American author Mark Twain is known for having some unconventional views on education. In fact, we’re not so sure his views were unconventional so much as they were, at the time, views that weren’t common to express in public. In honor of the fact that, across the nation, school is about to start again for millions of children, teenagers and young adults (as well as some older adults!), we thought we’d celebrate with one of our favorite Mark Twain quotes:
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
We don’t, of course, mean that schooling isn’t important. We doubt that Mark Twain, who clearly valued intellect, thought that either. However, we believe what the quote says, that there’s education that happens outside of schooling and that education is just as important. In the case of an important part of Postconsumers, which is to teach us to be more aware of the societal and media messaging about consumerism, we think that’s an important element that needs to be instilled in our children and youth as they head back to school. Even within schools, children and young adults will be exposed to messaging about ambition, goals, what it means to have a successful life, and, of course, things that they “need” to buy in order to be happy.
As adults, it’s our job to make sure that our children are getting educated outside of the parameters of their daily schooling on the real values of life and how to be happy (and satisfied). Obviously, it’s great that our school-age children and young adults bring home the best possible report cards they can, but it’s also important that they use these formative years when they also have incredible amounts of freedom to figure out what it is that will make them happy in life. They need a good dose of “education” outside of the structured school environment in order to do that!
Mark Twain definitely embraced his “education” outside of the school room. Let’s all work to make sure that the children and young adults in our lives do the same!
