Memorising the surface area of the sun and its temperature will make me a better person, said no one ever!
The word ‘school’ is originally derived from the Greek word ‘skhole’ meaning ‘leisure’, which then evolved to ‘a place of discussion’ and now as defined by the current generation, ‘Seven crappy hours of our lives’. It’s an absolute pity that we have completely changed the meaning of school. I don’t think there has been a day in school where you haven’t heard someone exclaim, “We are never actually gonna use this in real life!” or “I hate being here! I just want to go home and enjoy my personal life!”
Students are cramming their entire textbooks in those little cells, studying late at night trying to memorise that one equation or formula, just for the sake of passing that exam. I’m really sorry to give it to you, but that’s not education! Gaining knowledge for an event that lasts a few hours and then forgetting everything, that’s basically illiteracy. Congratulations! You are no better than the 775 million illiterate people who aren’t lucky enough to get the opportunity that you get each day.
There is a difference between being literate and being truly educated. Most are literate but only one in a million are truly educated. Literates will give you all the necessary dots and would have memorised them but only truly educated ones would be able to connect all the dots. Literates know their mind but truly educated ones know their heart. Think of it this way, an illiterate is like a robot, it takes commands and does the task, doesn’t question, just does what it is asked to, in contrast, a truly educated person is someone who questions, someone who understands the situation, someone who thinks before acting. Being literate is like being the ocean, full of salt, necessary for life but can’t be used to drink water from but being truly educated is like being a river, a body that fuels survival for everyone.
School’s purpose is to truly educate people. Then where did we lose track? From when did literates become the majority? Where did this ‘cramming and memorising virus’ come from? That virus is not in schools or classes or in any other physical environment, that virus is in our minds. If only we pulled that virus out of our minds, we would see the reality. That’s what the truly educated ones do. They pull that virus out, see the bigger picture, understand not memorise, question not stay silent.
A school is a cosy house where everyone understands, not a scary prison that force-feeds information. School is driven by curious minds, not by a principal or a teacher. It’s a place that gives birth to credibility and character, not a place that gives birth to stress and anxiety. A school is a place that opens doors for you, not slam them on your face. It builds you slowly, not destroy you immediately. And that is the true meaning of school.
I agree. A school should provide the space where students can fight and defeat stress and anxiety instead of taking it to home.
Yes, I completely comply. Schools should be a platform for students to seek help and solutions to their problems.
Seems you are quite upset with the current schooling system not all is bad also
Of course, not all schools are bad, my blog simply states my idea of what I think true education is. There are many organisations and schools that implement good education that resonates with the pupils’ life long.