“Our culture lies. They say they want to encourage and reward individuality and creativity, but in practice they try to hammer down the pointy parts, and shame off the different parts.” – Sandra Dodd

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.

Going through the traditional school system (in California, Washington and Guam) was never my favorite thing as a kid, but as a parent, I’ve grown to realize that the whole system is upside down.

Not the system of any particular state or nation, but system of education as a concept.

Traditionally, schools use this model:

1. Decide on what kids need to know to prepare them for adulthood.
2. Prepare a curriculum based on this.
3. Give students a schedule based on this curriculum.
4. Have educated teachers hand them the info they need, and drill them in skills.
5. The student reads, memorizes the info, learns the skills, and becomes prepared.
6. Students must follow all rules or be punished. This is actually more important than the info and skills, although it’s never said that way.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a great model. Mostly because it’s based on the idea that there is a small group of people in authority, who will tell you what to do and what you need to know, and you must follow this obediently, like robots. And you must not think for yourself, or try to do what you want to do. This will be met with severe punishment.

This is ideal if you’re going to be a corporate employee, and need certain skills in order to work for the corporation — mostly skills of obedience, actually. This isn’t ideal for the workplace of the coming decade, when people are less likely to be employed by a large corporation, and more likely to work for themselves. And have to think for themselves. And figure out, for themselves, what they want to do. And learn new things for themselves, without a teacher.

Things are changing faster than ever before. Every month, new technology is announced that alters the way people work, or will work in the future, and we need to be able to learn and adapt to this ever-changing landscape.

How are we to do that, or how are our children to learn that, if they have no authority telling them what they need to know, or how to learn, or what to do?

People often grow up to be competent learners, and achieve great things, after going through the traditional school system. But this is in spite of the system, not because of it. We are pretty adaptable people, inherently curious, and we can learn without an authority, but the current school system tries to beat this down. It usually fails to some degree, but to the degree it succeeds, it harms people.

Schools fail not because they don’t impart knowledge or skills, but because they kill curiosity, smother excitement for learning, club down with a furious brutality our desires to be independent, to think for ourselves, to learn about things that actually interest us.

“I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays, and have things arranged for them, that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas.” - Agatha Christie

But Teachers are Great
Yes, I agree, they are. My wife was a middle school teacher, of English, and she worked tirelessly with her students’ interests at heart. She really wanted to teach them to love reading, and did everything in her power to do so. Unfortunately, she was frustrated by the authoritarian nature of school administration, and left. She now homeschools our kids, and is trying to give them the freedom to learn on their own.

My grandmother was a teacher for decades. My aunt is a teacher, first of elementary and middle schools, now of children in a juvenile detention center, and is wonderful at getting kids to love reading. My father is an artist teaching others to love art, and to do it well. I love teachers, and have the highest respect for them.

I just think they’re in a system that doesn’t work. That cannot work, given the nature of what the world has become.

How can we prepare children for a future we cannot foresee? How do we know what skills they will need, what knowledge will be important, in 10 years, or 15? We have no idea what the world will be like then. I sure don’t. Do you? Does anyone know how people will be working 15 years from now?

I submit this is impossible. And what’s more, it always has been impossible. The workplace now is vastly different than it was when I was a lad in shortpants three decades ago running around in the schoolyard, wiping snot from my nose and learning about the Cold War. People then didn’t have computers in the workplace, at least not most of them, and those who did have computers didn’t have anything resembling what we have today. Most people used electric typewriters, and fax machines weren’t in offices yet. Fax machines.

So yes, I love teachers, and think they are incredible at what they do. What I think they need to do, though, is not be teachers, but facilitators.

Don’t direct learning, because when students grow up they won’t be directed in their learning, they’ll be self-taught. Think about it: when you learn things today, as an adult, do you learn from a teacher, or do you learn things on your own? And isn’t learning on your own more fun? Don’t you love learning new things? Doesn’t that make the learning stick with you for longer than when you had to memorize things in school?

What we learn in school isn’t nearly as important as how we learn, because how to learn is the lesson of school.

