The main problem I find in the current schooling system is that it’s not mistake friendly in any way. This issue is also closely tied with grades, standardized tests, and the competitive environment in general.
Like, I’m told that “failures are good!” “failures help you grow!” but how can we afford to fail when in reality, a single failure can ruin our future? This is very relevant in extremely academically competitive countries where, for example, a B can ruin our chances.
How can you say that “failures are good” but punish students for it? How can we risk to fail when everything is on the line?
If a student is given 2 options for a project where one is a basic, less fun, but easy and the other is more exciting, fulfilling, but difficult, you bet they will choose the first one. Because even if it’s boring, and less fun, nothing out of their passion or interest, they will choose it because it provides a good security of grades. Easier to get a good grade on. While the other option is more fun, but risky. A bigger chance to get a lower grade, and we can’t risk that.
If this is happening EVERYWHERE, can you imagine how much chances the students are missing out on? But really, who are we to blame?
The overall focus on grades are kind of terrible. I’m not saying that we should remove them completely, but it’s better we should, you know, in a way, “isolate” them. In my class, our grades are announced publicly and the teacher’s reason for that is to “motivate” us but in my perspective, it does makes me feel so much more pressured.
If grades don’t exist, or maybe if we get automatic As for the whole year, what would you do? If we drift the focus from grades and more to learning, it would feel so, so much better. I know many people might say students will be lazy and slack off more, and yes, I can’t deny that, but that’s where the teachers and the overall environment come in. If we push our students to have the right mindset, that learning is prioritized, to co-operate with others, to be a critical thinker- that won’t be a problem.
Now, the thing is, only little students care about learning anymore. Most just want good grades and get a good job, and yes, I am one of them. This is why you see a familiar argument: “why do I have to study (insert biology statement) here if I want to become an artist?” “why do I have to learn about geometry when I want to become a journalist one day?” It’s like as if we’re limiting all these subjects into “Jobs” and careers. And guess what? I don’t blame them.
We are pushed to think that these subjects are for our future, that even if they are useless, we practice discipline, obedience, and work ethic. That’s right too, but what about the other side? the learning side? The main side?
Even if they are “useless”, what’s the harm of learning things? Oh right, grades. We get back to the start again. Grades pretty much measure anything, and most of our academic decisions are based on them. Because we’re limiting these subjects to simply just grades, we don’t actually get to enjoy the beauty of it.
I agree, how are we expected to appreciate the beauty of a school subject when our schedule is jam-packed with daily tests, exams, homework, and the pressure of grades? How are we expected to enjoy the beauty of it when it’s just listening to a teacher, homework, homework, project, test, homework again, last test, and we just move on? just like that? Not to mention to stressing of grades and other classes too, oh boy.
Now let’s just imagine how many brilliant artists, writers, mathematicians, scientists, researchers, musicians we lost just because the narrow-minded system. A lot, I know. It all comes back to grades.
Judging from personal experience (being my perfectionist self), grades make me feel everything is a competition. I see my friends to be more of competitors I have to defeat, that I must not allow to have a higher grade, than as, well, human beings that support me. It’s quite harmful. It pushes me into this, I don’t know- horrible gifted kid burnout. I think that everything is a competition, when in fact, I know for sure learning isn’t. Everyone learns in their own pace.
But as you can see, the curriculum doesn't allow us to do that. And now everything’s kind of a mess.
Yeah, I’m not saying SCHOOL IS USELESS! HORRIBLE! SATAN’S CREATION! It’s extremely flawed. In a perspective of a student, in needs to undergo lots of changes, but I think it will do it. Slowly, but surely. A single student, a single teacher, a single adult won’t be able to change this whole system at once. I just hope in the future, the education system will begin to improve. That’s it for today, peace out
RIGHT SO THAT WAS A LOT??? I GOT CARRIED TOO MUCH, GOOD NIGHT
