Why Do We Go To School?

Has your child ever asked you why they have to go to school when a world of facts is at their fingertips? You might explain that school prepares them for university, working with others, and their future career. While true, I would like to offer another reason: we are raising the most “connected” generation in history, yet they often feel powerless to change the suffering they see on their screens.

Education for life is about bridging that gap and moving students from the comfort of a “like” button to using their talents to meet the world’s needs. Beyond career preparation, it is about flipping the script and refusing to be passively formed by what we consume. Recognizing we are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10), we are called to use our God-given intellect and compassion to heal the world through the solutions we create. As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, wrote, “The more you create, the more powerful you become. The more you consume, the more powerful others become.”

Research shows that the average student spends up to nine hours a day on a screen, passively consuming content (GWI Gen Alpha Unfiltered Report). The same algorithms shape both what students watch and what they buy. Twenty-five percent of Gen Alpha cite influencers as their primary shopping source (Push, 2024), suggesting their worth becomes measured by possessions rather than contributions.

At Dalat, we strive to nurture wisdom and discernment so our students do not fall prey to these algorithms. What if we reclaimed even one of those hours spent online? Instead of being shaped by a feed, what if we reframed the reason for going to school as being equipped and empowered to use our talents to create solutions for the suffering we see? This philosophy of ‘education for life’ is the reason why we prioritize community engagement, promote our IMPACT program, and require service hours for graduation. We want our students to know they can make a difference and that education is not just about advancing their own ambitions but about alleviating the suffering around us.