What Is More Important for a Person's Education: Things Learned in School or from Real Life Experiences?

Nowadays, there are thousands of ways for people to expose themselves to knowledge. Getting more and more knowledge has always been human’s desire. Schooling, therefore, is now becoming more and more popular. However, many people think that things learned in school are not enough for a person’s education. In my opinion, what we experience through real life would outweigh things that we are taught in school for two main reasons: the practicality and the preparation for life’s success. One important reason is the practicality of real life lessons. Things taught at school seem to be a little bit more theoretical than that gained in real life. You go to school, listen to lectures and remember things. Teachers might help you a lot and make it easier for you to understand. However, how much of them of you really take in? There was once a famous saying of Confucius: “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand”. At school, people tend to get knowledge passively and never try to dig deeply to find out new things. As a result, they understand only a part, not the root. Going outside and learn from that would help you understand the theories more fully. Another important explanation for supporting real life experiences is that it is the first class ticket prepared for one’s life’s success. You cannot become a doctor if you just see and remember. You have to do it. Reading books only makes you a real “bookworm” if you do not go and see how things work. My friend, Phuong, can be taken as an example. She is the one who always sit long time reading books in her own room. Sometimes, Phuong feels as if she got depressive. As a result of this, when she exposes herself to the outsider, she hardly knows anything about the changing life around her. By preparing yourselves with knowledge, not only in school but through real life also, you would not be like a fish out of water in the volatile world. To become successful, you need experiences, at least. The opponents of one getting his or her education through real life experiences may say that school helps to shape the learning and could balance the time for other activities. This point has some merit on the surface. However, as stated previously, you need to expose to the outsider to understand things taught in school. It is important to remember that schooling is only a part of education. Definitely, it would be better if we could balance both of it. In conclusion, there are undoubtedly many benefits brought about by real life lessons. People should decide which of the two options suits them best. The best way is to combine both as a whole!