the more difficult without a solid group of friends around you.

Independent Thinking

There’s an idea that schools are breeding grounds for narrow thinking, but this isn’t true. In every school, there are always passionate, inspiring teachers who encourage their students to think in new ways.  And in any case, there’s always so much happening that’s impossible not to develop thoughts of your own. The ability to think for yourself is crucial for becoming a productive member of any democracy, and schools play a big role in that.

They’re not always fun, but school and education are vitally important. Next time your child is complaining, remind them all that it’s giving to them.

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