As a college student looking back on high school, beyond the somewhat foggy nostalgia I have for a few aspects of my high school experience, I really can't see the point of it. Why is high school even a thing?

Does anyone even remember what they learned in high school? Not just a few things here and there. Who really remembers things? Sure, maybe there was one class you were really interested in or had an engaging teacher for and that information will be forever stuck in your brain. But, for the most part, people don't remember much of what they learn in high school. So why are teens being ripped from their warm and cozy beds before the sun is even up, to go to a place to learn things that they likely won't remember? Who thought of this and why would anyone think this was a good idea?

Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed (for the most part anyway,) a majority of my classes in high school. But is this traditional high school structure of hour-long classes and homework and tests really the only way that teens are able to gain such knowledge? And is this knowledge (biology, chemistry, calculus, language arts, etc) the only knowledge they should be learning? Wouldn't life skills be something worth teaching? In a time when mental health is on the decline for college students, wouldn't it be wise to include some attention to mental wellness in the curriculum? Or some knowledge of positive psychology?

I'm no educator in any sense of the word and I don't claim to have some profound idea that will change the course of education. However, I do believe that things like this should be challenged. Nothing should simply be accepted and endured if it can be improved. And our education system can definitely use some improvements.