“The founding fathers in their wisdom decided that children were an unnatural strain on their parents. So they provided jails called school, equipped with tortures called education.” - John Updike

How to Learn
And the way we’re taught to learn is as receivers of information, non-thinkers. Follow the rules. Read pages 100-132. Do the exercises. Memorize the information. Spit it out in a test. Do this project, because we tell you to, not because it’s fun or interesting.

The way we need to be taught to learn is completely different. It’s this: learn about what interests you, gets you curious, gets you excited. Figure out where to get the information you need. Read about it, talk to someone about it, find out about it. Try it. Do it, make mistakes. Figure out how to correct the mistakes. Figure out how to solve the problems you encounter. Repeat.

In other words, find problems that interest you, and figure out how to solve them.

Sometimes, you’ll have to solve problems that aren’t so interesting, just to solve problems that do interest you. That’s OK. That’s how things work.

And here’s a secret: we already know how to do this. From birth. This method of learning is innate in all of us. It’s built in.

When a toddler wants to do something, like get a stash of chocolate you’ve hidden on top of the fridge, he’ll figure it out. He’ll find ways to move a chair to the fridge, or climb up onto a counter near the fridge, in order to get the candy. Along the way he’ll learn a thing or two about cabinet doors and fridge doors and why you shouldn’t lean too far in one direction on a chair if you don’t want to fall and get bruises.

When a kid wants to play a video game, she’ll learn things like how to set up and turn on the PS3, how to navigate menus, how to get started with the game, how to convince mother that she’ll clean her room later and that her homework is pretty much all done so that she can play the game now.

Kids know how to solve problems, when they want to do something.

We don’t need to teach them to learn. We need to get out of their damn way.

And that’s the problem with schools. They can’t motivate kids to learn, because they’re forcing it. They’re trying to impart on them a rigid system of authority that kids naturally rebel against. In fact, this is the main problem kids face, and they come up with all kinds of incredibly creative ways to solve it, from skipping school and smoking pot to drawing incredible doodles in notebooks instead of listening to a history lecture to finding ingenius ways to communicate with peers, through technologies like texting and iPhones and through old technologies like passing notes and so on.

Creativity isn’t dead in our kids. It’s alive, but it’s being marshaled to beat the forces that are beating them down.

“No use to shout at them to pay attention. If the situations, the materials, the problems before the child do not interest him, his attention will slip off to what does interest him, and no amount of exhortation of threats will bring it back.” - John Holt

Turn Education on Its Head
So how to prepare our kids for tomorrow? Better people than I have written on this. Look up Unschooling — it’s already been invented, and it’s what I’d recommend.

It’s pretty much just getting out of the way of kids. Let them learn about what they want to learn about, and you know what? They’ll actually care about what they’re learning, because they chose it themselves. They’ll get excited about things, something schools usually fail to achieve.

They’ll learn how to deal with the delicious problem of freedom, a problem most kids don’t have these days. They’ll get some hands-on, down-and-dirty experience with autonomy, something they’ll have in spades as adults.

But what if they watch TV or play video games all day? What if they aren’t interested in math or science and never learn them? What if they’re totally unprepared for the workplace?

These are newbie questions in the world of unschooling, and I won’t answer them all here. You’ll have more, in the comments, I’m sure. I’m not the guy to answer those questions. Google unschooling and read up, because many smarter people have answered all your questions and more.

I’ll just say a couple things. One, we need to relax and not look at childhood as a time when every minute needs to be filled up with rigid rules and learning. It’s a time that should be enjoyed, and kids should play, and in playing they’ll learn. They’ll learn to play well and work well with each other. They’ll learn how to figure things out for themselves. They’ll learn to love the lovely freedom and its associates, autonomy and responsibility and choice and time management and, yes, passion.

Two, remember what we talked about above: we have no idea what the workplace of the future will be, so stop worrying about preparing them for that. In fact, stop worrying so much. Let kids learn how to learn, and learn how to be excited about things. That will prepare them for the future.

Three, also realize that we don’t need to be hands-off. We can be hands-on, if we’re facilitators instead of directors or dictators. We can help kids find things they’re interested in, expose them to worlds of fun (like science and math), teach them games that they might like, help them solve problems so they’ll learn how to do it on their own, guide them to resources and people who will give them mountains of information. Be there for them, as guides.

