I agree it’s a terrible metric of success in life, but at the same time the older I get the more I feel like 1. the revolution/apocalypse that I was promised isn’t coming and, 2. you can’t retire with a bank account full of good character and well-rounded education. There’s a lot more cynicism toward the idea that all knowledge and skills are equally worth pursuing couched in that, which would take hours or days or longer to convince someone who hadn’t already given up hope, but suffice it to say that no education is perfect and the ones that are closest put you into lifelong debt.

To that end, Randall could have also labeled the Y axis “success later in life” and still made a pretty good point. Most educators, education scientists, developmental psychologists, counselors and caretakers that I’ve talked to, read, listened to on documentaries and podcasts, etc. all seem to agree that homework is bullshit that doesnly aid learning. The same aforementioned group readily admit that forcing the kids to stay seated in a room while reading from textbooks/getting lectured to isn’t a method that works to instill curiosity nor encourage long-term retention for most people.

But it sure does teach us the useful skills of doing meaningless, repetitive busywork for hours on end on our own time after work, and sitting through mind-numbing meetings where someone you don’t have a personal connection to talks at length about a topic that doesn’t matter to you.