(Originally appeared in Mutant Renegade Zine #10, Winter 1999)
After reading "Why I Quit School" by Wimsatt {See MRZ #9} I was rather disappointed. I couldn't help but debate his point of view. School sucks for everyone. But that is no reason why anyone should have to give up. Just because school doesn't seem to have the answers to practical problems or just because in our immediate microcosm it seems pointless, are no reasons to quit. It's true, there are asshole teachers, killer homework assignments, and a huge array of social dilemmas.
And honestly school is NOT the epitome of knowledge. But you know what? Believe it or not, school does play an important role in our learning process. It sets up a routine. It forces us to do not-so-appealing things. Something we may have to do to get by some day. It also teaches us to cooperate and spend time with people we really don't care about. And in the long run it doesn't matter what school or college you go to, it depends on how YOU take advantage of your school by learning and expanding your horizons.
Besides, school does not take up that much time! Any smart person (well anyone smart enough to organize a successful self-schooling program) would know that learning doesn't stop at school. Intelligent people are always learning - be it through reading, viewing, exploring, asking, experiencing, and so forth. Self-education is always a full time occupation. So why sell ourselves short? Go to school, take what you can of it. But why stop there? I can honestly tell you that I did not get a 700 in my Verbal SATs because I paid attention in English class. It always helps to be an avid reader, to keep up with current events, and to just always learn simple things like...learning how to pump gas. (And for that you don't need to start an extensive self-schooling program, you can just ask your mechanic or a really nice gas station worker.) Essentially, you can learn from everything you come across in life.
Something of Wimsatt's that I do agree with are his strategies in educating himself. I mean, they are excellent strategies. But you know what? You can do every single one of them while going to school as well. You could have so many accesses to excellent conferences and opportunities to live abroad and travel due to school. Most of Whimsatt's tactics are necessary in all of life's challenges. (Seriously, wouldn't any "Survival in Life" Manual tell you "not to be scared" or to "enjoy yourself"?) Wimsatt wants to tell us to take education in our own hands. Education should always be in our own hands, and it IS. WE choose if we want to benefit from something or not. So we'll take a C or D in a class if we don't really care about what's being taught. And even if you failed that nasty Physics class it would not stop you from graduating, 'cos they'd know you were not just failing to be an asshole.
You're probably wondering, why do I care SO much for school? It's not that I'm secretly head of the National School Spirit Club (sorry if I'm a little cheesy). I just feel kinda bad that there's probably confused little kids reading the article and being all gung-ho about quitting school. ("Well Upski did it...!") So Upski did it and it was what he felt was right for him. But you know what Upski's gonna have to work so damn hard to get his message of peace or whatever across. He seems like a neat guy who seems very open-minded and all, but in today's society, no one cares about you if you don't have a degree. And it's true. To make any significant difference, you need the qualifications or connections with someone who has them (someone "in the loop"). Sure you can do things the traditional hippie, rebellious way, but it's only harder.
It makes me really sad that really bright kids who have strong opinions won't use their intelligence to get themselves up in the ranks so then they could easily make reforms for the rest of us. You think that this mindless society that we grow in that is only concerned with the Name of it all who won't even (generally speaking) buy a Walmart shirt over a Gap one will listen to some kids that hitchhike around and work at a 7-11? No, they're going to listen to the person with the degree who is the "something" in their eyes. We can fool them all. We can be that "something" to them, and we can even be the real someone who will make a difference. So just stay in school. You don't have to do everything that they tell you. You can tell them to fuck off once in a while.