The United States of America is one of the greatest places on earth to live. We have freedom. We have access to food and clean water. We have access to education and it's mandated by the government. “Free” education is great, right? Just pay taxes and your kids get a whole slew of knowledge to make them into educated citizens, right?

Wrong.

Little do they know, the American education system is failing us.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard people tell me the wrong things about history. With history being one of my two majors, it pains me to hear people not know who fought in the Civil War. I hear people say “Is that the one with the British?” and I can’t help but solemnly correct them. It’s not just older history that people forget. Some people don’t even know why we fought in World War II. It hurts to hear people have no idea about our nation’s history (and you know what they say...if you don’t know history you’re bound to repeat it).

It’s not just about history. Most people in my generation don’t know how to calculate a tip at a restaurant (I was guilty of this for years until an older gentleman took pity on me and taught me how to do it). They rely on their cell phones to tell them how much they leave. They can’t calculate sales at the mall. Most people in my generation have no clue how to do laundry, cook or clean. They’ve relied on their parents for so long that once they come to college, they have no idea what they are doing. I’ve had to teach people how to do laundry. I’ve had to show people how to cook even the simplest foods because they have no idea how to make something without burning it.

The sad part of this is that this stuff was in the curriculum at schools in the past. Granted, my school was relatively well-rounded and exposed us to all of these things, like cooking, at some point, but there are schools out there that never introduce students to cooking or doing laundry. They don’t give students the skills necessary to function on their own. They don’t teach students how to apply for a credit card, how to write a check, how to file taxes, or how to take out loans for school, homes and cars.

Our schools aren’t teaching us the things we need to know. I know there are always memes circulating around about being able to figure out some tough math equation but not being able to do taxes. The sad part about it is that it’s true. Schools spend all their time cramming formulas with letters and numbers in our heads and making sure we know who the greatest American authors of all time were. They teach us how to FOIL instead of teaching us how to properly store food in foil. They teach us how to organize our assignments instead of organizing bills. They teach us how to cook up the perfect grades instead of cooking up a well balanced meal. We aren’t learning how to be productive members of society. We aren’t learning how to do the things that matter in life.

The school system is failing us because they’re too busy cramming STEM majors into our heads and forcing us to take standardized testing. They’re not letting people find their passions. They’re not teaching people important life skills. They’re neglecting the fact that knowledge and education shouldn’t just come from a book. There are so many things that are more valuable to learn that don’t come from a textbook. Students may not be receptive to learning this “boring” stuff, but later down the line, they’ll be thankful that they know how to do things, like taxes and taking out loans, and they will realize how crucial it is to be taught how to do these things.

Everybody calls our generation the “lazy” generation. We just want everything handed to us and don’t want to have to do anything. Did anybody ever think that maybe that’s because nobody teaches us how to be self-sufficient and work for the things we want? Did anybody think that maybe we’re the “lazy” generation because no one is teaching us how to be productive members of society?

Not only do they make us the “lazy” generation, but we are a generation that is constantly bombarded by the idea that you need to be a STEM major. Our education system has morphed into a beast that brainwashes impressionable minds to believe that STEM majors are the only majors out there. These subjects aren’t for everyone, but do you think the schools are telling people that? No. For students like me, STEM majors are not a major for me. You don’t have to be a STEM major to be successful. Our education system is failing us because they’re forcing people to be STEM majors and downplaying the other majors. These other majors are important too! Our education system is too worried about government funding to actually care about the students it is affecting.

If you don’t believe in anything I said, just remember this: Look at the amount of people who don’t know the difference between their, they’re and there and tell me nothing is wrong with our education system.