Textbook of The World

The world is our best classroom and it provides endless lessons. Think about it; why do we learn anything if not so we could live in it.

From "salmoners" to "Suez Ever Given", have you noticed that we never run out of anecdotes to poke fun with? Having thoughts like that reminds us to re-think about why we go to schools. Everyone has been through the boring textbooks from the first till the last day of school. Those books taught us manners, rules, and how to find meaning in life...

Oh wait, they don't.

Let's all look back for a moment and try to remember how you become who you are now. As a young student, did you study to be polite, to obey the laws, and to pursue true happiness? Not really! Big disclaimer here. We are not here to denounce having textbooks or going to schools at all. What we are definitely addressing is the importance of the text and who leads it.

Suppose we have found the formula to success and made it a book. In order to be successful, the logical thing to do is to go to a place and learn it. How do we make sure that the students have learned it? Tests are created. In order to be more efficient, all questions and answers are designed; standardized tests are created. Students then, have to study hard, meet requirements, and go to another school after school so they can finish that original school. Once they do, they would find that the success outside of the school isn't the same as in the book. Does this sound familiar?

Books are essential, schooling is necessary, but when you don't know why the things you learn matter to you, it is as if you live a life without knowing your purpose. It's still a life, just a pitiful one.

As teachers, we must understand that it isn't the books that we're teaching; it's how we look at the text, interpret it, give the voice to the learners, be objective, and keep things decent. While books cannot be up-to-date, they are basic and stable. The real books are out there, on TV, the internet, and from the people reacting to them.

As learners, we must understand that it isn't the books that we're learning from; it's how the teachers/others look at the text, how we analyze it, compare it, and realize who we are within each issue. Every time it gets us closer to the truth of ourselves. While practically everyone is a teacher of someone nowadays, be careful who you learn from.

#education