Another Tuesday means another blog from yours truly. Thank you for your kind messages of condolences for last week's blog dedicated to my late great-uncle Blue Moon.
This time of year usually signals the start of a doom-and-gloom period that students up and down the country face: exams. I've always found it fascinating (in a bad way) of how a score out of 100 or an A, B, C, D grade etc has a way of deciding your fate in life. A video was circulating on my FB feed and before I continue with this post, it's worth watching first: Spoken Word.
It's hard-hitting, provocative and puts things into perspective. Whilst going to school and doing your best in exams is important, I believe that we've reached a point in our education system where everything we do and who we are has turned into a mesh of numbers and letters. I strongly encourage everyone to have some form of qualifications so that they have something to fall back to because we don't know what life may throw at us. However, we focus so much on results and achieving targets that we forget to enjoy educating ourselves and learn new things.
As Suli Breaks says: "I love education, but hate school" because it is not people, their abilities or their potential that is flawed. It is our system: it is not flexible, broad, open to creativity or different types of learning. I remember being in sixth form and the only option our teachers told us "was to go to university" in order to become successful. Those who did not make it to sixth form or university, were often looked down upon as "drop-outs" and regarded with disdain. Education does not necessarily mean sitting at a desk, numbly copying what your teacher/lecturer says and memorising it. Education comes in different forms: I would encourage everyone to read as much as they can about anything and everything or travel if they can. Reading opens your mind to different ways of thinking and seeing things. People who are informed tend to read, listen and apply it in their understanding of the world that surrounds us.
As a student, I understand the crippling fear of receiving a bad mark and how easy it is to think: "oh no, I'm not going to get a decent job." Do your best, it is all we can do and remember that your eventual outcome in life is not tied to a grade. We never know where we will work, live or end up - having a positive, can-do attitude in general to anything often carries people further than they think. Work hard, but enjoy whatever it is that you study, work or do. We are all exceptional, capable people who each have the potential to be something great in our lives: the moment we believe, accept and apply this to ourselves, the more we will be kind to ourselves and not beat ourselves up over little things. Head up, keep smiling and have a positive attitude: this life is yours so take it.
**This is my last blog for April. However I will be back at the end of May. Thank you to my regular readers and to my new readers: I hope you enjoy my work and stay with me. Your support and encouragement is incredible and means so much to me. Thank you. On that note I'll leave you with this: The Happy Thinking song. If you wish to contact me please do so via avidscribbler1@gmail.com - Thanks.**
This time of year usually signals the start of a doom-and-gloom period that students up and down the country face: exams. I've always found it fascinating (in a bad way) of how a score out of 100 or an A, B, C, D grade etc has a way of deciding your fate in life. A video was circulating on my FB feed and before I continue with this post, it's worth watching first: Spoken Word.
It's hard-hitting, provocative and puts things into perspective. Whilst going to school and doing your best in exams is important, I believe that we've reached a point in our education system where everything we do and who we are has turned into a mesh of numbers and letters. I strongly encourage everyone to have some form of qualifications so that they have something to fall back to because we don't know what life may throw at us. However, we focus so much on results and achieving targets that we forget to enjoy educating ourselves and learn new things.
As Suli Breaks says: "I love education, but hate school" because it is not people, their abilities or their potential that is flawed. It is our system: it is not flexible, broad, open to creativity or different types of learning. I remember being in sixth form and the only option our teachers told us "was to go to university" in order to become successful. Those who did not make it to sixth form or university, were often looked down upon as "drop-outs" and regarded with disdain. Education does not necessarily mean sitting at a desk, numbly copying what your teacher/lecturer says and memorising it. Education comes in different forms: I would encourage everyone to read as much as they can about anything and everything or travel if they can. Reading opens your mind to different ways of thinking and seeing things. People who are informed tend to read, listen and apply it in their understanding of the world that surrounds us.As a student, I understand the crippling fear of receiving a bad mark and how easy it is to think: "oh no, I'm not going to get a decent job." Do your best, it is all we can do and remember that your eventual outcome in life is not tied to a grade. We never know where we will work, live or end up - having a positive, can-do attitude in general to anything often carries people further than they think. Work hard, but enjoy whatever it is that you study, work or do. We are all exceptional, capable people who each have the potential to be something great in our lives: the moment we believe, accept and apply this to ourselves, the more we will be kind to ourselves and not beat ourselves up over little things. Head up, keep smiling and have a positive attitude: this life is yours so take it.
**This is my last blog for April. However I will be back at the end of May. Thank you to my regular readers and to my new readers: I hope you enjoy my work and stay with me. Your support and encouragement is incredible and means so much to me. Thank you. On that note I'll leave you with this: The Happy Thinking song. If you wish to contact me please do so via avidscribbler1@gmail.com - Thanks.**
4 comments:
Good luck in your exams. We can SO do this!!! Looking forward to reading more posts in May
Such a wonderful post! It does put things into perspective. We should never forget what the real meaning of education is and we should stop being so tied to grades. Education is a wonderful journey not a piece of paper full or other people's judgements.
Good luck with you exams! and can't wait you to be back in May :)
In principle I agree...but sadly the reality is different..I have been working 25 years now, and can say that unless people have grades (preferably firsts from a Redbrick) employers don't bother even considering them for a job...so if education is about vocation, you need the grades...if it is about expanding the mind then all you have said is true,,,but if you think UK education system is rgid you should see India's..all that matters is the result, you are not expected to think ( 3 Idiots wasn't the top grossing Hindi film of all time for no reason)...I once worked in an engineering firm, where they gave a job out to India...who did not come up with a good solution because they are not taught to read literature and lacked imagination..they had all the maths but not the expanded minds so could not think outside of the box...it is all about why you educate yourself
Good luck - go ace it.
Sorry to hear about your uncle. Convey my condolences to your grand ma also.
Keep writing
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