America has some of the brightest minds in the world, who are constantly making new discoveries and advancements in our society. Yet, the structure of America’s educational system does not cultivate and foster this. These individuals are such, despite the educational system.
Growing up, I attended a variety of schools all over America and the world— public, private, international, large, small, diverse, etc… and I love all of my schools and my experiences at each one of them. So, I don't deny the fact that education plays a monumental and vital role in the integrity and well-being of society. However, being exposed to such contrasting arrays of educational ideologies, I am led to believe that, generally speaking, America’s educational philosophy is lacking— it is inadequate in fostering creativity, imagination, and individuality— components that are essential for true innovation.
"...it is inadequate in fostering creativity, imagination, and individuality— components that are essential for true innovation."
I learned a lot from my elementary, middle, and high school years. As a child, I was placed in Gifted and Talented classes, in addition to regular classes; in high school, I took both AP classes and on-level classes. Yet, if you ask me today, I cannot state the names and dates of the battles that I had laboriously memorized for my AP United States history class. I cannot give you an example of the misogyny seen in Shakespeare's Hamlet. I cannot name all the layers of the Earth's crust or atmosphere, nor can I tell you what a peroxisome does in a cell. Then, what actually have I learned?
MY EDUCATION
I learned, early on, from my placement into Gifted and Talented classes, that I was different. I hadn’t yet realized exactly how, but I understood that I was placed in this particular class for a reason— it was meant to foster certain attributes of my cognition.
"...about culture, music, art. About outer space, the galaxy, and the beginning of time."
I was taught about Greek and Roman architecture. About the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment. I was instructed about culture, music, art. About outer space, the galaxy, and the beginning of time.
"...it was a gift to be celebrated, not hidden."
I began to understand that I thought in a different way and that it was a gift to be celebrated, not hidden. I was encouraged to manifest obscure aspects of my creativity and imagination. With every project I was assigned, I felt motivated to make mine different from the previous one; I was compelled to put my heart into it, whether I had an extraordinary interest in it or not. I read a lot, not merely to fulfill academic requirements, but because I loved reading books— reading about people's lives and accomplishments, the outcomes of their imagination, the expression of their passion. I developed to love reading as a child— to value knowledge and education.
Further, I started to recognize that my teachers and my peers liked me. More than for my intelligence, they liked me for my work ethic, dedication, and drive. Hence, I began building strong work habits as an adolescent. I believe the importance of teacher and peer admiration plays an extremely underrated factor, yet it is enormously important in a child's educational career— it can either make it or break it. I know many intelligent people, who think that they are not, simply because they think differently from others. Yet, it is these particular individuals— those who are able to think in novel, deviating manners— that allow for humankind's greatest ideas. On the other hand, I know people who are not extraordinarily intelligent, yet, who are very successful in their academics, career and life. This leads me to believe that intelligence is an intricate interplay between genetics, societal influence, and individual will.
"...intelligence is an intricate interplay between genetics, societal influence, and individual will."
As I continued to advance in my studies, I made deliberate efforts to accept people for their differences. I went to numerous public elementary schools, in both affluent and inner city areas and I attended three high schools in three countries— attending a top tier private international school in Seoul, South Korea. And at my last school in Tokyo, I somehow managed to graduate as valedictorian of my class.
Having had such a diverse background in learning has not only had a huge influence in molding me academically and professionally, but it also played a monumental role in molding me as an individual. I was opened to a diversity of beliefs, cultures, peoples, and ways of living. My international schools essentially resembled a mini United Nations. We had people from every continent and countless countries, each who had different upbringings and ways of life— I was immersed in a conglomeration of intriguing thoughts, perspectives and opinions.
My educational background is very diversified and accomplished, yet, I do not mainly attribute my level of intelligence in any of these educational systems, per say. It was the social and cultural aspects of them that make me who I am today.
WHAT I LEARNED
In elementary school, I learned to embrace my unique ways of thinking. I was encouraged to explore areas of learning and culture. In middle school, I became aware of the fact that people are individuals and that each place has its own beliefs and ideas. In high school, I learned to accept these differences and matured to manifest them in uniting people of differing backgrounds— I delved into how these differences could be used in a positive manner.
It is these facets of my education that have enabled me to strive for my true potential, not the actual structure itself. America’s educational schema has many admirable traits: accessibility, affordability, skill-development, vocational-training, etc... Yet, there are equally as many areas in which it is lacking: funding deficits, de-emphasis in music and arts, teacher shortages, school violence, etc... the list is endless.
"We need to individualize students’ education."
