Our Education System is Failing our Children
The education system is broken. Did you know this? If you’ve ever had a conversation with me, you know! The thing I am most passionate about is fixing it. By my friends, I am known for working education into any conversation. They mention it for fun to watch me get worked up about it. Why does this issue weigh so heavy on my heart? Aren’t I meant to be battling with the healthcare system? Tackling ableism? Climate change? Yes. That is exactly why.
Our education system is the root cause of all our problems. I believe this to the core of my being. It is not just what we are taught but how, our attitude towards learning, that is detrimental to our wellbeing in the long term. By treating creative subjects as less valuable we oppress whole groups of people. Never mind the fact that creativity is considered the main thing that differentiates us from computers and nature, the thing that makes us human. By not teaching ‘soft skills’ like communication and compassion our world lacks empathy and emotional intelligence. By segregating children using age we send the message that age dictates intelligence, we stagnate their abilities to form friendships, we do not prepare them for ‘the real world’. By keeping children in school we ignore their potential. By forcing them to do exams that only serve the institutions and league tables, we are knowingly damaging the growth of their brains.
We exclude education about sexuality, disability, philosophy and so much more, to the peril of our society.
Perhaps the saddest part is that most teachers know this, and do not agree with it, but are too burnt out to advocate for real change. Teachers are victims of this system too, overworked, underpaid, despite working in one of the most important professions in the world. The fact that only 51% of people support teachers striking in the UK is frankly a disgrace. The truth is, the system is broken and children and teachers deserve so much better.
It’s not comfortable to think about because it’s not ‘safe’. It means changing things. Creating a world in which grades are used to categorise and limit people seems better because we don’t have to look at the real problems. We can focus on the lie of school > exam > university > exam > job and be distracted from innovation. But this is not learning. This is brainwashing.
Thankfully, education is also the route to every solution. If we change the education system, we can change society.
Education is the root of every problem.
Education is the route to every solution.
For more, listen to my podcast Accountabili-tea with Dr Debra Kidd!
