WARNING: This post goes against social conditioning and is particularly lengthy: read if you dare.
As my high school career is slowly coming to an end (I graduate June 11th) I have found myself particularly reflective on the value I have received from high-school.
I end my high school career with a sub-par 2.5 G.P.A ,having never received a prestigious academic award, and a quick glance at my attendance record would reveal numerous absences (OK 32 days just this year.)
If I listen to what I have been socially conditioned to believe:
Sub-par grades + no awards + poor attendance = the end of my life
Right?
I beg to differ.
Chasing The A
For most of my life (along with millions of other students) I have been taught to believe that the secret to a successful life is to get outstanding grades. Slowly over the years however, I have discovered this premise to be completely false.
Luckily, over the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to immerse myself in a variety of empowering perspectives and thus have come to understand that we are 100 percent responsible for our life.
We can be as happy and as successful as we choose to be. Our attitude, not our grades, determines our success.
I have been fortunate enough to recognize that education goes beyond just the classroom. Life is our greatest mentor. Unfortunately, I’m one of the lucky ones.
Myself, along with millions of other students, have failed to apply ourselves, not because we’re not smart enough, not because we don’t care about our future, but because we are tired of being dictated by a system of letters.
Continually brain-washing students into believing good grades are essential in living a successful life, has had some disastrous consequences:
Students are more stressed then ever. Cheating has become increasingly rampant. Students spend an excessive amount of time obsessing over getting perfect scores (after all they’ve been told they won’t have a job if they don’t.)
In fact, a classmate of mine routinely stays up past 2 A.M in order to stay a float. Excessive? I think so.
What’s even more depressing about our current education system, is that it leaves millions of “average” students behind. Millions of kids with incredible potential are left to die (educationally speaking) never realizing their true potential.
Many of my current classmates, each of whom could literally change the world, are paralyzed by fear, and are instead choosing the path of security: That is get good grades. Get a job. Be happy. Unfortunately that’s rarely how it unfolds.
We can live our purpose today.
I’m not suggesting that our current education system doesn’t do any good. It does teach us the basic necessities. However, much of what we learn in school is not practical in the real world.
Where are the courses on blogging? Where are the money management courses? Where are the classes dedicated to eradicate poverty? Where are the classes that help us find our purpose?
Our current education system places too much emphasis on the A and not enough emphasis on unleashing the promise that lies in each and every one of us.
Education Through Reading And Experience
One of the most startling shortcomings of our current education system, is the lack of relevant reading. We are forced to read (A.K.A sparknote) ancient text that we often find difficult to understand.
All this does is encourage a distaste for reading.
I’m not suggesting that ancient texts such as Shakespeare don’t have any value, however what the students read should be up to them.
“But wait! Then they will just be reading the latest trash.”
To which I reply ” Yes, but at least they will be reading.”
Our top priority must be to instill a passion for reading. The progress of humanity depends on it.
A number of my friends routinely say ” I hate reading”
And I always reply, ” You just haven’t found the right book.”
For reading to complement education like it needs to, the books we read must be relevant to us. Not our teachers, not our parents, but us. Each book should be likened to a puzzle piece completing our soul.
Our current education system is putting too much effort into things that don’t matter. Busy work. Perfect grammar. Memorization. All of which does nothing for us 10 years down the road.
Over the past 4 years I have read close to 100 books. Only 15 of those books being school related.
Those 75 books (OK I’m rounding here) I read outside of school completely transformed me. My philosophy, my attitude, who I am today, all stem from the numerous books I devoured.
Education is about unleashing one’s confidence. Education is learning from failure. Education is growing from experience. Education is discovering your passions then pursuing them.
Education is not rote memorization. Education is not analyzing books that have no meaning to you. Education is not wasting your time on subjects you hate. Education is not being paralyzed because your afraid to fail.
Having attended an international school in Shanghai China, I can honestly say I have learned more from bringing running water to a rural village in China, traveling to Russia, and making friends from around the world, then I ever have in a classroom.
Education is meant to be enlightening. Reading and experience are the key.
Finding Your Purpose
Education is meant to help us find our passion, our purpose in life. Unfortunately, our current education system fails miserably.
We’ve been told:
You have to go to college to be successful. After that you have to go to grad-school. Make sure you get all A’s or you will fail.
Instead of embracing education many students (including myself) have adopted a mindset to just survive.
We’re so used to being told who we can or cannot be, many us don’t even know who we actually want to be.
All the education in the world is worthless if you never unlock what makes your heart beat.
Again, I have nothing against college or even grad-school for that matter. In fact I believe both can offer tremendous benefit to our being.
The problem lies in the fact that we’ve been told that you have to do this, you have to do that, in order to become successful.
Who says life has to be a linear line?
The traditional life time line:
High School: College: Grad-School: Job ( you most likely hate): Retire: Die
Why not:
High School: Find Your Purpose: Love Your Job: Live your life. Die Happy?
The latter sounds more enticing to me.
Education is all about growth, it’s about experience, it’s about creating authentic relationships. It’s about being human. It’s about connecting with humanity.
Our current education system is inherently flawed. Times are changing. We must stop obsessing over becoming “book smart” and instead focus on unleashing our passions.
Without living out our passions we just add to the clutter of the world.
When we choose security, we sacrifice our passions, killing part of us in the process.
I have tremendous faith that the answers to today’s problems of the world: poverty, war, and disease, will be solved by the youth of today not because they are smart but because they follow their passions.
Enough Is Enough
I know I speak for millions of students around the world when I say:
We’re tired of being told we’re not good enough. We’re tired of doing mindless work that only adds stress to our lives. We’re tired of feeling unworthy just because we fail to meet the expectations of the A+ poster child.
We’re tired of being told who we can or can not be. Shouldn’t we decide that for ourselves?
We need to be inspired. We need to be encouraged. We need to spend time doing things we love. We want to change the world.
Is that too much to ask?
So many students fail to realize their potential because a simple grade tells them they have none. They receive a D and thus feel they are worthless and have nothing to contribute to this world. This defeats the whole purpose of education. Education is meant to build not destroy.
In no way am I suggesting getting good grades is a bad thing; that would be foolish. Getting good grades is not the problem. Allowing grades to dictate one’s life is.