This is a huge topic, and one that I can’t adequately cover in one post. I’ll do another post sometime, talking about homeschooling and unschooling, and how we do it and how to make it work for you. But for today, I just wanted to throw out some thoughts on schooling, and get you riled up a bit perhaps. We could all use some good riling now and then, I think.

“To trust children we must first learn to trust ourselves…and most of us were taught as children that we could not be trusted.” - John Holt

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Attention Deficit Disorder is no longer a disorder known to small children. It is now common in a great number of adults.
Keeping up with your chores at home may seem hard for you to do. You may also be having a hard time getting your life to come together.
Managing your [...]

I’m a goofy dude. I’ve always enjoyed the latest self-help book, the latest how-to-invest strategy, the latest productivity blog.  But you know what?  I know I’m jinxing myself, but I finally think I have it figured out – or at least I’ve started to figure it out.  For the past few weeks, I’ve started to get everything under control and I’m starting to feel that I’ve got a system to manage my life.  If I actually start writing the book (chapter 1 is drafted) then I’ll know I’ve got things moving forward. It’s a cool feeling.  I’m hoping that it’s not a BRIP, with a BLAP to follow.  I’m hoping I’ve actually crossed a bit of a border – having taken some positive steps in my life to achieve what I always wanted:  life in the sun with my wife and kids.  My daughter in the semi-tropical sun is a minor miracle to me.  Weather and lifestyle are  small things.  Culture and family are big things.  Everything has to be placed in a balance and right now, the balance is, well…balanced.

The links, the links…!

Moving Made Easy – How to Save Money, Time, and Reduce Stress While Moving: Having just recently moved, I’ll tell you – these are good tips.

Budget Travel Tips: And again, having HOPED to travel sometime soon, these are tips I would take

“When It Rains, It Pours”: We’ve been on the other side of this recently; we thought we had reached an agreement to buy a house here in Florida and then, after weeks of negotiating, we finally gave up and decided to start looking again. It’s odd how some people can’t let go even in the face of economic inevitability – but then again, that’s part of what makes us human, I guess.

Flipping Houses for Profit: Something I have dreamt of doing often and never even vaguely acted on. I think I could manage painting and cleaning and (very) minor repair work, but actually dealing with agents and attorneys non-stop? For me? Not really.

Save Money Buying Overstock or Returned Items:  If I could game overstocked stuff into a profit, believe me… it’s a great way to make money.

MonaVie is Trying to Sue Me…: Lazy Man wrote an honest criticism of MonaVie and MonaVie’s trying to shut him up. My take? Tweet, Stumble, and do your social blogging worst to make this stupid lawsuit look…well….stupid.

Happiness For Others Comes From Contentment With Yourself: I couldn’t agree more. In my brip-blap existence, it’s been a tough lesson to learn, but here – in my mid-life – I’ve finally learned that if I’m OK with ME and not with others’ perception of me or my perception of how I stack up to others, I’m going to be alright.

Work At Home Mom Shares Tips On Saving Money: Nuff said, eh?

You CAN Argue With Results!: It’s tough to stick with the logic on this post, but Mr. Cheap is as dead-on with this thinking as you can get. Stating a result does not imply that the result is true – multiple variables ALWAYS confuse things…

How To Sell Your House Fast – 9 Tips To Get The Most From Your Home Sale: All of these are great tips, but let me tell you – #7 is key. Beyond a doubt.

Again With the Why Travel? (And Happy Anniversary!): I should write a whole post on this, but let me summarize: without travel, I am not who I am today. End of story. I grew up in a small southern US town, and living in Germany and Russia and traveling to God-knows-how-many-other-countries made me the human I am today. I can no more separate travel from my identity than I could separate my Anglo ethnicity or my native-English speaking or my hazel-colored eyes; travel made me…ME.  I am of the pro-travel camp.  I know when I am older and my kids are in their 20s and heading off to Malaysia or Kenya or Kazakhstan or whatever I’ll freak out, but really:  I am not who I am today with my time spent living in Russia.  C’est la vie.

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Check out these 20 unintentional inappropriate statues… [buzzfeed.com]

Not sure how real this article is that I came across. But, nonetheless, it’s entertaining!

