Imagine living in a world where everyone is programmed to choose the right answer all the time.
Well this is what our education system is teaching us. From the perspective of a college student, I find it very conflicting when I'm being told to basically memorize a textbook versus being told to think critically and creatively about different ideas. I want to be able to do that, yet it is hard being in a system where everyone is constantly worried about what is "right" and "wrong".
However, surprisingly enough that is actually contradicting to what the word "education" really means.
Education in its purest form means to give or receive information and therefore gain more knowledge on an otherwise unknown subject. Education should challenge us to look at other people's opinions and views in a way that we might not have done before.
Education shouldn't be black and white. It is not concrete, actually, it is far from it. It is an ever-increasing world of knowledge that shouldn't be defined as students sitting in a classroom for seven hours bored out of their mind because they are constantly being thrown facts instead of being intellectually stimulated.
Yes, a good teacher will find a way to spread knowledge in an interesting and captivating way, but unfortunately many bad teachers exist as well. The U.S. as a whole is only concerned with getting students to perform better on standardized tests and almost, I would say, programming them like robots to think only one way. Concerned only with competition and numbers, the government has this skewed perspective on education, like with many other issues.
But here's an idea, no one thinks the same. We all have different ways we learn best.
There's this concept in psychology called multiple intelligences developed by Howard Gardner. The eight intelligences include verbal/linguistic, logic/mathematical, visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic, bodily/kinesthetic, naturalist, intrapersonal and interpersonal. Everyone tends to gravitate toward a different type of intelligence. And, unfortunately, this education system we have in place today focuses mostly on logic/mathematical because this is what we perceive as the smartest and most successful intelligence.
Yet, what I would call the "two C's", critical and creative thinking should be valued just as much as straight forward logistical thinking. Cause guess what? Most problems in the world don't require a mathematical solution to be fixed!
We are training students to solve problems in one way only. How is that going to do any good when it comes to looking at world issues? Even in science, thought to be focused just on logical and mathematical thinking, it is essential to have a creative mind. If something goes wrong in an experiment, those creative thoughts drive the experiment to continue. People think of different ways to solve the problem instead of trying the same thing over again. I mean that is the foundation towards moving science forward. We have to keep questioning things. If we don't, then how are we going to learn anything.
It is unfortunate that in this system, students are taught not to question anything, that everything the teacher says is right. A lot of times, us as students are scared to go off the path and question what is being told to us as "right". We constantly are in states of stress and anxiety.
Our mental health is jeopardized because of this cyclical system of constant competition.
Our minds are being molded into one; all our thoughts synched into one giant brain telling us to all think the same way.
Trust me, I know as a college student that many times we are only concerned with points and grades. Unfortunately, we sometimes let the GPA system define us, and it is hard to break that cycle. I believe it gets better the higher up one gets into their specific field of study, but in the general education scheme of things, this is a big issue. We learn things in order to take tests, not for future jobs or just general knowledge. We view tests as some kind of big scary monsters that control our lives when that is just not the case. This is why many students have test anxiety because we our taught that an exam grade is a correct measure of how smart we are. Again, a lot of times in college grades are based solely on a few exams, which causes tensions and stress levels to rise in students. Jobs aren't based off of whether or not you get an A on an exam. Employers want people who have the "two C's", critical and creative thinking. They don't want programmed students who can repeat every word of a textbook. That is just simply not useful most of the time in the "real world".
So, how do we fix this problem?
Well, one, teachers deserve more respect and higher salaries in the U.S.
Becoming a teacher should be way more difficult than it is now. Other countries have programs where future teachers are required to complete some sort of masters or Ph.D. program where they are respected just as much if not more than doctors and lawyers, which is reflected in their salary.
Not only that, but I believe that our overall perspective needs to change. The government needs to focus more on education instead of things like the army for example. Education is extremely important and is one of the foundations for developing countries. I cannot stress enough to you how necessary it is to have a system in which education is appreciated and valued to the nth degree.
Fortunately, I am glad that our generation is becoming more self-aware and is willing to speak up on world issues that some adults are afraid to even mention.
We aren't afraid to educate ourselves on topics that need to be talked about in a knowledgeable way. This means that the current view on education is changing to become more about questioning issues in society and bringing about change where it is needed.
So although the perspective on education still needs work, it is gradually shifting for the betterment of both students and the world around us.
