Misconception #1: Education is synonymous with schooling

Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.

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“Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening... The average American (should be) content with their humble role in life, because they're not tempted to think about any other role.”
--William Torrey Harris

I should be nice and point out that I can’t find the original source for this quote. I can say that it posted online in numerous locations and does a tremendous job of explaining some of the problems that I encountered during my school years. I was complaining about schooling getting in the way of my education long before I ever heard of William Torrey Harris. For these reasons, I feel that this is a legitimate quote.

We are taught from a young age that education is a necessity. The schools refer to themselves as “education.” A lot of people jump to the conclusion that this means that schooling is a necessity. I can assure you that there as an enormous gap in the logic for these people. True education is a necessity, and Schooling is an obstacle to a true education. This was by design. The misguided and selfish individuals who helped shape our schools knew it. Hopefully, you now know it.