Misconception #26: If you can read this, thank your teachers

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.

I have decided to try and rewrite this misconception. the new version can be found here.

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Most people learn how to read and write outside of school. Those who are convinced that they learned inside school would have likely learned even if they never attended the schools. In fact, the literacy rate in America exceeds the graduation rate. To say that the schools should always receive credit for something that clearly happens elsewhere is a complete defiance of common sense.

Like I have said before, there is nothing that can be learned in school that can’t be learned elsewhere. This is primarily because the schooling approach can’t develop new knowledge. Everything that they teach in school had to have been learned elsewhere first. Written language predates schooling. It seems odd to me that people act as though learning to read and write requires schooling while the development of written language occurred without their influence. Which task do you think is more difficult?

I’m sure that somebody reading this is going to find a quick link between literacy and schooling. Most likely, the literacy trends will be placed next the schooling trends. The problem with this argument is that the need for literacy is one of the primary justifications for developing the schools. The increased necessity alone would have increased literacy rates without the schools. As far as I’m aware, nobody has ever tried to separate the impact of schooling from the impact of necessity.

You have read outside of school during your developmental years. You made your own efforts to learn to read and write. Quit giving your teachers all of the credit for your work. If you can read this, thank yourself.