1. How has your experience of school shaped you as a
learner, and as an adult?
2. In what ways do you think your own schooling could have
been improved, and what priorities do you think are the most important for
schools today?
I
think my experience at school came short when it comes to delivering a sense of
community and historical awareness. Most of the learning I consider meaningful was
incidental. Basically, school unintentionally provided a physical space where I
could get together with other people my age and learn by imitation how to
perform the social roles expected in the socioeconomic context I was born into.
There was no sense of transcendence
whatsoever. In regards to formal academic input per se, I was exposed to what
somebody for reasons unknown to me had deemed relevant. Learning fuelled by curiosity did not find a
friendly niche at school. Education was
analogous to complying to a set of rules and repeating information on command.
I
feel my schooling could have been more meaningful had it shown me the relevance
of being an active member in my community. It should have shown me how align my
abilities and interests with a social project. I was never explicitly taught
soft skills which I consider to be the foundation of a vibrant and healthy
society. Luckily, I joined the boy scouts when I was seven years old. That
experience kept me on the right track since the ethos that structures the
institution points towards helping children become a positive force in the
community they are part of and the world at large. Even though I am not part of the Boy Scouts
anymore, I can safely say that they planted good seeds and helped me become the
kind of person I am today.
In
regards to formal education, it is my belief that schools should make sure
students understand the historical development of humanity and see society as
an organism of sorts that can be intentionally improved for the betterment of
all. This, I feel, would provide students with agency, sense of belonging, and
purpose. Students should comprehend that we have no ultimate answers and that,
with the means and scientific understanding we have at hand, we are doing our best
to come up with a narrative that helps us navigate space and time as our
imagination unfolds.
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