Grades don’t guarantee success.
Passion + Determination + Positive Attitude = Success
I’ll give you an A if you transform the world 
What are your thoughts on our current education system? What do you think must be done? I encourage you to share your comments in the comment section below.
It’s obvious our current education system needs major reform, until then however, it can proudly boast a fat D- on its fridge.
Editors Note: In no way is this post attempting to bash the educators of our world (whom I am eternally grateful for) but rather the education system as a whole.
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Incredible. You are a very talented writer and I completely agree with you. You bring up a VERY good point.
hey. great entry. to a certain degree i agree with what you’re saying,, but wouldn’t you say “school education” to a certain point is necessary? and that grades are a way to urge kids to study it well? you wrote “Who says life has to be a linear line?” a rhetoric question that gave me an “ah-ha” moment, but would you have been able to pull this spectacular analogy if you hadn’t learned what a linear line is?
Also, life sucks without challenges. Have u tried playing a game on the easiest difficulty? or playing basketball with someone half your size? or have to go to school and do absolutely nothing? (a.k.a this last week…) its fun for the first ten minutes or so, then you lose any sort of interest. This challenge (the challenge of getting good grades) is a way to keep humans aged 13? to 18 (or perhaps 22) occupied and busy. Its that feeling you get when you finish an exam. its all over and you’re happy. you’ve accomplished the challenge of taking the course. of course, stress, time and effort are all part of the process, but where can u find satisfaction or happiness without stress, time and effort?
don’t get me wrong though, i like your entry.
Kit
@ Alana: Thanks! You’re not bad yourself
Keep writing!
well written dude…but I must say that I agree with Kit completely. Saying that, you definitely have brought some very important points in your entry, and I absolutely agree with you there, but like Kit said, you would not be able to write such inspiring posts unless you have received basic formal education. In essence, I do think school education is important and quiet necessary, but I agree that the focus should not be solely on grades, and there is no doubt about the fact that an ‘A’ does not indicate a person’s true personality or character.
Bud, I have always enjoyed reading your posts and it was no different with this post of yours. Though I do not completely agree with a few minor points, but I have always believed that its not necessary to be correct all the time, but it is necessary to question, challenge, and change; which you are never afraid to write about, and that is great.
Keep inspiring!
I think the biggest problem with modern education is that it molds kids in the mentality of having to do something they don’t want to for survival. So many people obey the system, do well in school, get a good job, buy a nice car, and buy a nice house. All for what? To dread life on Monday morning?
In many regards, education is molded around getting a good job, and getting a good job is generally regarded as having a good income. As a result of this, millions of people have literally become slaves to their paychecks, and once they realize this highly disappointing fact, it can seem very overwhelming to get out of.
We obviously all need basic education and I think a few of the previous comments miss the major point of this article. Most people who base their lives on money will fail to find happiness while those who know what makes them happy will get much more out of life with just enough money to survive modestly. The key is passion and this is what the education system needs to do a better job of inspiring kids to discover. Unfortunately, most kids are on autopilot until they graduate and need to find a job. As Bud says, where’s the class on finding your passion?
@Vin
I think you understood my message perfectly. Obviously we need basic education. Without basic education I would not be writing this blog. What I am suggesting is that our education system focus more on unleashing our potential and less about our grades.
We must stop doing what we are told to and instead choose to consciously create our ideal life.
I definitely agree with what you are saying about grades. Even some of my teachers have pointed out that the grade does not matter as much as how much you challenged yourself and learned. I also agree with Kit though. Grades are important in motivating people to go ahead and learn as much as they can before tests. It teaches students about deadlines and about working on a tight schedule. Hopefully, students learn to use their time wisely so that they do not stay up so late. I also hope that students would learn how to not stretch themselves too thin even as they challenge themselves. Knowing that you are being graded should also help to prepare students for the stress of life. Life will not be a walk in the park, even if you find a career you love there will be difficult times. Employers will rate you against others, and you will have to be determined to work hard to beat the competition. School, along with standardized tests and grades, helps to prepare students for the real world.
I disagree with you greatly about reading. This is one of those situations where you must learn the rules before you can break them. By reading works from the past, students can learn what influenced today’s writers. This can let them see the evolution of thought. It also helps students understand the writer’s thought process so that when they are reading a more difficult work on their own, they can understand without having to use spark notes.
Students can read any books they want, and when they are younger they are allowed to.
The required reading includes books that they may not like, but they are books that can be studied as a class to help students understand how to read books, especially those that challenge the students’ thought processes.
I don’t feel that it is the school systems job to find a student’s passion. That is what parents, clubs, and outside activities are for. A person has to find his or her own passion. I think that more parents should be taught how to allow their children to find a passion. My parents allowed me to experience most anything that I felt I had an interest in. I found very soon in life that I have many passions. I love reading,, writing,, mathematics, science, and working with animals. Later in life I also found that I have a passion for helping people. I have known since I was in middle school that I wanted to put some of these passions together to find a career that I would love. I have also known since I was in primary school that I might want to be a veterinarian.
It is the school’s responsibility to help prepare students for whatever they decide to do with their lives. It is a person’s own responsibility to find his or her passion.
I am about to start college to become a veterinarian. I have worked hard in school, and I have not cheated to get through. Parents and students should understand that, although grades are an indicator of a student’s understanding,, grades are not all important or entirely accurate.
You are bloody brilliant. I am years and years older than you and yet this is exactly how I felt in high school. School for me was like a prison and so archaic, dead and pathetic. I went into shock the day I realized that school was going to be my life for the next umpteen years. I literally counted out the remaining years and ticked them off so many times. When I saw what I was living in (and I “saw” in grade school) I had no idea how I was going to survive the mediocrity that lay ahead. I ALSO could not comprehend that I lived in a system that was so ill. I’m being serious not sarcastic: I really knew that I lived in a system that was very very ill. I was bored, dying in school. Other than learning to read and write, nothing prepared me for the “real” world.