IDEAL GOAL
Schools should be getting students ready for the real world— equipped to conquer the obstacles they will inevitably face, apt to handle whatever life has in store for them. In addition to focusing on the factual knowledge (which I think is fascinatingly and enormously important), I posit that schools should be aiming to broaden childrens' visions, foster their motivation, and cultivate their imagination, instead of repressing them. We need to individualize students’ education. We should strive to teach them to want to learn, so that even after they graduate, they will never cease to grow and enlighten themselves. However, it is economically, politically and logistically foolish to think schools can do this on their own—this is where parents and family come into play.
MY WONDERFUL PARENTS
My parents pushed me to excel— I lived in the library on weekends. They helped me with school projects when I was young. When I was in elementary school, my mom insisted that I go through my multiplication tables after dinner; she would congratulate me as I completed them and I felt on top of the world. My parents would patiently listen and lovingly laugh as I irritated them with my never ending encores of School House Rock songs (they can still probably sing ‘Interplanet Janet,’ as can my sisters, hehe). My parents cultivated our love for books and played along, as my sisters and I pretended to be librarians and forced them to “check out” a Magic Tree House or Encyclopedia Brown book from our “library” (our closet); we even made them their own library cards (no comment).
"...learning is not a chore; it is a way of living."
In middle school, my mom would stay up to 12:00, sewing together a Queen Guinevere costume for my presentation at school. My mom and dad would be my audience as I rehearsed those presentations over and over (though I can’t promise they stayed awake through all my renditions). From a young age, they developed me to believe and showed me that learning is not a chore; it is a way of living.
As I grew older and acquired more complex information, my parents could no longer help me with the content or explain the confusing concepts and material— they simply trusted that I could do it myself. And so I did. I struggled sometimes, but they had raised me to believe that I could conquer anything and everything. And every so often, I would teach and share information with them, topics that I thought were interesting or that I knew my parents would enjoy learning about. This not only solidified my learning, but it also further increased my interest in the subject matters. My parents are incredible for an infinite amount of reasons, but one is definitely that they made my sisters’ and my education a priority.
MY OLDER SISTERS
"My parents cultivated our love for books..."
My sisters, too, played an underrated, yet, significant role in advancing my schooling. Both my sisters, Deborah and Grace, are older than me. So, growing up, I was stimulated to learn the things that they were learning. Additionally, when we were young, we would trade books (from our individual libraries, of course), after we were done with our own. In car rides, we would quiz each other the trivia on the BrainQuest flashcards and sing Fifty-Nifty or The Preamble.
In middle school, as I occasionally helped them with their school assignments (largely restricted to cutting and gluing paper for their posters), I subconsciously read their reports and absorbed bits and pieces of the material.
I grew older and expanded my collection of knowledge and I was able to participate in some of their discussions, learning a wealth and wider range of information. I heard their advanced vocabulary usage and improved my own word bank and I became the audience for their presentations, when my parents were occupied. I read over their essays and they edited and critiqued mine. I was also exposed to how they studied, allowing me to sometimes emulate their study strategies.
"I was always in a learning environment..."
I was always in a learning environment— so I grew accustomed to and developed a love of learning. This is what we should strive towards. Schools, teachers, families, parents, brothers, sisters, and friends— we should aim to stimulate students’ desire to learn, from a young age.
STANDARDIZED TESTS
As much as politicians and educators would like to believe, learning does not, largely, occur by force or by mere attendance and participation— it occurs by passion and will. Consequently, we should not focus on the “results” of learning, as popularly recognized by standardized tests, although these results are important. Realistically speaking, we need these to asses the overall progress of a school, city, or country’s educational progress. Yet, the standardized testing system is not perfect, despite our best efforts. It is a flawed ideology used to measure an individual’s level of intelligence. This is simply due to the fact that we neither fully comprehend the concept of intelligence nor the inner workings of the brain and mind. So, to use this erroneous system to determine and label the adequacy and potential of an individual, especially at a young age, can have detrimental effects. (Einstein couldn’t talk until he was four; he couldn’t read until he was ten. Imagine how much today's society would be set back if Einstein had been put on medication or believed his ideas were too different to be true.)
"...they could learn in a distinct manner or at a slower pace."
Just because a child does not perform at par with other children does not necessarily determine their intellectual abilities— they could learn in a distinct manner or at a slower pace. At the same time, we should not completely disregard the results of these tests and their implications— we need to find the intricate, perfect balance between these two polars. But under no circumstance, should we be telling these students that they are incompetent, that their dreams are too unrealistic and stupid, resulting in the suppression of their will to learn or their individuality.
America’s educational system is not the only one that is flawed; none are perfect. Some are too strict and competitive; others are virtually non-existent. Yet, if America wants to continue leading in growth and change, it needs to restructure and re-examine how it is educating and developing its future leaders— the cost of its current system is the death of creativity, innovation, and genius.
