What We’re Taught

Student Blogging Challenge – Special: Blog Action Day (BAD 2016)

The Blog Action Day occurs annually on October 16th. Since this is the first time I have ever competed in the student blogging challenge, this is the first time I have ever heard about it. Usually, there is a specific topic that bloggers are asked the write about, but this year is different. We have simply been asked to write about something we are passionate about, and that we wish to see changed or improved.

I, as an individual, am extremely passionate about many, many things. So, I would like to write about something that has only recently come to the front of my attention; what we are taught at school.

Okay, I know this probably sounds bad, but hear me out on this one. From the moment we can walk and talk, we are sent to school. Actually, it is a requirement of law that every child/youth attends school until they approach the age of 18, or until they have a full-time job. Even then, most schools won’t let you drop out until you complete year 10. So, for the first 12 to 14 years of our lives, for at least 200 days out of a year, we are sent to ‘learn’.

Now, that is not my problem. I am mostly fine with the amount of time we spend at school. It is the content that we absorb there that I have an issue with. If we think about it, kindy, pre-primary and year 1 are spent learning to read, write and count. That is all well and good, all are things that we are going to use throughout the rest of our lives. From then on we are taught a bit more content. Things get harder, and we are introduced to concepts such as science and history. We do some research projects on things we might never re-visit again in our lives. We are told to be unique but are taught the same way as everybody else when, in fact, not everyone learns the same way. We are taught how to pass tests. 

Then, when we get to High School, we are taught much of the same stuff, only harder again. By the time people, students, youth, are in high school, most have some  kind of idea of who  they are and what they like. Many want to try new things and find out what they are really  good at.

In my time at High School, I’ve revisited subjects time and time again to go over harder concepts. Much of the stuff that we learn, we might never use again in our lives, ever, unless we go into a specific field as a career. I’ve also been told a lot of things, as I know many of my classmates might have also been told. Things like:

“You can’t be successful if you don’t get a job and make money”

“You will never get a job if you do not do well at everything

“Art is not a Career”

“Doing what you love will never get you anywhere, only hard work”

“You can never be happy if you are not successful at work”

We/I might not have been told these things directly, but this is what I have been hearing and feeling. However, I don’t agree with the statements above.

A success is not measured by how much money you make. How ludicrous is that! I believe a success is something that you class as an achievement, and that makes you happy! For example, recently I put my hand up to be project coordinator for the Kalbarri Comedy Crew. I had to write a grant, I had to write scripts, I had to coordinate meetings and people, I had to sacrifice my own time, I had to do some extraordinary things; things I never thought I would do at 14. I put a whole lot of work and extra hours into that project, and it all paid off! The best part of it though is that every moment of it, I enjoyed. At the end, when it was all over, I was happy. I made absolutely no money out of this project and put in more than $500 of voluntary work in for it. But to me, the project, the responses, the whole thing, it was all a massive success!

I am not good at everything. I LOVE the arts, and if I most definitely can make a career out of that. Over the past three years, I have proven that to myself more than ever. I will not longer let anyone tell me that it is not a career, nor that it will never get me anywhere. I have done some amazing things through art. I have met the most beautiful and inspirational people. I have learned so many new things, and I have discovered so many new pathways. I am successful, and I am happy!

My point is, alongside our education, we are told that we can only be successful if we are a certain way. That there are only so many options for a career. But that is not true. What I want to see being taught at schools is a proper career education! Things like running a comedy business, being an Aerial Performer, a puppeteer, they are all ‘jobs’! Blowing stuff up, or discovering new fish species can make you money. Doing things that you love can bring you success!

I want to see gifts being nurtured, rather than being disregarded. Someone writes brilliant stories? Nurture that. A girl struggles with math but, can figure skate like no one else? Nurture that. A person does exceptional art? Or write poetry? Don’t tell them that is not a career, nurture that!

All in all, I would love to see less mainstreaming and more opportunity. I’d appreciate being given opportunities to find out what I really want to do, as well as finding out what career options are actually out there. This stuff doesn’t have to be for everyone, not everyone wants that. But those that do are going to fight for it, and I would love to see that kind of change in what we are taught at school.

And there is my little B.A.D 2016 post! I would genuinely like to know what people think of this post. Let me know in the comments.

Apologies for this post being so long!

Yours faithfully,

Grace.

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