When I graduated I think I was the only one of all my friends who didn’t go on to some form of “higher” education. I was so unprepared for the world that unless I stayed in the system, I had NO idea who I was and what I wanted to do or what life was about. Nada! I was at a complete loss. I’ve thought many times that the system is designed that way, where you can only function if you stay IN the system. Step away from it and you are lost…at first. It takes guts and courage to step away from the “security” of the system and dare to flounder until you better understand life and the world. And with that stepping away often come judgment from peers, parents, teacher, church, state, etc. A person is often looked down upon as less that or as something short of a vagrant.
But for me, even with all the judgments that bore down on me, the thought of 4 more years of college was utter and complete despair, “Someone please put me out of my misery.” So took all the money I’d saved, loaded a knapsack, bought a Eurail pass for the trains, got an international drivers license and took off for Europe and thus began my years of traveling through first Europe, later Australia, NZ, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, USA and more.
My life aside, this is THE BEST article I’ve ever read about our seriously failing education system. I chewed through it and line after line, quote after quote just blew my mind. You are an astounding soul and gifted writer/human being. I am so proud of you. I want the whole world to read this post. You are also gutsy. You have expressed all the things here that were my experience and my feelings. In fact I felt like you were writing my feelings, my thoughts, my life. I stand up and APPLAUD you cheering my head off. I am old enough to be your mother and if you were my son I would be so proud of you I could hardly contain it. I AM proud of you. I would see the genius in you, the intact soul in you, the free spirit in you, the great leader in you, the visionary in you,. I would tell you this: You are and will continue to change the world in a BIG way. All you have to do is what you already are doing, listen 100% to your beautiful heart and then ALWAYS act on it. Think with you whole body, with your heart and soul. I encourage to be who you already are. If you ever doubt, just email me. You can see my website (contact) at http://www.nakedineden.com.
It truly is remarkable that you have remained a free spirit through the deadening, conformist, system that you have just “graduated” from. LOL!!! So I congratulate you on your graduation from this survival course (called school) and cheer your ability to not only survive but to remain in tact.
I’m the one on twitter (robineaston) who said I HAD to read this article. Well, it was NOT too long, too blunt or too anything. It is fan-bloody-tastic!! And beautifully written to boot, you have a very poetic style. Thank you my wise friend. I am honored to meet you.
PS It would be cool to see an article about what changes could be made to revamp the entire system, A major project, and one that may really be about PEOPLE changing first. Not sure, It sure would be fun to redesign the whole system or an alternative to it. Now I know why people home school their kids.
Great read bud. I agree AND THEN SOME. The flaw of current education goes far beyond the grading system, and is deeply rooted in modern western civilization’s agenda for competition and individualization (the bad kind). I, like others on this post experienced an early detachment from the school system- an early inkling in my mind telling me “this is not true, this not what we were meant for”. In all societies, our education is one of our main agents of socialization (we spend more time with our teachers and peers then our parents in young life ). The current education system does just that, it teaches us how to be in our society, and thus we hit our first main problem- because our society is rotten. We are being socialized to live in a society that is corrupt, and so are education must also be corrupt.
The education system enforces such beliefs as this:
– Success is what makes you important.
-Money is what proves your success.
-Life is a rat race.
- You must surpass the other to be successful.
-Your virtues are symbols – such as an “B” on a report card, or a fancy letter jacket.
And of course – YOU DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD
As you can see, these are the same laws that have molded not just our education, but our society as a whole.
For those of you arguing that Bud is committing hypocrisy by devaluing the same education system that also taught him the basics reading and writing, I disagree. Look closer, Bud is not saying education is wrong, but that our current educational system is wrong. Education is truly a pure thing, and even the word makes it seem too industrialized. Education = To learn from experience. Homeschooling systems have proved easily that the big corporation of education is not necessary for children to learn the basics. In fact, the homeschooled kids I have personally met have been much more literate. Bud warned you : “this goes against social conditioning”- And I assure you, part of social conditioning is to condition you to believe that any other kinds of socialization outside the mainstream are flawed and ineffective.
As bud mentioned earlier, a huge problem with education is not just what they teach, but what they do not teach.
Where are all the classes on finding yourself?
Where is the philosophy?
Where are the classes aimed at understanding the human condition?
Where is the class labeled “why we learn”
Surely as most of us has discovered, these things listed are of most importance. Id argue that this is left out of the education system for one main reason- If it was taught, society as we currently know would crumble. The have not’s would suddenly become the haves. The greedy would have nothing to be greedy about. Many of the rich would soon find themselves poor in ways they could never imagine. Our people would have to confront as a whole that we have been lying to ourselves for centuries, and after all, who likes to admit they have been wrong- surely not those prideful “A” students who have worked so hard for this grand illusion.
I completely agree.
I used to teach. Have taught elementary, high school and college. Have taught all subjects, and found the grading system, the testing, and the need for teachers to report to chancellors and such in order to compete for funding has leeched education of, well, education. It is one of the reasons I stopped. That, and my teaching methods were unorthodox. I refused to give grades. That made it much harder for me to find work.
It’s also the reason I had no problem taking my daughter on a trip around the world instead of sending her to school. She has learned so much more. She’s learned other languages, knows the plants and animals of other countries, knows how to bellydance, tango and knows what she wants.
I don’t even remember what I read in high school. I do, however, remember the process of learning to teach myself, and learning what carries the most value for me.
Marie,
Even if the school system was willing, it’s not possible for someone else to find your passion for you. What the school system needs to do is teach kids how important it is for them to find their passion on their own. To do so, they need to go beyond the commen perception of a “job.”
You are fortunate to know that you want to be a veteranarian. However, by knowing this, you are part of the minority of people your age who have even the slightest concern to know what they want to do with their life, and this is the problem!
Finding your passion is hard work, and as you said, it has to be done on your own, but most kids do absolutely nothing in this regard and aren’t even aware of the need to do so.
Hi Bud, this is a great article and everything you have said is so true. I tell my kids all the time that you don’t have to get great grades to become successful in life, if you work smarter, not harder, to achieve in life who the hell needs the grades for that. you are right, a basic education is a must.
I would also say the ages of in which we go to school is all wrong. I believe we should attend primary school just the way we do from ages 5 – 12 and then go out into the big wide world and learn something we are interested in. Then at the age of 19 – 25 we should go to uni, if we choose, and get indepth knowledge about our chosen path, but a uni course that is up to date and relevent to our chosen path.
Well written article.
