Why wasn't I taught that in school?

By Monday, November 21, 2016 , ,

From European history to Mughals, and Sanskrit, I have learned so much in school that I never ended up using in my life. 


And do not even get me started on integrals and differentials. I mean let’s be honest - my life would have been so much better if I never met those two evil pricks. 

 In fact, the only topic in Maths that has really helped me after all these years is Ratio, Proportion and Percentages. I use the first two to double down cake recipes, and the last one to calculate discounts on Zara. (I will be forever thankful to Percentages for that)

 But there are a lot of things that I wish I would have been taught in school. Especially because I feel  I spent 80% of my time studying things I didn’t even need.






More about taxes (and how to save them) 


 We study about our constitution, human rights, and what makes an ideal citizen but never did my teacher mention that we are also supposed to pay taxes. Okay, I get it, paying taxes is automatically implied, but no one told me I had to pay THAT MUCH taxes. 

Neither did anyone tell me there are different slabs and percentages for taxes. Honest to god, I did not know all that until I started my business and sat with my CA for the first time. 


The CA - So, you might have to pay 20-30% taxes 

Me - 20-30% of what??

CA - Your total annual income 

Me (after 2 full minutes of taking that in) - Umm, so I have heard a lot of people evade taxes.. 

Health insurance is tricky

Nobody talked to me about health insurance in school, and as soon as I started working my whole family was concerned about my health. 

 So until you are a minor, you can be under your parent’s health insurance, and then you have to get your own. 

 But, here is a question which plagues everyone around the world - Which health insurance to take?

 Since I quit my job, I don’t have a health insurance covered by an employer and I have to get my own. Scanning through some of the options online, I realized how FUCKED up this whole system is
  • You have to pay more if you are a married woman (Because they expect you will get pregnant)
  • You don’t have to pay more, if you agree to pay for pregnancy related issues yourself 
  • And the most fucked up of them all - you cannot get health insurance for a pre-existing condition 
So, if you have had cancer before or a brain surgery, your insurance won’t cover it again. In fact, no insurance will cover a repeating/ pre-existing condition. 

 I understand this can be a little hard to understand for a 16-year old kid, but health insurance is an issue which needs to be discussed more, especially with healthcare is getting expensive by everyday. 

By the way, I still don’t have health insurance.

Art and Women’s History


 I learned so much about European history in school but I grew up to realize that I really didn’t need to learn so much much kings and conquerors who killed innocent people, took their land, and called themselves great. 

 Instead, I would have loved to learn more about the great women in history, which apparently no one talks about.

  • Mellitta Benz changed the way the world brews coffee
  • Caresse Crosby invented bras (Both women and men around the world should be thanking her for that)
  • Katharine Burr Blodgett invented non-reflective glass which we still use in cars and spectacles 


 And I am sure, there were many more women who got lost in the pages of history just because they weren’t deemed important enough.

 Then there is art history, which I have just started reading up. And I couldn’t help but wonder- why wasn’t history of art added to the school syllabus? 

 Art pieces have helped historians understand not only the minds of some of the greatest artists we have ever had, but also to understand quality of life back then. Was the education system afraid the kids would get too inspired by art and wouldn’t want to be doctors or engineers? 

 I think art, if taught at the right age, can really open up children’s minds and make them think out of the box. I would have loved to learn more about Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt, and what made those artists so special.

If you are in school right now, and hate what is being taught then remember, you have an advantage that I didn' have - Fast speed internet. Use it to your advantage, go beyond your books, and trust me you won't be disappointed. 


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About the Author

I love Game of Thrones, walking my dog, eating burgers and spaghetti aglio olio. Also, I am always planning my next trip.

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6 comments

  1. Maliny1 December 2016 at 20:45

    I agree so much to this post! Calculating taxes is an ordeal in itself. I wish iur educations system was bit more practical

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ritika Tiwari12 January 2017 at 19:01

      I think it is the goverment's secret strategy to keep CAs in business

      Delete
  2. Harry13 December 2016 at 12:52

    Whenever I learn or study a new subject, I am like "Why wasn't I taught this at school". Couldn't agree more with you on this.

    We are fed knowledge in schools. We are told how we should think rather than encouraging us to think for ourselves. One thing that I would like to add to your list - Social and Political ideologies - How are all of them relevant in different circumstances? Give me real life examples. Now I realize how fun history could have been had it been taught in a different way :sigh:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ritika Tiwari12 January 2017 at 19:03

      I think there need to be more options in school so that kids can expand their knowledge a bit more and not feel burdened. Not everyone has to be good at math or science

      Delete
  3. VISHAL PHONSA27 December 2016 at 15:41

    A good read, I appreciate your "worry". Let's set the record straight, you can buy health insurance and they cover pre-existing diseases after a certain period of time. Even if someone has ailments before buying insurance, you can get them covered, the catch is to start as early as possible. For more serious ailments like cancer etc. one needs to buy "critical illness" plan.

    Now, they'll sell you a health insurance. But whether you are going to make use of it (when god forbid you need it), in a country like India is a question which concerns me. And I hate "them" for being partial to women, of course a girl shall get pregnant, that's made by God, and she needs financial support at that time, that's the whole purpose of buying "insurance"

    Sorry, I am not gyani in health insurance but I thought this should be mentioned. I am also an IT guy like you, the difference is you knew you gotta screw the job and take writing full time, I'm still wandering!

    Take Care!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ritika Tiwari12 January 2017 at 19:05

      Yes, but in both cases, health insurance gets extremely costly. If someone has had cancer in the past and they are getting a treatment again, the whole thing can put a dent in their account. While some people might be able to pay their way out or even pay costly insurance premiums, others just continue suffering

      Delete