Once Upon an Unfortunate Student

I was never really the best at school, although I did get good grades especially in my later years when school got more serious and I was put under more pressure, I did not feel intrigued by any of the school subjects and mostly just did what was expected of me. And I find this to be depressing because it just shows how some of us were forced to play by the rules set by society for us to succeed in life. We have to be good at English, mathematics and history so that we can contribute to the current capitalistic workforce as ignorant and obedient slaves.

I never felt the undeniable natural connection that some of my classmates felt towards certain subjects.

Some of my high school classmates were so clearly made for specific school subjects, and then there were those that fit into multiple school subjects, and those who like me did not fit into any. I remember one of my high school classmates had such musical talent, no matter what musical instrument he came along he could play it perfectly without even knowing the chords by name. And one of them was so giftedly analytical, it's like writing essays came so naturally to her. Another one of my high school classmates could understand mathematics so easily he wouldn't have to pay too close of attention to fully comprehend the logic behind it. Each of them had their sparks of passion from within their nature which school helped them to develop and even, to a certain degree, master. In contrast, I feel like I went to school because that's just what every other kid my age does and has to do. There were days where my only motivation for getting out of bed was thinking about spending the day with my closest friends. And sometimes even that wasn't enough, I would lay in bed until I absolutely had to get up. Although I did benefit from the social connections school came with,

I feel like school only made me feel more confused as to what I want to do with my life by limiting me to the subjects that I was taught and was exposed to.

And I know that it sounds like such a first-world problem, or like a young girl who is still obsessing over the "trauma" school put her through, when in actuality some of the best days of my life were spent in school. But I do think that there is a serious issue in today's society regarding schooling and conforming all students to a specific set of subjects. Although I completely agree that there is crucial importance in teaching young children specific values and have a basic understanding of some subjects giving them a foundation for potential growth, but when it comes to older students

I'm tired of having to explain to people that it should not be expected of them to excel in all subjects.

This is especially because the older students already have an idea about what subjects they like and which ones they definitely won't pursue. And when it comes to taking entrance exams for universities, like the Psychometry or SAT exam, it definitely should not be expected of potential film or history student to get high marks in the mathematics section, because they won't use it again in either their education or future careers. Although it will be harder to manage, there should be specific exams for the scopes of the different tracks available. And that is putting aside the fact that there is a significant number of students who struggle with anxiety and examinations which result in poor exam performance and, as a result, make the student think that they are just not intelligent enough.

I think that it is important to bring this to light so that people can form their own opinions and have a real discussion about this and maybe even contribute to change within our society so that it could benefit us in the long run.

I'm not gonna lie, I have thought about becoming a teacher, but only because I think that I could be different and more flexible in my teaching methods and trying to make all students feel included. I also feel more confident in myself helping and guiding students rather than someone else contributing to the rotten institution, but I guess we'll see what happens.

Sincerely,

Ed the bedhead

#education #school #societystandards