[randomdata]

He does have a point. A high school teacher friend of mine and I were discussing how certain aspects of school, like scheduled class time, project deadlines, etc. were intended to prepare the students for the workplace.

As an adult who makes my own choices, I only work when I want to work, and I only meet deadlines which I set on my own accord. I imagine, given the context of this site, that a lot in the HN crowd are the same way. However, when you get out into the real world, most people do follow the same schedule and obey the same rules that were ingrained into them in school.

A lot of people do not even realize that they have choice. I have actually met people who look down upon me for not following the same 9-5 schedule that everyone else does, like it matters or something. I imagine that attitude comes from their upbringing by having it pushed upon them by educators.

I wouldn't go as far to say that the only reason for school is to shape people into obedient workers, but that element is definitely present.

[forensic]

If you cancelled all schools right now, no one would stop learning useful and applicable skills.

But many many people would stop being obedient.

The bait of school is the opportunity to learn, something every human inherantly loves. The opportunity to learn and access to knowledge is just the sugar that is used to get you to swallow the medicine: the medicine is your obedience training.

When people graduate from high school, often the only thing they have to show for it is their obedience and conformity. If they are good readers, they probably read a lot outside the curriculum. If they are good at math, they probably did a lot of math outside the curriculum. etc.

One thing from the curriculum which they did thoroughly learn, however, is how to obey, how to conform, how to navigate bureaucracy, how to play social pecking order games, when to bully, when to submit.

Conspicuously absent from the gifts of the curriculum is anything related to what used to be called a liberal education or an enlightened scientific education. These things are always learned despite curriculums, and those who achieve a true scientific or artistic education usually have the air of a rebel or hacker, someone who eschews their lessons, who breaks out of the mold, who skips their homework in favour of reading poetry or hacking their graphics calculator.

At school, true learning is always a form of rebellion.

[megablast]

How many people do you imagine do maths outside of school?

[forensic]

http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf

[sliverstorm]

certain aspects of school, like scheduled class time, project deadlines, etc. were intended to prepare the students for the workplace

In my view, it is preparation for the world. Preparation to be a functioning member of society. Sure, everybody has a choice. I have walked both worlds. I have decided there is little to no value in trying to live in some alternate world. Stores are closed at night. Are they evil corporations bending me to their structure and will? Friends go to sleep at night. Are they sinister secret agents controlling my thoughts? I feel better physically when I live normal hours. Is the government injecting me with chemicals while I sleep?

Of course you can rebel and follow your own schedule. But just as it is up to you to choose to rebel, it is also in your power to decide there is no value in rallying to such a silly cause. If I found value in it I might, but I don't. At the end of the day, schedule and structure provides value when you are trying to interact with a large number of other people. That's just the way it works, not some secret evil ploy.

[randomdata]

It's hardly rebelling, it is about working when it makes sense to work, not because the clock says it is time to work.

We're just finishing up harvest here. Are you going to shut down at five because the clock says it is time to go home? Of course not. You keep going until the field is done. It might be raining in the morning. You can rest later.

I find creative and technical roles to suffer from the same limitations. You have to be in the right mindset to produce quality work. You can't always count on the clock.

Do what works for you, but if you are only doing it to please someone else, you are cheating both them and you.

[sliverstorm]

You realize you are still working a clock in the field. It's called the sun.

[randomdata]

Headlights, my friend.

The idea that farmers work by the sun must be from some place with a different climate, because around here, most of the field work is done during the late afternoon into night. Rarely does any field work get done in the morning. The conditions are often not favourable.

But if I am really tired and want to shut down for the night, I will do so. It's all up to me, not someone else.