the book is if you want to be rich and happy do not go to school by robert T. kiyosaki
I've read this book 3 times, and I enjoyed it more every time. This is not a book about "bashing" the educational system. After all, it was written by a teacher. This is Kiyosaki's first book. His subsequent books "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" "Cashflow Quadrant" have gone on to best seller status. "Rich Dad's Guide to Investing" will probably too.
What this book confirmed for me is what I suspected all along. Our educational system is designed as a giant employment training agency. Schools don't teach our children how to cope in life and to take care of themselves. Schools are designed to produce good employees. Sounds almost like a conspiracy theory doesn't it? Think about it. Why do people strive to get good grades in school? To get into a good college. Why do people want to go to a good college or any college? To get a good "education" which really translates into a good job.
I found the author's talk about grades to be very eye opening. After all, we place kids in different ranks. Some kids are dumb and some are smart. They all can't get A's in school, so we create the "Bell Curve" to make it look good. We have to flunk a certain number of kids in order to make the smart ones appear smart. After all a "smart" kid is only smart in comparison to all the other kids who are "dumb. " The kid who graduates at the top of the class does so because he/she is "better" or "smarter" than the kids who rank lower. This book presents a really sad look at our educational system, and I think many bureaucrats in the educational system resent it. I hope it wakes them up.
If you're involved in the educational system, you owe it to yourself to give this book at least a good read or two. If you never liked school like I did, you'll love this book. I felt a sense of validation after reading it. It's not a put down of education per se as much as our school system. People who are "educated" aren't necessarily poor, they've just been trained in the wrong way. I don't expect the bureaucrats to change anything as a result of this book. Too many people have too many entrenched interests to change the system.
I'm giving this book 5 stars for its courage and originality. Kiyosaki laid it all out on the line. Many people will disagree with the premise of the book, and those are the people who profit by keeping our schools mediocre. As the author points out, we need to teach our kids to be independent and self-sufficient. Our school system doesn't do that. I wonder how many "dumb" kids never made it in life because of their school experience. Have you ever noticed how many famous wealthy people never completed school? Think about that.
July 01, 2011, 02:30:50 AM