on schooling

across many dimensions we have been acculturated to value the aggregated over the individual, and defaulting to the average consensus has become comfortable in its familiarity. This is what I observed in how students are taught writing by following templates like the five-paragaph essay. No one believes the products of that process are actually, yo... See more

A second major illusion on which the school system rests is that most learning is the result of teaching. Teaching, it is true, may contribute to certain kinds of learning under certain circumstances. But most people acquire most of their knowledge outside school.

Schools are good at teaching and measuring intelligence, so that’s what people tend to value and aspire to. But in almost any field, smarts is what gets rewarded long term.

You cannot measure empathy like you can SAT scores, so it’s not surprising that one is given more weight on resumes. But who is more likely to succeed in life – a person whose ma... See more