This paper raises some important issues relating to school learning, and more specifically to purposeful learning. It discusses the idea that despite the emphasis on cognitive disequilibration, as a good motivator to gain students' attention, and therefore get them involved in the learning process, school learning, by and large, is based upon a narrow conception of the role of knowledge in students' lives. In differentiating between curriculum content that is simply relevant to students' lives and content that is meaningful to them, the paper also discusses the notions of expectation, hope, and purpose and how these relate to students' reality and ultimately to school learning. Curricular possibilities are also discussed.