Learning Exercises: Why Do We Go To School?

Learning is something which we do naturally and it is like a faithful friend who accompanies us wherever we go until we cease to exist.

When it comes to school, however, learning and studying is the least enjoyable activity we can think of. Why is that? It is because we wrongly believe that school is all about assignments, tests and exams.

The second reason is that we are being pumped with information, but we are not taught how to digest and internalise the information. In other words, we are not taught how to think, learn and understand.

Have you ever seen a farmer who sows without cultivating the earth first? The seeds would fall on dry and hard ground. The teacher is like a farmer, the mind of the student can be likened to the earth and the lesson content is like the seeds. If a farmer must open the earth first, before she can insert the seed in it, then a teacher must first open the student’s mind, so that it can receive the information properly.

The previous exercise was on how to use our imagination. We learnt about the habit of reviewing the content of a paragraph/chapter in our minds. If you do this regularly, you will slowly notice how quickly you begin to grasp the essence of a given topic. You will further notice that you are able to remember the exact words, without even trying to memorise.

You will literally feel like you have some sort of super powers! Finally, this habit – which is part of the five-step study ritual – will train your mind to rely on itself and this is crucial during exams; because you are not allowed to have your text books with you during that time, right?

Let us now ask ourselves the following question: Why do we go to school? Do we go to school to pass exams and qualify for university? Perhaps parents are afraid of leaving us unattended at home, so they send us to school – meaning school is nothing but a day care centre for teenagers? The sad truth is that students don’t really know why they should go to school.

They just go because the system was set up that way. I believe the level of involvement in the learning process will shift dramatically when students finally understand the truth about school.

So, why do we go to school, then? A deep look into the world will help us to find the real answer. The world is so deep and wide. You can spend a lifetime trying to figure it out, but you will never understand it completely. The world is full of secrets and life reveals its secrets only in bits and pieces.

Take a watch, for example. We don’t understand the mechanics behind the speed of the hour-, minute- and second hand. The inside of a watch is a secret to us. Only the watch-maker can teach you how the watch works. The world is like a watch and school is like the watch-maker. The various subjects at school are like windows that offer a glimpse into how the world functions. In short, we go to school to receive the basic knowledge about the world.

This week’s exercise is to repeat these words three times before each new lesson at school: ‘I go to school to understand the world and this subject will teach me something new about the world’. This simple yet powerful exercise has helped students all over the country to receive As in their subjects. It won’t happen overnight. It takes patience and determination.

Shapumba ya Shapumba of Natural Learning Education Consultancy gives lectures and workshops on ‘How To Understand Any Subject’. Email him at naturaLearningnamibia@gmail.com.

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