Standing at a bus stop around 3.30pm,
I watched a group of girls in uniform asking passers by to buy them cigarettes. I would guess they were about fourteen to fifteen years old. As a group of boys in matching uniform passed one boy shouted “slags!” The girls retorted sticking their fingers up and shouting “fuck you!” “Mugs!’ “Cunts!’ The boys all laughed continuing to walk off down the road. The girls continued to talk amongst themselves (loudly) about who said this and that, who cussed who, who dissed, who kissed, nicked, started, shagged, all the while continuing to ask passers by for fags. Eventually an older boy, not of school age, arrived with another uniformed girl & bought them a packet of cigarettes which they shared out between them. I caught my bus and watched my one year old smile and gurgle at the cooing passengers around him and I thought, how can I protect him from the horrors of the British school system?
My own experience at school was spent dealing with issues like that of the kids at the bus stop. Being ‘cool’ and fitting in was of the highest importance at secondary school. Things considered ‘cool’ were; smoking, having boyfriends/girlfriends, skipping class, modifying uniform & getting into trouble.
Things that were really uncool were; doing homework, being exceptionally good at anything (except perhaps sport), talking to teachers like they were people, staying after school for anything other than a detention and having to be home at any certain time.
I struggled academically from the very beginning of primary school. I had difficulty in maths, spelling and punctuation. Although I loved writing, everything i had ever handed in was returned to me covered in red ink. This was very disheartening as no one ever commented on what i had written, but only on how i had written it. By this method i was led to believe that what i was writing was no good. Thankfully i did carry on writing, i just stopped showing it to other people.
There were things i was noticeably good at such as art, drama, music and dance, but these things were not considered of great importance to the education system in terms of employ ability. How stupid that seems to me now.
The main thing that stood out on my school reports was that i had problems paying attention and i talked too much.
Both of these things were true and still are true to this day, although now i would write my own report as; “Has a wonderfully creative mind that really shows through great communication and social skills”.
By the third year of secondary school I had completely lost all interest and faith in education.
Years later when i attempted to return by going to college I was tested for dyslexia. When discussing my results, the examiner commented that my dyslexia was “so severe that it was a miracle i ever made it through school at all!” Which was a stupid thing to say, as I didn’t. I dropped out when i was fifteen.
I wondered for a while if this was just a British thing? In France I met teenagers who enjoyed school, they even went to school on Saturdays to use the facilities out of choice!
In the US I met teens of different cultures & backgrounds who didn’t enjoy school so much but they knew what their academic strengths were and were proud of them. they also encouraged each others talents in a competitive bid to be ‘the best’ school, team, drama club etc.
Maybe these were just optimistic kids as it turns out education systems all over the world are struggling with similar issues. I already knew that everywhere has its own share of problems, at least in the UK our kids aren’t shooting each other (as much) and at least we actually have an education system. But why can’t school be fun, and cool? Why can’t it be about encouraging interests, strengths, ideas and creativity?
Can we have a system that creates happy, motivated, socially and environmentally conscious individuals? Or is that too much too ask?
A major factor, that to me is so obvious but the system seems to ignore, is the minds of young people, how they work, what stimulates them, what is destructive to them and the importance of creativity.
The adolescent brain & body is like a funfair of chemicals and hormones still developing and going through growth spurts at a rapid rate. So it’s not surprising that being shut in a classroom and forced to listen to an often unmotivated speaker for hours on end does not work for everybody. I remember being in class and feeling like I might die from a combination of boredom and claustrophobia.
Some teachers are fun and extremely motivated but they are also trapped by a system and curriculum that does not cater for the highly emotional and distracted teenager.
The answer for these kids now is behavioural drugs program’s that often stifle creative minds, repress emotions and suppress personalities.
There are people who are good at maths and there always will be. Generally when people are good at something they enjoy doing it, so let them! Encourage them, challenge them, but don’t try to force a naturally talented artist to do algebra if they don’t want to. It’s a pointless exercise. Instead teach everyone how to budget and keep accounts relevant to everyday life and then let them excel at their natural abilities.
The same goes for sciences, another collection of subjects that are regarded of the highest importance when it comes to scoring school board statistics. For those who love physics, chemistry and/or biology let them do more while others choose to learn Japanese. Basic sciences, i.e how things work, can be taught to everyone in early years & then where relevant in other subjects. The only science that should be considered compulsory is environmental, because it effects everybody, and in fact, especially young people.
I’ve believed for a long time that introducing courses of cognitive and
dialectical behaviour therapies into a class like PSE (personal social education) could do wonders for learning to control emotions, dealing with personal issues, encouraging clear communication, focus and tackling problems like bullying.
This may also deal with those problem kids that so obviously need help and attention rather than punishment. But the school lacks the staff, finance, training, facilities and time to do so.
I have talked to teachers, students, parents, graduates with degrees & PhDs, professionals and everyday people about their hopes, fears, failures and successes within education and they all have one thing in common.
They all have ideas for how education can be changed, fixed and improved. Which suggests, in case you haven’t noticed, that right now it isn’t working so well.
These were just some of my ideas based on my own experience of a system that failed me. They may be not be good or bad, wrong or right, they are just ideas.
Originally Published @ cusscake.blogspot.co.uk
November 8 2012 16:15 Pacific Standard Time
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