A Prussian Educational System and Financial Literacy Don’t Mix.

Our public education system is outdated and archaic.

It’s not shocking personal finance isn’t a standard part of a national curriculum to prepare students for the 21st century.

Instead, we still operate in a factory model, designed to mould workers into drones working on an assembly line.

Public education hasn’t strayed much from 1852 when Massachusetts governor Edward Everett turned to Horace Mann for recommendations to design an education system to prepare the nation’s youth for industrial work.

The goal wasn’t to educate free thinkers.

Punctuality, obedience, and a remarkable tolerance for monotony and boredom were the main objectives.

According to Philip Zimbardo, “The Prussian educational system produced these skills with military precision.”

The system was designed for mass conformity, not individuality.

“Regimentation is the name of the game, and lessons prepare them for life in a factory. How well their lessons prepare them for life outside of the factory or indeed an almost factory less society is another story.”

Is it any wonder that financial literacy is near the bottom of the list as a priority in most public schools?

Listen to Tadas and I discuss this issue right here.

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