Tupac, Age 17 on the topic of education, 1988

School is really important (reading, writing, arithmetic). But what they tend to do is teach you reading, writing, arithmetic… then teach you reading, writing, and arithmetic again. Then again, then again, just making it harder and harder just to keep you busy.

That’s where I think they messed up. There should be a class on drugs. There should be a class on sex education. No, REAL sex education class, not just pictures on illogical terms. There should be a class on scams, there should be a class on religious cults, there should be a class on police brutality, there should be a class on apartheid, there should be a class on racism in America, there should be a class on why people are hungry. But there’s not. Their class on gym. Their class is like algebra. We have yet to go a store and said, “can I have x y + 2 and give me my y change back, thank you”.

You know, like foreign languages, I think that they are important but I don’t think it should be required. Actually, they should be teaching you English and then teach you how to understand double talk, politician’s double talk. Not teaching you how to understand French, Spanish and Germany. When am I going to Germany? I can’t afford to pay my rent in America! How am I going to Germany?