When I think back to my elementary school days, I can remember subtly the review of my ABCs, number counting, and cursive writing. I remember the teacher sitting us in a circle and reading us Magic Tree House books. Elementary school was the beginning to sparking interest in the heart of kids like me, and thanks to my first grade teacher, a spark of passion is exactly what I received. As I got into middle school my excitement for learning began to start dulling down. Standardized tests became a large portion of our time in class, and the teachers never seemed enthused about what they were teaching the children.
Once I got into high school I started noticing a recurring pattern. The grades below me began learning things that I didn't even know about until I was in early middle school. Standardized tests were being completed much more frequently, and the tests were much harder. Many of my friend's younger siblings would come to us confused with so many questions on their homework assignments, and as much as I hate to admit it, half of the things on the paper I couldn't even recall learning.
As for my own experience of high school we were limited to the classes that we could take. The school's curriculum for each class was specifically set, and more often than not we were not able to stray from it. If something was not completed on time it would have to be taken home, finished, and brought back so that we could move on to the next topic in class. Select teachers were genuinely interested in what they were teaching and worked hard to help the students understand the topic, while others just made sure the bare minimum was completed in order for the student to pass the class and graduate.
The idea of school for me by this point was just memorizing answers to fill in on a sheet in order to receive an A in the class. I wasn't retaining near as much information as I would have liked to, but I just couldn't find an interest in waking up for school anymore like I did in, say, first grade. I had come to the realization that school was not the same environment it had been in the past. Then I got to thinking...why are schools the only thing necessary to receive a genuine education?
Malcolm X, a very well known spokesman for black rights during the civil rights movement, gave himself an education in prison by reading dictionaries and books, and then writing everything he learned down on paper. By reading about him, I was able to discover that a person can only learn if they are truly curious. A school can teach you as much as they want, but that doesn't mean you will retain the information. I've come to the realization that you are only as interested in a topic as your teacher is. We need to fill our school systems with teachers who are passionate about what they teach, and teachers who are willing to go the extra mile to make sure that every student understands concepts on the subject. Especially because we know that not every student learns the same way, making it much harder for some kids to engage in learning that others.
Alongside this, we should be more focused on making the students passionate about learning new things instead of making them memorize information in order to pass a bunch of standardized tests. When did school become all about funding for new laptops or smart-boards and less about expanding learning opportunities for students? Testing is okay to an extent, but when you are interfering with a student's overall chance to learn by forcing them to study generalized topics, you are preventing them from widening their imagination and preventing them from critically thinking and questioning through a variety of processes.
For all of the people who feel they have lost their spark when it comes to learning, or who feel like there's no point in continuing school because they aren't smart enough, don't give up. Don't let grading scales define you, or your ability to take a test. Go into school with the perspective of learning things that genuinely excite you. You won't be good at everything, but putting forth your best effort never hurt anybody. And for those of you who don't feel like school is your thing, take opportunities for hands-on learning and trying new activities. Regardless of the decisions you make, your passion for true education can always be right around the corner.
