There were times when people of all ages attended school so that they could learn more about the world and themselves; to grow as humans, as intellectuals, to one day change the world with the knowledge of things beyond the circle of ideals they were bound to.

However, it's increasingly disappointing that as competitiveness grows and education becomes more and more about getting an A in class, the love for actually learning has started to shrivel. Students nowadays (myself included, at times) will do anything to get good grades, whether they learn and actually allow the thoughts to register or not. The goal has become to get the best grades and graduate to get a good job.

Although I understand that competitiveness is inevitable as there just aren't enough jobs for everyone and that not everyone is capable of getting the highest position, I also believe this is a big fall for us as well. When students lack passion and lack interest, what is the point? Are we just getting high school and college diplomas to prove to the world that yes we are competent enough to survive in this world? Are we just struggling to pass classes so we don't have to feel embarrassed of not being educated?

School and education were made to assist children (and people in general) to gain more knowledge of the things they are passionate about to one day pursue the dreams they long to make reality. Unfortunately, today, most of us look for jobs that pay the most and in turn take classes to be competent for them, regardless of passion for the subject. Because of this, people aren't enriching their minds with what they love, nor are they learning anything impactful from the education they spend so much money on either.

To make matters worse, statewide exams and requirements such as Common Core are making it harder and harder for students to focus on what they love. Instead, many students are struggling with their homework and classwork and fears of failing in school and being unsuccessful. Common Core is not only frustrating for students who are still learning to adapt to going to school, but it is also ruining a generation of students who might've been interested in learning.

If the Common Core was made to drastically increase America's position on the worldwide level for education, this will not work with the Common Core. According to Dr. Rosenfeld, there is no evidence that "throwing stuff at kids when they’re young at a time when their brains are not sufficiently wired to do the work is a good idea." It will not help us catch up with other nations, and it will definitely not make our kids any smarter.

When I think back to it, I regret so many aspects of high school simply because I didn't learn anything. I was so focused on maintaining a good GPA, then getting a high SAT/ACT score, and then writing the best essay for the colleges I applied to -- essentially writing what they wanted to hear and not what I truly felt and what I really wanted to say. Eventually, all of this just made me miserable. It wasn't until I started college and saw that I had the freedom of choosing my classes from an abundance of possibilities, that I realized that I can finally learn about the things that always intrigued me, and because of that I feel like one year in, despite the hectic schedule and stress, college has been so much more fruitful than the last 12 years of education I received as a child.

I understand that schools try to hone the skills necessary for children to one day become successful adults. However, more important than that is a desire to have such an attachment to a subject that you grow because of it, and you see greater possibilities because of it.

Acting on your passion for a subject should not be a learned behavior, but rather something that is nurtured and encouraged in people from a young age. The things we have an affinity for should automatically be acknowledged rather than forced upon us.

Even in college, I often find students robotically following directions and answering questions and learning concepts with not the slightest bit of enthusiasm for it. It's like many of us have just shut off our curious child who nags with all the possibilities and creates probing questions. Making your own discovery doesn't hold so much interest, and no one is even trying to do more than they are asked simply because they. Are. Not. Interested.

I want you to ask yourself, when was the last time you learned something in your class and actually had your mind blown over the discovery? When was the last time a curious question forced you to try something different and daring?