Vin,
I agree with what you are saying about people not understanding the need to find their passion. I still do not agree that it is something the school is or should be responsible for. Parents should be teaching this to their children. It is an important thing in life that I feel should be found on a person’s own time. School is to give people the knowledge they need to be able to work toward whatever career path they enjoy. I feel that to be happy in life a person should put their passions toward finding not a job, but a career.
Alex,
I understand your point, but as I was explaining to Vin parents should be the ones doing most of this. Philosophy, understanding of the human condition, why we learn, and why we learn are things that should be covered through higher education, parents, and study done individually. These are things learned through life experience, not school. Therefore, it can’t be the school’s responsibility to teach such things in the more basic schooling of students.
I hope that you all understand I am not trying to attack anybody or say that their way is not the right way. I am only trying to explain why I disagree with some of the points made. I think this is a very good article with wonderful points.
I disagree, Bud. I think that most people are different. I get the impression that you have personally found a different purpose in life that is more meaningful to you than being a successful businessman or the like. Other kids fail out of school or get shitty grades because they are too lazy to apply themselves; and others think they are being rebels by making bad grades, but they later realize that when they are applying for scholarships for college, government jobs, etc. the board of directors will usually pick somebody with a 4.0 throughout high school or college than someone who migrates between 2.0 and 3.0, for example. Let’s continue this by email because I’d really like to hear what you think.
I agree that everyone makes good points here. Another idea to understand is that grades do not always reflect the learning you receive in class. In some classes I don’t feel like I learn too much but still get an A, while in some classes (like AP Physics) I learn all kinds of new concepts life lessons yet end up dropping out of the class.
We learned different ways to learn; while we can learn quite a bit through life lessons, school helps us learn to learn by reading and writing and researching and listening to other people. School also provides us with the opportunity to meet all kinds of people in all of the different walks of life who are also trying to learn. [On a side note, I definitely agree about the narrow reading choices in school...]
Nice post =]
I completely agree with you! As a mum of 9 and having watched my elder 3 boys struggle… I believe that we place too much emphasis on academia! There are people out there who can, who have made it without an education! I have always said to my kids “Go to school, get a good education, get a good job!” And I still believe that to a degree BECAUSE the world is geared to that outcome! I have children who do very well at school and I can see the world is their oyster! But your blog post has changed my thinking a little, as I was already on a path to self-discovery and I completely agree that you need to live your passions first and foremost! Do that and you will be happy! Maybe you’ll get rich from them, maybe you won’t… but you will always be happy doing what you love most!
I did ok at school, I wasn’t brilliant, but I wasn’t a dummy either… and now I am living my passion… you can find me at http://michellehayward.blogspot.com and under the Link “You can find me at” are the places you can find me on the web…living my dreams, my passions, my joy – at long last! You have learned at a tender age what it took me nearly 40 years to learn!
Congratulations!
Nice entry Bud!
As Rohan said, I am always enjoying your entries and your sincere idea in them.
But this time, I have to say that I disagree with you. People do need grades. It’s your own free will not to care about your grades. I have nothing against about their decision because I respect their personal decisions. However, I need grades because they motivate me to study. Why do I need to study? Every single task you face in real life is a problem that needs a solution. Studying is a way to train yourself to find better solutions for daunting problems you face every single day or will face in the future. In the entry, you said “Our attitude, not our grades, determines our success.” But it is, though sad, true that your grades reflect your attitude, and your attitude plays a huge role in terms of determining our success. As a person who have been taught under Asian education system for 15 years until I came to Concordia, I would like to tell you that the education you have received for the past whatever years at Concordia is something like heaven compared to the education I had in Korea. So do not whine and suck it up. Your logic and idea, at a glance, look really decent and brilliant. However, to me, it looks like an excuse for getting poor grades and have shitty attitudes at school. Yeah I have been getting really shitty grades for my second semester after I got admission for college. I have no excuse for that. My attitude sucked. How was your GPA? Are you a straight A student? You said “Education is all about growth, it’s about experience, it’s about creating authentic relationships. It’s about being human. It’s about connecting with humanity.” You are making a huge logical mistake here. You can do everything you want or things that you believe important in life while getting good grades. You can still do things like “bringing running water to a rural village in China, traveling to Russia, and making friends from around the world, then I ever have in a classroom,” while getting As on your transcript.
Sorry if my words hurt your emotion, but I still love you Bud!
Funny you asked my opinion on this. I agree, whole-heartedly! I felt the same way when I was in school (and in my family, God help you if you didn’t get the A). I chose to fail on purpose for a while just to prove that point.
I do believe the system is broken, and I’m actually working on a proposal to completely change things.
Sorry, but until I get everything figured out and get it to the people I need to get it to, that’s the best I can tell you. 
GREAT post! So on the money!
“Education is all about growth, it’s about experience, it’s about creating authentic relationships. It’s about being human. It’s about connecting with humanity.”
You are truly wise beyond your years. Too often people refuse to see this blatant problem with society. This problem needs to be addressed… NOW.
You bring up a really good point with all of this, the education system fails to account for those with latent genius. It is of particular ire to me that someone otherwise altogether talented would be denied opportunities because of the inability to do well at a subject. But the fact remains that you can’t just tell the system to screw off entirely. Passions should never be compromised but if you are in a class that you don’t like, you shouldn’t just blow it off entirely. There is something to take from everything whether you like it or not, nothing is pointless. Learning means diversifying your view points, reading books that you would have never, on usual circumstances picked up, forcing yourself to work through every piece of busywork the system tosses at you. If your not good at something, thats fine, but you should always try your best, and accept that if you fail, you fail, and that you tried your best and that there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you might be surprised to learn that you enjoy an aspect of something you thought you didn’t like. I have found multiple good books through required reading programs(I do believe though that ample time should be given so that reading can be done leisurely). That being said, learning and personal growth should always take precedent over grades, life is meant to be lived, and no amount of knowledge, money, or accolades are worth the sacrifice your passions. You choose your path, and the universe will enfold as it will. Thank you for writing this article, Bud, you have a gift, it really is just beautiful. Keep on writing, cause I’ll keep on reading.
Bud,
While your GPA may not be acceptable in the eyes of your educators you should be proud and so should your parents. You are brave to speak out about a subject many would be too afraid to discuss.
