What is one thing you would love to know how to do? Given the opportunity to explore any topic or idea with no judgment or grade, what would you choose? Would you want to learn more about science, or maybe writing, or maybe art. Without the pressure of school and other classes that must be completed, what would you find your mind pulling you towards?
Our schooling system is effective but not without its flaws. Every year students fall out of love with learning because of the pressure to get a good grade. It is crazy to think what we may be able to accomplish if we had more time in a day to explore what we want to learn. There are so many things I am genuinely interested in that I will never have the opportunity to explore because of my overwhelming schedule. Although filled with things I enjoy, I often wonder why we are forced to learn things that we may never use again and things we lack passion for. Imagine how diverse and developed our world would be if we were given the opportunity to explore what we love and find our passions instead of being forced to learn, memorize and spit out information that may seem unengaging and useless to us. With time to discover what we enjoy in life, our children in schools would be happier and better off in the end without the pressure to be good at every little thing. Without the need to be knowledgeable in every matter, we may be able to each specialize in what we enjoy and really make leaps in our education. Unlike college where students are forced into one interest, I think high school should be a time for students to try everything they may be interested in and feel free to make mistakes, learn and grow while figuring out what they really enjoy doing and what they are passionate about.
Just like on a sports field or with music,when you are passionate about something and invested, you want to learn more, keep improving and get better. With this kind of approach to schooling, teachers would have to spend less time motivating their students because these children will already be engaged and wanting to learn more about a topic. Along with educational ideas, students should be given time to develop and figure out non-school related activities that stimulate their brain and allow them to enjoy themselves. By developing a task outside of school that you find interesting and engaging, students have created an outlet for themselves and a safe space and activity that will allow them to destress without going onto devices. Simple changes to curriculum could provide students with an ability to discover something new and try new ideas out, without them counting for a grade.
I realize the importance of grades and I actually believe they are necessary in order to measure success but to a certain extent. Our entire schooling should not just be based around grades but also the ability to try new things and take risks in order to become more knowledgeable and to further our understanding. I believe our schools should be more receptive to a liberal arts way of learning where students are able to discover what they enjoy and take the necessary risks to find something they will not only enjoy but love doing in the future
Down below is a photo of a wall I painted in my room. I was able to take time during the quarantine to discover that I enjoyed painting. I used this as a way to destress after the craziness of being stuck in my with my 3 siblings all day.
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| My Wall |
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