Education over Industry

What is education? The definition provided in the Canadian Dictionary is “a development in knowledge, skill, ability or character by teaching, training, study or experience”.  Since I was only five years old, my life has revolved around school.  I am 21 years old, and while my life has taken alternative routes along the way, I have constantly been drawn back to the path that is education.   However, over the past few months, I have become rather dissatisfied with the institution of education. 

There was not a particular incident that was a catalyst for this great dissatisfaction that has gained strength over the past few months; but about three weeks ago, as pressures began to mount regarding final assignments, I suddenly felt myself move into pilot mode.  I would awake at 8:00 am to the glaring beep of my alarm, get dressed, walk to school with i-pod in ear, without a single care of the people passing me by.  I would go to class, raise my hand at the right times and answer with the right answers.  I did not even acknowledge that I was in this mode until one Tuesday afternoon when I went to visit one of my professors regarding a midterm that I wanted to improve upon.  There was one particular question on the midterm that I did not seem to answer to the full expectations of the professor.  I distinctly remember asking “What do you want?”.  The prof responded by stating “I want you to decide what you want”.  This response seemed odd and a bit frustrating to me at the time because I was so used to professors fully explaining their expectations and then giving us “room” to regurgitate the information provided in class and in the text.  As I continued to reflect upon that response, I began to question how I came to this point.  How did I become someone who is okay with simply taking a professor’s opinion as fact without finding my own truth?  When did I choose to think in conventional ways? When did I decide to choose marks above and beyond personal truth?

As I began to ponder these things, I thought of one place where the people are not ruled by straight lines or limiting boundaries.  I volunteer at an after-school program that promotes healthy activity combined with a healthy mind on Thursday afternoons.  The children that participate in this program are kids who do not have the best discipline and who find it difficult to listen to instructions, they find it hard to follow the rules.  At times, these Thursday afternoons can be frustrating to me, as an adult who is so accustomed to simply giving instructions and expecting them to be followed…however, that is simply not how these kids work.  They do not let others speak for them; rather they stand up for what they desire, where their passions lie.  They choose to run in a circle instead of a straight line; they choose to stand up rather than sit down.  Now, I understand that rules are instilled in children from a small age so that they can learn self-discipline, respect for authority, and it clearly assists in the facilitation of classroom learning; however, I wonder if the desire for chaos that is so readily available in children can be obtained once again in adulthood?

I came to university to learn.  However, that thirst for knowledge has become something quite different.  The desire for that piece of paper that has my name written on it has become my life’s goal.  Lately, I have felt that the thousands of dollars that each of us pay for our education is really for a piece of white paper with some ink and a signature scratched on the bottom.  The education system has become an industry.  How do I get that childlike curiosity back? How do I move from a place of pure autonomy, to a place that craves community within my university experience? How do I strip myself of the fears that might “get me in trouble”, and simply do? How do I walk in a circle or stand up when I’m supposed to sit down?