What you understand is that our current system of education can not continue as it is-it needs transformation. As a matter-of-fact many institutions in our society will need to change as our world becomes ‘green’ and global. The old systems can no longer sustain this coming transition. It will be up to your generation to help the most in this process. Big changes like this are not easy and many will be fearful of the letting go of the old ways-they seemed to work so well in the past and why change what is working?
See you are right about needing to find your purpose and learning about what YOU are interested in. Many here have made some valid points about reading. I believe the ancient texts are important but if students were studying their interests and were passionate they would naturally find their way to those important readings.
Keep in mind that change is difficult for most people. It’s unfortunate because being afraid to change is very short sighted. Our new world will need thinkers like you. People that use the right sides of their brains, people who are creative, compassionate and wise. You are wise beyond your years and I would bet you are much smarter than that GPA.
Best of luck to you my friend, this world needs more like you.
Happiness always!
“Having attended an international school in Shanghai China, I can honestly say I have learned more from bringing running water to a rural village in China, traveling to Russia, and making friends from around the world, then I ever have in a classroom.”
Did you do these things through your high school, or did you do them independently, while you tried to discover your passion? Did your teachers discourage and impede you from learning through these experiences? Did the institution discourage you from becoming and active global citizen and reflective spiritual being, or did it present opportunities for you to find who you are? I am curious.
nice caveat, i’m up for reading anything against social conditioning =)
remember my days of reading, i mean, sparknoting shakespeare texts =D makes you a summary machine and you stop appreciating the wholeness of things. summaries can be good, but not all the time. – hey, at least school taught me to hustle the summaries
i think the most power part of education (though not many people actually manage to “get it”) is to learn to learn. and think. which is why a system that doesn’t work can sometimes work. in not working, it makes you learn how to make it work. and sometimes that’s more important than the system itself.
…biggest anti with school was that it was aimed at the average in the way material is conveyed. if you’re above the average, you get bored and below the average and you learn very little.
your traditional life time line ala “the deferred life plan” is magic. really cool that you’ve seen that before end of highschool. i went through a similar growth phase after having terrible grades and managed to turn around from 50% average to all As, and using that as inspiration to get other areas of my life handled from social, girls and money to more general life stuff like purpose.
that’s what my site is about – the transformation of it all. unleash reality.
inspiring stuff
alex – unleash reality
Fantastic comments on this post!
Awesome Bud, I couldn’t agree more. Our current system of education is a dinosaur, no doubt. Colleges future graveyards for sure. At least if nothing changes. The world is moving rapidly and the current state of education isn’t doing nearly enough to catch up.
Your experiences are richer than a classroom can cap. Your life will reflect that. Congratulations on your graduation and the pending, undiluted life that’s waiting.
I came here by way of Twitter. Writer Dad directed my attention. And I’m glad he did.
I feel the same way about grades. I am an elementary school teacher and I will need to write the final term report cards soon. It’s something that I do not look forward to doing. I don’t think report cards really work. I don’t want to assign letter grades to a student’s performance.
I simply want my students to live up to their potential. I don’t believe all students should be shooting for A’s. That’s unrealistic. But if you can get an A and you choose not to do your best work, then you are only shortchanging yourself.
That’s what I believe. We should all put in a solid effort at school and in our jobs. We will see the rewards of doing so and the pride we can feel in doing a good job.
This passage is amazingly written, inspiring, but in my eyes misleading. You are forgetting a whole side of education! You attend high school in Shanghai, as do I. Are you saying you have never walked down a street and though “Why?, who?, when?, where?, how?” That is the point of school. They can teach you the basics but unless you strive to find what makes you inspired, it will all fall to nothing. I am always going to my teachers with random questions, and they are always more than happy to keep explaining until I have an answer that makes sense.
You comment on the style books we read in school, but something I find with my classmates is they forget to think on their own! All books can in one way or another can always teach you a lesson, either good or bad… It just depends on how much you look into it!
You said “Why not? High School: Find Your Purpose: Love Your Job: Live your life. Die Happy?” But when I look at the other option I see that it is the same thing, only hidden. Its your choices to get involved that will help you find your purpose, we can’t blame a school for not knowing what we don’t!
I’m not saying there isn’t truth to your words, I’ve been to enough schools to see that the education system it is flawed in many ways! But here you are taking the points too far, that its the educational systems fault that thousands of students don’t find their purpose? That can’t be true. Maybe in a few of those cases the schools hold them back, but as a whole its the students doing. I agree grades are not everything, maybe even uselessly easy to bring down… But when I get a bad grade I don’t see my failure, I ask what I did wrong so I can become better! If you want to learn you have to try, and to try you have to experience. Maybe this has to be done out of school but learning who you are is easier with others. I know my school is amazing at giving me experiences, but where they fall short I make sure to fill in on my own!
I want to say I agree with you but your statement was just too stretched for me!
School is what you make it. If you just take it as school and notes, then you can’t possibly learn about yourself during it! If you look deeper than that, past the grades and work hard to do your best just because, you would learn a lot more than any class can show.
Thanks for all the wonderful comments guys! We have been able to see a variety of different perspectives which I think is wonderful for growth. For those who have a different take then me, I appreciate your insights. By no means do I have all the answers.
I would first like to say that I have been lucky enough to have a few wonderful teachers in my high school career. These teachers are special to me because they helped me look past the social conditioning of the system.
This post was crafted to make you think, and I think it was successful. We learn a tremendous amount from immersing ourself in perspectives that we may not agree with.
I think many of the comments are missing my point This post is not saying you SHOULDN’T get good grades. There is nothing wrong with getting good grades. When we make it our life “goal” that’s when it becomes a problem. Passion over grades any day.
To say the education I have received didn’t make me who I am today, would be a flat out lie. Obviously my education, both the good and bad, has had a great role in shaping the person I am.
I have been lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time.
As a whole, the system not the teachers are at fault.
For what it’s worth I have been to both a public school (in Texas) and a private international school in Shanghai.
While my international school still places heavy emphasis on grades, it also places a heavy emphasis on being a global citizen, living a life of service, and reaching you’re true potential. I feel lucky to have been introduced to such a life.
