I believe the purpose of education is to have a better understanding of the options you have in life. That could mean where you want to head with your career(taking on a job or responsibility), interests you may want to further explore, Productive ways to spend your life, and simply living in general. Sure we learn plenty about spelling and grammar, patterns of hurricanes, ideas of Locke and Hobbes, and every single way to graph anything in any way ever, but school doesn't just come with classes. Rules and regulations, behavioral correction, manners and respect, all of which can be followed, or not.

And where does school fit into life? Well it's the base for all other things. Long ago, if you were not taught in a school, you were taught at home, if not at home you were taught by a tutor, if not by a tutor you learned a job, and if you didn't learn anything, you didn't do anything. that still pretty much happens today, except now, school is mandatory. As I was saying, it is a base, not every single person is going to go in the same direction in life but it can guide you where you want to go. Think of Life, like a tree. We all come from different roots, to about the same place; school, the trunk/base. As we go there may be a few stray branches sticking out, not wanting to stay by the base, but most continue and finish, breaking away at the top, again to different paths, or branches. Every step of school, like the branches, gets thinner as it goes, or more specific. Every year you have more options, that you chose, do iI want a leaf here? maybe iI will take this AP... Definitely no moths, But, you get the extended simile. withought the school tree, we might end up as nothing more than a shrub. And don't get me wrong there are some pretty big shrubs, but it never hurts(and actually does help) to be a tree.

But where does school fit into democracy? Disregarding trees, school is still a base. Here in school we learn democratic values, some the same that we will see in later years. like, for instance a system of voting, a huge element in democracy. And not just voting, but the power to have input and to change. School, being a place for teaching, shows us this. although we cant just change everything at will, we can help plan events, elect student council, talk with teachers. That may not be much but it's a start. School itself is an example of democracy, teaching children instead of telling children. that is what separates us from some not so democratic countries, we can learn, and learn anything we want. Some people can only be forced to learn whatever their country approves for telling, and it may not be much.