HW 42: More Research and More Thinking

Is Society successful in structuring our education system in a way where structure overrides creative thinking? In other words, are they turning us into puppets or encouraging us to become free thinkers?

Society has successfully convinced us to tailor ourselves into an extremely structured environment where we are taught the things they/we believe should be taught and where we create the kinds of goals they pressure us into feeling we should have. After pinning us down and forcing children books, math, and visions of being a scientist or a politician down our throats, we now swallow them voluntarily and are even paying good money to do so (myself included). From my interviews, I've came to the conclusion that we should be deciding our life goals based on life experiences, and not solely on the things we learn in school and from textbooks. It's also wrong, the amount of pressure that is put on students these days, through grades, and classes, and testing etc. In my opinion, education should allow more free thinking and provide a more flexible curriculum where students would be motivated by their interests rather than getting that next A and doing their society and parents proud.

Given my personal experiences, I think a lot of my efforts are motivated by my parents and the idea that excelling in a class means you're smart, and that you're approved of, that you're good enough. Coming from a family with 7 other female cousins, all around the same age as me, and all competing for our family's recognition, made it seem even more necessary to fit in. I'm glad that I've got the chance to learn about all this stuff, but like many others, the structure grows old and your crave for learning, your curiosity isn't met by the classes they provide. I start to lack incentive and motivation. I start to question what is the point? I don't even know what I really want anymore because I've been blinded by the intense focus I had for school over the years.

School doesn't provide the experience that is needed to determine a life's path. It only provides you with facts and knowing facts isn't going to help us find out what we want to do with our lives as Imani said. It'll maybe get a lot of us to become puppets of society one day, but I think a lot of people are realizing that now and are attempting to find something they are passionate about that they can do with their lives. So I guess my point is, students now realize that we need more of an incentive to succeed in life than what education has to offer. We need to discover what we love, what we enjoy doing, what will make our life worthwhile, as opposed to just going through the motions and letting the government decide what we will contribute to society.