Our education system prepares students to know what to think, in subjects from math, and science to social studies.

We feed students information to be memorized and regurgitated.

This results in students knowing what to think but not knowing how to think.

They are not independent thinkers but reliant on textbooks and whiteboards to decode and present the information.

In the short term, presenting students with what to think is an easier objective. School boards and administrations feel comfortable creating metrics and tests that show students know what to think.

However, knowing what the powerhouse of the cell is and having predeveloped opinions accepted as your own does not create the independent thinker that is so desperately needed.

In the long term, a student that knows what to think is an unstable and dependent individual who does not know how to think for themselves.

This is analogous to giving a man a fish versus giving a man the tools needed to fish.

We must give our students the tools to think independently.

To learn how to think and critically analyze different subjects requires a study of the lessons of history and a familiarization with the classics.