One of the most bizarre hotels in the world is entirely made of salt and is one of Bolivia’s key tourist attractions.

The Salt Hotel, also known as Hotel de Sal Playa was built in 1993 by a salt artisan and is almost entirely created from salt. The walls are made of salt blocks and are held together with a cement-like substance which is made out of salt and water. The furniture is carved out of salt, including the beds. The only trace of modern materials are the toilets, roof and of course the lighting. It has 15 bedrooms, a dining room, a living room and a bar.

Only one thing is not allowed: wall licking.

I came across the below 13 tips (oh the irony of that number) on things a burglar looks for before robbing your house. These were pulled directly from readersdigest.com

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway. Doesn’t really apply to us here in Florida

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom—and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door—understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. You can buy it here.

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Steve of Freedom Education.

This strategy works so well and it’s so simple.  You can do this at home, at work, with friends, family or even with anyone at all.

You could even do it with a stranger.  What the heck am I talking about?

I’m talking about feeling good.  There is something you can do right now that will make you feel better almost instantly and here’s how to do it.

In order to feel better fast, you want to stop thinking about yourself and you want to turn your attention to others.  You want to start thinking about someone else.  And when you do this, you want to do something very specific… you want to tell that other person how much you appreciate them.

It’s sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

Well it works and here’s why.  When you tell someone how much you appreciate them, you make them feel better; and when you make someone else feel better, you also feel better.

That’s the trick.  Make others feel better and you’ll feel better - and what better way to make others feel better than by letting them know that you appreciate them.

Here are 3 ways to show your appreciate for others and feel better fast:

1. Appreciate your Boss.

I remember this one time when I was working full time as an engineer.  All the employees received an email from the president.  It was about Christmas time and the president of our company decided to give everyone an extra two days of paid holidays.  ”Wow, is that ever nice of him!” I thought to myself.  Then I walked over to the presidents office and personally shook his hand and thanked him.  That put a smile on his face and it put one on mine too!

In some cases you might be the boss - maybe you run your own business.  In that case the best way to appreciate the boss is to do something to nourish yourself.  I love playing hockey so what I find works for me is setting some time aside to play hockey - when I put my interests first is shows greater appreciation for what is important to me.

2. Appreciate your Parents.

Just the other day I was in the grocery store and saw two University students in line at the cash.  It made me think of the time when I was in school and had very little money.  It was at this time that I borrowed money from my parents so I could put food on the table and pay the bills.  I felt such a deep appreciation for my parents that I decided to phone them up.

I got on the phone and dialed.  My dad picked up:

Dad: “Hello”

Steve: “Hey dad I just saw some students at the grocery store and it reminded me of that time when I had no money when I was in school.  I just wanted to let you know that if I didn’t have money for groceries and living I wouldn’t have been able to finish my degree.  I really appreciate what both you and mom did, working those extra hours to put me through University.”

I think my dad was stunned because there was silence on the phone.  Then he suddenly spoke again,

Dad: “Well, it was the right thing for us to do and your welcome.”

That made me feel awesome, and I think it gave my dad some of that awesomeness too

3. Appreciate Your Neighbor. My neighbor John is a very hard worker and a really handy guy.  He knows his tools and always has great advice for making house repairs, doing landscaping, etc.  Without John life would be much more difficult.  He’s the type of guy that every neighborhood should have because he makes life easier.

John just loves beer.  So one afternoon I was driving home and I thought, “I’m going to pick up John some beer,” and so I did.

I remember the look on his face when I gave him the beer.  He was shocked and all I said was, “I really appreciate the extra effort you make to help us out with house repairs, letting us borrow your tools and that sort of thing so here’s a case of beer to show our appreciation.  Thank you so much.”

He looked so happy and I felt happy too.

These are just a few examples of how I’ve shown appreciation for the people in my life, but there are many others.

How do you show appreciation for the people in your life?

Read more from Steve at Freedom Education - Mind Power for Your Personal Growth, or see his ebook, The Genius Within YOU.

What happens when a rich Mexican drug lord gets busted? Well, check out the below pics for yourselves. Everything we’d expect, right? Gold pistols, machine guns, mansions and even wild animals.