Schools need to teach kids how to find their purpose.
nice post dude, i totally agree. especially right now, haha.
When I finished reading your entry, I thought I completely agreed with what you had to say. But after I thought about it for a while, I realized, okay if all of us “average” students had straight As, would we even be complaining? If you had straight As and a 4.0 GPA, would you have written this entry at all? I know I personally complain a lot about how too much emphasis is put on grades and academic achievements, and I agree with your reasoning, to an extent, but I think I complain mostly because my grades are mediocre and honestly, I think you complain for the same reason. I think your reasoning seems logical at first, but in the end, it’s all pretty much an excuse for not reaching your full potential. Just from reading your blog, anyone can tell that you’re an extremely gifted writer. But without basic education, you never would have been able to write this entry.
I agree that your grades are only a tiny part of you, as a whole person, but they’re still a part of your character. Good grades reflect hard work, determination, intelligence, and capability. When you look at someone’s report card and see straight As, you normally don’t question their ability. However, although it’s true that bad grades don’t necessarily indicate stupidity, they can come off that way. “I’m smart, but I’m lazy” is never a good excuse either. If you’re capable of getting straight As, why not try? Your grades don’t completely define you, but they do reflect what kind of person you are.
I agree that the service interims and the trips to foreign countries affect us more than anything we learn in the classroom. But weren’t you given these opportunities through school? Life experiences are ultimately what will enrich and shape your character, but education is what prepares you.
The real problem with the educational system is that it not only teaches a lot of memorization and has too much emphasis on test-taking, but also that it fails the students who do not learn best in the methods that are taught.
Also, much fault lies with the parents who are ultimately responsible for their child’s education.
I’ve learned far more about life from living and looking for answers myself, not from traditional schooling.
Keep up the search Bud, keep sharing your story. Great post; it wasn’t too long for someone who is interested in the subject or in what you have to say. =D @HolisticMom
Hey, I’d like to point out something about the education system. It is the biggest money maker out there. My school, St. John’s University, eats money like I eat rice. They charge me an estimated total of $40,000 dollars a year for the education they offer. At the first glance, it seems about okay. They offer small classes, a beautiful campus, a variety of acitivies, and a diverse environment. Some might consider that to be a great deal. But when you delve deeper into the actual educational system, you see there are numerous flaws.
To start off, each credit at the school is $1,000 dollars for an education you can recieve elsewhere for much cheaper with the same outcome. So the most basic fee for freshman year (their required 12 credits) is a total of $12,000 dollars. Of course the fees don’t stop there. Let’s also consider the necessary fee of food and dorm. Let me inform you that college food isn’t particularly the most spectacular food there is. True, most campuses offer an open buffet of many different items, somewhere into the year you’ll find yourself ordering out more often the eating in. Also, the dorm fees. I was charged an estimated total of $12,000 dollars (general fee, micellaneous fees, repair fees) for the dorms. Not including the stuff you actually have to get to make your room livable. Other fees you’ll find yourself paying through the wazoo for throughout the year are for expensive books you might not end up using and or can’t return, clothes, etc.
The point here is that when you are interested in an education system, for you it’d be colleges, take into consideration that what you pay doesn’t always determine what you get back. I am taking courses in different schools that charge significantly less for the same course and the credits can also be transferred. Also, when you apply for a school, consider what your money is funding. Some schools (even middle/high/elementary schools) are research facilities. So when you pay whopping amounts of money to that school, you’ll find yourself funding research that could lead to endless new discoveries that could improve our life. When you attend a research school, know that your class options aren’t necessarily top notch. This is because you’re paying for research, and to them, teaching comes in second.
Basically, what I’m saying is that the urge to make money from an education system is one of the biggest flaws I’m finding since I left Concordia. Honestly, I felt my money spent on concordia was put to far better use then the money I’m spending at St. John’s. I felt that I got my money’s worth in education. For St. John’s on the other hand, I sometimes feel like I’m wasting money. So, be careful.
“I think I complain mostly because my grades are mediocre and honestly, I think you complain for the same reason. I think your reasoning seems logical at first, but in the end, it’s all pretty much an excuse for not reaching your full potential.
I agree that your grades are only a tiny part of you, as a whole person, but they’re still a part of your character. Good grades reflect hard work, determination, intelligence, and capability.
Life experiences are ultimately what will enrich and shape your character, but education is what prepares you.”
Winner.
If a 2.5 was the absolute best you could do then I would understand your frustration. But, your writing ability and intelligence in conveying a message in addition to your initial comment about 32 absences in a year lead me to believe you have not put any effort into “unleashing your potential.”
What are the intangibles of education? I’ll give you a few: self-discipline, problem solving, strength, integrity, the ability to do what is necessary (and to the best of your ability) even if you don’t like it.
You mentioned the stress of high school. I remember feeling that way as well. However, the intangible qualities of attending to your duties as a student are a small step in the preparation for life. The stress of high school is small in comparison to losing one’s job and worrying about providing for a family, having a sick child on the verge of death and feeling hopeless about their survival, or having a terminal illness and wondering when it’s going to be your time, and who will be there for your family when you’re gone, all the while going about the menial tasks of life.
You mentioned a classmate stays up past 2 am studying – good for him/her – although I would argue about maintaining mental/physical health, but too many of today’s youth are staying up to 2am playing video games or on the internet.
You mentioned being forced to read literary works that are difficult to understand. That’s the point. They make you think. And it’s not easy.
You mentioned how “books we read must be relevant to us…not teachers, parents.” Would you so flippantly dismiss the wisdom and experience of teachers and parents who might inspire you with something you initially had no interest in and felt was irrelevant? Would you close that door without a thorough examination of what was being taught?
You mentioned education should be meaningful to you and not, “wasting time on subjects you hate.”
In life you will find yourself doing many “meaningless” things. If you can do them well and to the best of your ability…I would call that being successful.
You are an excellent writer. Work hard at everything placed before you, no matter how much you hate or disagree with it, and you will be surprised where life takes you.
I graduated high school with a 2.5 gpa. Although I dropped out of college for a time, I graduated with a 2.0. Nine years later I earned an M.A. graduating with a 3.4 (that is the best I can do) and am now pursuing a doctoral degree…I only wish I worked that hard when I was your age. (note – I am pursuing a doctoral degree because my field requires it).
