Working with students of different age, background and ability, I am usually asked a question ‘Why should we go to school?’ Personally, I believe this question is crucially important for any student to ask their instructor, and its answer is worth studying and clearing knowing.
Also, I am a kind of person who likes to have clear reason(s) for doing anything because (1) reason is motivation, and without motivation, people will not do anything or if they do, the result will not be good either, and (2) people get easily fooled by being busy; people are too busy to question why they are doing what they are doing, and it is usually too late when they know that they should not have done what they did.
As a teacher, I really do not want my students to second-guess why they ought to go to school. They should and have to have strong reasons for going to school and achieving academic excellence in their favorite subject.
Therefore, I want to share with you today the reasons that I have chosen to go to school. I hope that you can learn from them and here they are:
1. School is where knowledge gathers
Actually, this point is extremely obvious, but worth re-mentioning here because people usually take it for granted. Around the world, not only in Cambodia or the United States, the word ‘school’ is associated with knowledge. Generally, people think of school as a place wherein they have access to most, if not all, kind of knowledge they want to know.
Such thought associated with school is undeniably especially for well-structured, properly-organized, and fully-equipped schools. Good and famous schools really do have a wide variety of educational resources and materials, which can be converted into a great deal of knowledge.
Let take the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), Cambodia, where I undertook my Bachelor Degree as an example. In Cambodia, IFL especially its English Department is regarded to be as one of Cambodia’s leading language institutions because it has produced a lot of capable graduates, in English language skills and Education field, who are able to get scholarships to study abroad and work in high-ranking positions in Cambodia. Domestically speaking, IFL students are usually respected for their English language proficiency, and industrious working attitude (IFL teaches students to work with effort).
2. School provides recognized knowledge
In human life, there is no such thing as ‘no eating’. You have to eat no matter what, when, and where. But you have a power to choose your meals between good food and bad food. Simply, you have to eat either healthy or unhealthful food. How healthy you are really depends on your food intake.
Like eating, the intellectual part of your body has to eat, but it eats knowledge and information which has also positive and negative. How positive you are really depends on your intake of knowledge and information.
As you may have spot in my article What is and is not education, there are three forms of education: formal, non-formal, and informal. Formal education happens in well-established schools under fixed curriculum while non-formal education occurs in less structured educational institutions with flexible curriculum. As for informal education, it happens every day and time in human life.
All forms of education have its own benefits and drawbacks. But allow me to talk only about formal education. Formal education—like K1-12, Bachelor Degree, Master Degree, or PhD Degree—offers people knowledge generally recognized and considered as beneficial to everyone in the confinement of that society. People with the form of knowledge tend to have better chance than those who don’t in getting a job, promotion, and etc.
Because of this fit-into-the-society reason, school is crucially important in a general point of view and regarded as something that everything should attend in order to belong to the society.
3. School has a warm learning environment
Believe it or not, realize it or now, school has one of the best learning environments. By this, I actually mean that once you come to school, your inner self have been conditioned or set to a learning mode.
Unlike restaurants, nightclubs or bedrooms, school offer a learning-friendly atmosphere in its places such as classrooms, libraries or Self-Access Centers, and etc. In those places, you will see an unbelievable sense of quietness, a great view of people reading or learning and a slight of hundred thousands of books on the shelves. Plus, you will get assisted in ways that allow you to conduct your learning easily.
For instance, whenever I want an intensive self-study, I will go to IFL’s Self-Access Center. I bring my own books and sit in an air-conditioned, quiet room. Supposed I met with any problem or could not find certain books, I would have helpful (though not outwardly friendly) librarians to look for the books I want, which makes my learning flow in an easier way if compared to the fact that I conduct my learning at home or in a café.
4. School is a positive socializing place
Whenever you think of school, what comes to you mind? If you are most people, friends will be the first thing that comes into your mind, and sure enough such thought makes you smile or laugh in a reminiscing way.
Despite the fact that schools are now full of gangsters or bullies, they are still a positive socializing place for students because kids who go to school are able to at least meet with other students who have desire to learn and teachers who are knowledgeable and have experienced living their life in an acceptably positive way. Not only do students meet with other people in schools, they also have opportunities to engage various educational school activities such as field trips, charity events, and etc.
In conclusion, schooling is one of life good moments that any human being should experience for it provides benefits far beyond the mere content knowledge such as network, friendship, reputation and of course fun.
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