What is Real education ? Okay, let’s get real—I’m not about to throw around overused lines like “education is the key to success” or “you can’t survive without education.” I’m here to give a proper reality check about what lies beyond pens, papers, writing tests and endless assignments.
Education isn’t just about solving algebra or memorising the periodic table—it’s about figuring things out when life throws random challenges at you, like how to fix a leaking tap when your parents aren’t home, how to survive a group project with the world’s laziest teammates, or how to explain to your teacher why your homework mysteriously vanished (even though we all know that we haven’t completed it and we are just making an excuse).
What is Real Education and what it teaches ?
What is Real education teaches us that how to think, how to fail, how to bounce back, and most importantly, how not to panic when your teacher asks a question when least expected, because you were ‘zoning out’! So yeah, the classroom stuff matters—but don’t ignore the lessons life is throwing at you outside the textbooks (Think out of the box!). Trust me, that’s where the real learning happens.
Sometimes in life, all the stuff we’re taught in school just feels… futile. Like seriously, where am I ever going to use a² + b² = c² unless I’m calculating the quickest way to escape a boring lecture? And how exactly is knowing the details of the French Revolution going to help me when I’m trying to figure out what’s for dinner?
Let’s be honest—half the time it feels like we’re learning random facts just to fill up our brains like a storage box. But then, out of nowhere, it all makes sense—usually at the most unexpected (and pointless) moments. Like you’re helping someone build something and suddenly, boom, Pythagoras decides to show up and be useful. Or you’re watching a documentary and yelling, “Hey! I know this! Robespierre!” even if no one else cares.
That’s when you realise that education isn’t always about direct use—it’s about wiring your brain to think, to connect dots, and sometimes, just to surprise yourself with what you know. It might not feel useful every day, but it’s all adding up behind the scenes, quietly preparing you for moments you didn’t even know were coming.
Sometimes when teachers they drop back-to-back assignments that feel longer than a Netflix series, it doesn’t feel like education—it feels like punishment. And those never-ending lectures? They seem less like lessons and more like some top-secret revenge plan for something we didn’t even do.
Half the time, school doesn’t feel like a place for learning—it feels like a well-decorated prison where the uniform is mandatory and the only escape is the lunch bell. But even in all that chaos, something strange happens. Between the eye-rolls and mental breakdowns, we actually do learn things—not just formulas and facts, but how to survive under pressure, how to manage time (aka, do five chapters in one night), and how to pretend to be listening while secretly daydreaming about fries. It’s annoying, exhausting, and occasionally feels like a villain origin story—but in the weirdest way, it works.
Two sides of a life
Life always has two sides, right? Sometimes school feels like the only escape from all the chaos at home or outside, like your safe little bubble where at least you know the rules. But then, other times, you just want to escape from school itself—because homework piles up, teachers get stricter, and the stress is real. And speaking of stress (know how to cope up exam stress), here’s the classic: your best friend tops the class.
On one hand, you’re genuinely happy for them—like, yes! That’s your buddy killing it. But then comes the worst part—both of you get compared all the time because, well, you are always together like a duo that’s practically glued at the hip. Suddenly, every teacher and parent expects you both to be academic superheroes just because you hang out 24/7. Talk about pressure! Life’s full of these little ironies, and honestly, that’s what makes school weirdly challenging and kind of hilarious all at once.
But hey, looking on the brighter side—if there were no schools, would we all just turn into wild, jungle animals running around with no rules? Imagine a world where everyone just jumps up and down, ignoring each other and doing whatever they want. Sounds fun for a day, but honestly, it would get pretty chaotic pretty fast.
Schools might seem like a pain, but they give us rules and structure that keep us from turning into that crazy animal kingdom. And let’s be honest, if it weren’t for that one math teacher—yeah, the one who made our lives miserable with endless Pythagoras homework—who else would have taught us the Pythagorean theorem? Somehow, even though we complained, we still remember it today. So maybe schools, annoying teachers and all, are actually doing us a favour… even if we don’t want to admit it.
And can we just take a moment to appreciate the lunch bell? That sweet sound feels like heaven after hours of trying not to fall asleep in class. Sometimes, the real education happens when you sneak off to the bathroom just to skip five minutes of that never-ending lecture—or when you drag your best friend out of their class because, let’s face it, school separated you guys like you were too much brainpower in one room. And then there’s that one fav teacher everyone secretly loves—the one who laughs at your silly jokes, gives the easiest tests, and somehow makes school feel a little less like a prison.
Changes, which never change!
Everything’s changing so fast these days, and honestly, life has to keep up—adapting to changes and sometimes just accepting things is the only way forward. But hey, before you jump to conclusions and say, “She’s telling me not to study!”—nope, that’s not it. This is just my perspective on how things really are. School life? It’s actually the best time you’ll have. Ask anyone who’s passed out—they’ll tell you they’d give anything to go back just once, even if it felt like a total pain at the time. The truth is, there’s always life beyond pen and paper. Yes, this mentions…what is real education indeed !
And trust me, one day it’ll all come together, and you’ll feel like you’ve got it all figured out—like you’re perfect or something. But life? Life loves surprises. So get ready, because the unexpected is the only thing you can actually expect. And hey, don’t drag me into any trouble or school politics because I said all this—I’m just keeping it real!
Author: Theertha Shankaranand, Grade 9
