How many times have you heard or even said something that has the phrase "in the real world"? Usually, it's in an academic context directed towards something in a lesson that will be needed in "the real world." It's a very common phrase, mostly used to promote the subject matter and giving it purpose beyond the class. But, the problem is, saying something will be needed "in the real world" makes the other things that don't have that attached to it much less important.
The other issue I have with the phrase is that it completely undermines the setting where you learn the material. It's like saying that the classroom is a pretend part of the world. Children spend around forty hours a week in a classroom and to refer to it as if it were a place that has almost no meaning after you leave it makes it seem unimportant. That's why so many high school students think that school is a waste of time; we don't even refer to it as important to the world outside of the school grounds.
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School and education are extremely important and we need to treat it as such. Some materials are not as transferable as others and some things seem like they won't be useful after the class, but it's not unimportant. The classroom is a part of the "real world" and it's important that we start reminding students that it is.
It's even used in college classrooms as well, which is also frustrating. No matter what, everything you learn in a classroom can be applicable to other situations. There are certain materials that will be more useful than others, depending on a career path you take, but everything has meaning to it. It's all a part of the "real world" and everything we encounter is also in the real world. We need to ensure that students believe what they are learning is important, but that doesn't mean we have to create a divide between classrooms and future worldly events.
