Education

The 5 Most Destructive Lies American Public Schools Have Taught Us to Believe

After 12 years in the American public school system, here’s what I’ve learned…

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Let’s be honest — school taught us a lot of things. Some were useful. Most were questionable. And a few were just flat-out lies. As someone who went through the American public school system and has multiple family members who still work in education, (my mother is a third-generation teacher and multiple aunts and uncles have followed in that profession), I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on the stuff we were told to believe about learning, success, and the “real world.” At least five of these lies have led to serious debt, anxiety, and depression in my generation. I understand that I am speaking as an American with first-hand experience in US education. That said, even though this is written from a U.S. perspective, many global education systems push the same myths with different accents. So whether you were raised in Texas or Tokyo, I hope a few of these hard truths hit home. Because at the end of the day, school might’ve handed us diplomas — but it also handed us some serious B.S.