Interesting thoughts Bud. Always good to hear reflection from a student in the system. Otherwise we teachers will think we are doing everything right!
I had a similar life experience HS, but looking at it now I see it as a place to learn a set of skills that you can then later apply to whatever you find interesting.
I do disagree that it has to be HS-College-Grad School-Job (not fun)-death.
For me it has been HS, College, Job (it was boring) Grad School, Job (teaching is seriously fun even after 15 years) and then that death thing.
Keep reflecting out there! It never ends, hopefully.
Looks to me like you are going to achieve great things in spite of your education. Well done. Maybe you could become a teacher and help us try to change the system from within?
Schools should adapt to students; it’s not students adapting to school.
Though some organizations and most colleges judge us by our grades, the classifieds don’t list a GPA as a hiring point……have a look……companies seek individuals who demonstrate what they can do (portfolio), can problem-solve, have strong interpersonal skills, give muscle to the word integrity, able to collaborate in the global village, etc. Yes, the degree is important, but I wonder which holds greater value—the degree (coupled with grades) or the portfolio (what I can do–failure and success)?
Have a look at Daniel Pink’s question on his blog:
http://www.danpink.com/archives/2009/03/is-getting-an-mfa-worth-the-debt
Bud, thank you for your insights and please continue to raise the flag. John Dewey tried almost a century ago…..and we failed.
Have a read of Sir Ken Robinson’s white paper:
http://www.principalvoices.com/voices/ken-robinson-white-paper.html
With gratitude and appreciation of your posted comment on 05.29.09,
There is nothing I need to say that hasn’t been said in the post itself or the comments that followed, but I wanted to thank you anyway, for so perfectly articulating what I have been trying to teach my students since I started teaching. I will print this blog post out and it will be read the first week and last week of school for as long as I teach. Thank you.
I have subscribed to your blog and look forward to your future writing. I would love to collaborate with you on some sort of media version of this piece. Check out my work: http://intrepidflame.blogspot.com/
Check out my style and let’s be in touch.
Oh, by the way, this is what really determines our future: http://www.mrboll.com/?p=973
At least according to Slate magazine.
Ok, I likely seem like a spammer now, but somebody mentioned Ken Robinson. Here is a great TED video of him: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
What a thoughtful post!
As Chris Lehman says in this video, “What happens in school is real life, not preparation for real life.” http://www.viddler.com/explore/tdlifestyle/videos/134/
I think that the ‘missing piece’ when it comes to education today, is that it tries to fill us with important things rather than make us feel important and valued… it feeds us content, but doesn’t leave us contented in any meaningful way.
I wrote a post a while back, (I linked it to my name above), about the ‘Square Peg’ students that we try to fit into the ‘Round Holes’ of education. It seems both you and I have had an education that feels that way. I didn’t fit, but I didn’t care. I did assignments my way, not the teacher’s way and wore my C+ badge with honour.
I had some amazing teachers along the way, and I had some that weren’t… and the main difference was that the good ones inspired me to care and do my best.
But I think you hit the issue at the core, it is the system itself that seems to suck the life out of students at a young age. As you eloquently said,
“Education is about unleashing one’s confidence. Education is learning from failure. Education is growing from experience. Education is discovering your passions then pursuing them.
Education is not rote memorization. Education is not analyzing books that have no meaning to you. Education is not wasting your time on subjects you hate. Education is not being paralyzed because your afraid to fail.”
There is an old proverb that says, “When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way”
(Found in Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams.)
Marks seem to take our attention away from what matters. I find it funny that we can assess young kids without grades and then around Grade 3 we suddenly start indoctrinating students into the paradigm of good marks = success…. and the really important things we learn in Kindergarden about sharing, respecting and loving one another, as well as communicating how we feel and getting along with each other, suddenly takes a back seat to achieving some sort of success beyond these things that really matter.
Hi,
I’m Leila and a 9th grade student.
Okay first this is a great blog post. You seem to bring up a great subject. I like how you talk about chasing the A.
Recently, I have been freaking out because when I came into high school my grades dropped a bit. I had this panic thing where all I could think was why would my grades drop. I felt horrible because my math grade wasn’t as good. I did feel like any career choice I would choose depended on that one math grade. Seeing now, it was so stupid. It was very stupid.
It’s true that it has been implanted in our brains that the only way we would live the happy life was with those good grades. As long as I like the material I am studying then why should i care much about if I have an A or not.
Thank you for this post, it’s making me think. Also giving me support that it’s not just me who thinks all of my friends, well most of them, are obsessed with their grades.
Panda
Bud,
I am a teacher at an International School, and I do agree with a lot of what you are saying. I think that the focus of education needs to shift from beings grade-obsessed to simply teaching students to enjoy learning so that they will continue to do so- either in college or on their own- in the future. I don’t believe that grades always accurately assess what a student has or hasn’t learned in the class, and it is getting to the point where anything below an A is considered failure- how did that happen? I also don’t believe that every student is college-bound, but I do think that going to college should be encouraged. This is not because I think that it’s necessary to go to college to get a good job and make a lot of money, but because I believe that for many people, college is really the place where they figure out who they are and what they are truly interested in. Again, this is not true for everyone, but many students who graduate high school and go off to college come back for vacations and tell me how much their world has opened up since they started at university.
I also find that parents often will put much more stress and emphasis on grades than many teachers will. I cannot count how many conferences I’ve had where I’ve raved about how a student seems to be enjoying him/herself in my class and is really interested in the content, only to have the parents focus on nothing but how their child can raise their grade to an A (or an A+, if they already have an A). I’ve tried explaining to parents that Bs, and even Cs, are perfectly acceptable scores, but this is usually lost on them.
All in all, I think that you have given teachers, students, and parents something profound to think about, and to challenge them to re-evaluate what their definitions of success and happiness are.
A great entry. I would say it is a best entry I would ever read about education. This is what a true education should be about. Even though I was once an “A” grader, always aiming for academic success, I realized that I have lost out a lot in life.
I would say that your post is one that should be published in national newspapers, and one that should be read by teachers, principals of schools which are placing too much emphasis on getting As.
