School? Or Education for the Routine of Adult Life?

I’ve got 3 children in an English school in Madrid. I see what they’re studying, and while it’s a little better than what I studied at Nicolás Avellaneda in Buenos Aires, it’s not good enough. Sometimes when I help them with their homework, I think that education, just like food or medicine, should come with an expiration date.

There are just certain things that shouldn’t be taught anymore, and many others that should be taught, but aren’t. I’d really like to know who is creating these curricula. The worst part is that it puts me in a very awkward situation as a parent. It’s difficult for me to lie to my children when they tell me that what they’re studying is boring or irrelevant.

For a while I told them that what they were learning was important, but I just can’t stand the hypocrisy anymore. Now, instead of questioning the judgment of those that design my children’s classes, it seems that if they’ve done one thing right, it’s lowering the expectations of how interesting the working world will be as an adult.

They train them to put up with being bored and the day-to-day routine. “Is this boring you?” I would ask them. “It’s designed to be boring, so when you finally reach the real world, you won’t be disappointed.”

However, I’m simply not satisfied with that answer. It’s such a shame that the curiosity of school children, such an important part of their primary and secondary education, is not being awoken.

• Education