The Purpose of Education...

You ever wonder what the whole purpose of education is? I guess the real question is why do so many people lose focus of that purpose? Education causes so much stress and anxiety in people's lives. Why? I maintain that the reason is due to an over emphasis in grades.
When I was in High School, the focus of school was so much on getting good grades. It was all about that 'A', and had very little to do with actual learning. This ideology, for lack of a better word, engenders in students the need for getting good grades which continues on in higher education. When these feelings are at the forethought of the education process, real learning cannot exist. One becomes so worried in passing, that the ideas, principles, and basics are forgotten, thus rendering the class almost useless.
So where should the focus be? It should be on learning. Not on learning set formulas, or groups of facts, only to be regurgitated later, but on principles that can be used in real world situations to better our society. No matter what the subject, this dogma can be employed. Let's take history, for example, which also happens to be one of my least favorite subjects. Just learning about Bastille Day happening on July 14th, the day of the French independence, does nothing for me. But if I were to study about their fight, and apply their zeal to be independent in my life in order to further a worthy cause, this would be worthwhile. A lot of this type of learning falls on the student, but even more so it falls on the teacher. When grades are set aside, and the focus is on application of facts and knowledge, real learning occurs.