I agree what you have said about reading. I never liked to read since young. Other than being forced to read to improve my English, or to study textbooks for exams, I have no interests in reading other books. This has carried on for 19 years, until 1 day I found my right book, on the shelve of ‘Self-Improvement’. I have got my right book, and that’s where my passion of reading lies.
Thanks bud for having such a great post, and I am going to share it with ALL my friends. They got to be enlightened about the true education system.
Look forward to greater posts!
Great post – one of my absolute favorites for ‘describing the problem’. I’ve put together a few thoughts on a new and specific concept/approach to a new education (learning) system. Would LOVE your thoughts and input…and support…
http://learningidea.blogspot.com/
That was me in 1995. Now I have a Masters degree in Education and am an Instructional Designer at a University. This means I design University courses. My High School principal told me to drop out in Grade 11. Hmmm.
I read this blog with great interest, being a New Zealand teacher, in a primary (elementary) school. I agree that education Grades don’t guarantee success.
Passion + Determination + Positive Attitude = Success. Many of my University colleagues did not necessarily do that well – I myself never did that well at University, with a B+ average. However, I have now gone onto Masters and when reflecting on what success I have had is interesting. I am a successful teacher, well regarded in the education field and by colleagues because mostly I have passion and determination to do the best I can for my kids in my class. I spend countless amounts of hours reading, researching, twittering, blogging all for my kids. Does this get graded? I think not. Do I write about something that I am not passionate about? I think not. I am a true believer in all chn becoming the best person they can be – whether it be in oral language, leadership, kindness, or writing. Not all of us can be A grade students – does this not make a boring kind of world. People who are movers and shakers are often those that work hard, persist and see a bigger purpose for themselves. This is not done by grades. I commented to my better half (who is a Professor at one University here) that the people from my school days who were the Dux/High achievers are no better for it than I am. I am happy, passionate about life and all there is to it, and successful with my family and work. Those who were Dux are successful in their chosen paths – whether it be in finance or lecturing at the university.
We need education to show us how – not to tell us how. We need education to keep up with us (my class know how to blog). We need education to teach us some knowledge (like reading/writing/numeracy) but we also need education to inspire, lead and leave us with wanting more.
Recently a USA student has arrived in my class to learn how we do things. One comment was “Ur class is a demoracy, kids have so much independence but are driven in their learning. They know what they need to know and what they don’t know and how to get there. It is personalised learning, where every child has their say and their goals.”
Obviously you didn’t get this. But you did get the passion of learning from someone, otherwise why would you write this?
I am an educator myself – who no longer teaches by choice – and I must say, I agree with your ‘rant’. Marks are important, but not everything. I have seen many a student stressed out by pressure from peers, parents, etc which didn’t allow her to ‘enjoy’ the possiblity of LEARNING. I made a point of using the curriculum as a bridge to ‘real’ life issues, and to inspire my students to find exactly what you said….’what illuminates them’, regardless of what society thinks. I will forward this to my fellow teachers and pray that they ‘get’ it.
My only fear is that the powers that be are not open to even the possiblity of this concept – that’s why both teachers and students have to work TOGETHER to find ways for everyone to shine and be ENGAGED in learning.
You can change the world, never, ever forget that.
Hey Bud
I really enjoyed reading your article. I agree that people need to be driven to discover and follow their true life’s passion. Reading this article I remembered my days at school and i can agree that there are elements where they could include more life relevant syllabus and inspire students rather than just teaching them how to remember and recall information in time for their final exams.
There are many occassions where i have realised that i have not TRUELY learnt parts of the syllabus. i simply remembered them until exam time and then they seem to have been erased from my brain. If you dont use it you lose it I guess”.
i understand that your writing is not trying to discount the need for a good education in terms of literacy and numeracy which are the backbone for survival in the real world. I would just like to share the fact that I have discovered my passion for animals and as such I am aiming to become a veterinarian. In order to do this a very high level of education is required. I understand that passion is important however I feel you need to highlight that people need to have a passion for learning in life. This does not only mean book-smarts but if students are just drifting along they will not pay attention to the cues which may be an opportunity to learn everyday.
The education system needs to encourage students to wake up to their place in the world. They have the power of the future. They can be what they want to be. Passion alone will not get you there. You need to also gain an education from books to have a true understanding and achieve their dreams.
I feel the education system needs to somehow put the content of the syllabus into real world situations. Making it relevant to the students may help them to pay attention and realise its importance. This will encourage growth and a change in attitude towards education.
A good read. You are a great writer. I enjoyed reading your point of view and feel this issue should be considered in future changes to the education system.
You are wise beyond your years. As a teacher, you have given me great food for thought.
Hi,
First of all, I must state that I am a portuguese 54-year-old teacher.
Cutting to the chase, I might agree with most of your reasons but there are a few points that are really important:
1. In order to write such an article, you have to be a good student ( above average at least )
2. 2 It may very well be that you missed classes, that you haven´t read all the books they wanted you to, but I think you have reached a very good level with the struggle you have put up: not accepting everything they want you to.
3. I’ve also noticed that you know how to use your brains ( the most important thing of all )
4. But you have to agree that parents are afraid their children have to face difficulties, and if you have a degree at least you are better prepared to reason and face the hard and dark side of life
5. In the end it all comes down to pleasure, values and attitude, but it doesn’t hurt if you have a degree, does it?
I wish you may go on in quest of your Graal…
JR
Very well stated! I am a teacher who agrees with you full-heartedly. Sadly, we are forced to work within the framework of an education system that was built for a newly industrialized country over 100 years ago. Many teachers, like me, struggle daily to give our students the kinds of learning opportunities you describe, only to be hampered by old-school administrators, and non-existent technology tools.
Check out this middle-school video illustrating the same sentiments: http://www.istevision.org/watch.php?vid=4026e3fcd9ee52c75998999b13182242ae1d743e
Keep up the good fight! While a formal education system is necessary, there is no reason for it to be boring and irrelevant.
P.S There is a mistake under Education Through Reading And Experience
Education is about unleashing one’s confidence. Education is learning from failure. Education is growing from experience. Education is discovering your passions then pursuing them.
Please delete this last part! and good luck, I know you’ll have a great future.
~LL
P.S There is a mistake under