A Case for Asking Why — Promoting an Educational Revolution

“I hate school.”

As educators, if we were paid for how many times we heard these iconic words mumbled from the pursed lips of our students, we could retire comfortably to a remote island in the Caribbean complete with butler, private beach, and an endless supply of frozen margaritas. However, our idealistic utopia of sandy, white beaches, glimmering cocktail glasses, and 24/7 service are an elusive dream because like it or not, we truly care about our students. We were not built to give up easily.

Each year, the monotonous chant, resonates deeply within us. We pour our hearts and souls into honing and refining curriculum. We attempt to craft our required materials into unique and engaging experiences. We even try to connect to our students, using examples that apply to their own lives. However, despite our efforts to think outside of the box, despite our efforts to make learning meaningful, for most of us, the results remain the same: We are berated by the synchronous shouts of “school is stupid” or my personal favorite “when will I ever need this?” time and time again. However, this problem, the disengaged student, rests in the fact that WE, the teachers, are always the ones creating.

As a result, we leave school with our idealistic souls shattered into irretrievable fragments upon the cold, scuffed tile floors of our classrooms. The process repeats, and as the years progress, we become a little less passionate, a little less inspired, and a little less concerned. We become completely disconnected from the reason we chose to pursue the art of education in the first place. We become complacent reciters rather than innovative visionaries. We become safe and cautious rather than adventurous and creative. We become everything we used to hate. We close ourselves in a world of boxes and find comfort within those walls. We are ruled by indifference and fear. We mirror the sentiments of our students.

Slowly, almost subtly, our jobs are met with dread. The monotony of each day weighs on us, weighs on our students. As a result, more and more teachers choose to leave a career they used to love deeply rather than stopping to reflect on the status quo. More and more students become disengaged learners, lacking motivation and ambition. But…who is to blame then? Teachers and students are placed into an educational system that fosters nothing but resentment and disengagement. They fight an uphill battle with little reinforcements.

America is in the midst of an educational crisis. But, how do we stop this crisis? How do we stop the slow progression towards resentment and contempt for something that used to fill us with hope and passion? How do we help students to see the vital necessity of lifelong learning, pulling from their depths the intrinsic curiosity reflective of the human condition?

The key is simple: Start asking “why?” Why is this crisis even happening? Why are our students complacent students instead of committed learners? Why do our students hate school?

When looking at mission statements in educational systems across the U.S., the majority of these statements will state in some way, shape, or form that they truly value the well-being of their learners. They want to foster creative and critical thinkers that emerge from the school system with the ambition and drive to change their world. However, I argue, that modern education does not know what this phrase actually means. It is human nature to be driven by autonomy, to seek a greater purpose. Where does the current model of education provide students with these tools? When do we stop to ask our learners, “What are you passionate about?”

In a world driven by standardization and commonality, we fail to meet the individual needs of our students, setting them up to fail. Modern society is changing, and that change is rapid. Nevertheless, ingrained in American society is an outdated education system that is unable to adapt to an entirely new generation, a generation seeking seemingly unattainable innovation due to the restrictions of the current model. We mass produce the same type of student — students that when presented with a complex problem ask for step by step instructions. Students who fail to think for themselves, who do not recognize their own unique voice in this world.

Society continues to perpetuate a system meant for fast-tracked, one-size fits all results. John Dewey, noted educational mastermind, cited that the modern school system restricted students, forcing them into a specific “attitude of mind” that did nothing to “[foster] personal growth” (qtd. in West). A century later, the American school system still adheres to this limited model of knowledge acquisition.

In a world that increasingly demands autonomy, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, our schools do the opposite: we suppress student voice. Why?

We teach students to fall into submission. We show students that their experiences are all standardized. We fail to give them the tools to navigate a world that requires creative innovation and critical problem solving attributes.

Why do we keep our learners outside of the curriculum planning process when they are the ones receiving the education? Why do we not ask them to be invested in their curriculum? They know what resonates with students, and yet, they have absolutely no voice in how they learn.

What if we taught students how to empower themselves? What if we helped students develop a foundational framework that instills a passion for learning? What if we gave student voice a chance in our classroom?

Let me go off on a tangent here to showcase a larger argument.

I believe in something called the ripple effect. What I mean is that our actions affect the people around us, and often, they even go beyond that person. As humans, we have all experienced this effect. If my students say something positive to me, I am affected, even if it is a small word or a smile. This small interaction often changes my entire day. I am kinder to the people around me. I smile at everyone I walk past. I pass on my positivity to the people I meet after that small encounter. Likewise, if I am told something negative by a student, I am also affected and also pass on that negativity. Notice how many people have the potential to be affected by me, one person, due to one small interaction. This applies to students. Students change the lives of not only the people they encounter but also of people they may have never met due to the ripple effect.

You never know how one positive interaction can affect someone or even multiple people. We choose to make choices everyday, and at times, we do not realize the lasting impact of these actions. If I make a negative comment, I may start a chain reaction in which that person carries on my negativity to another person, and so on. But think about positive interactions, think about the power and potential behind positivity. What would our world be like if we were conscious of these ripple effects? The same situation applies to students and learning. When they learn that their choices impact people, that they have the power to act on problems, they are empowered with the desire to change the world. They become motivated. They become passionate. They become engaged in their world.

Imagine, if we taught students how to be creative, change agents — showed them that having passion and drive matter, not only individually, but on a global scale? Imagine if we taught students to always search for the “whys” in the world around them. Through the use of technology, students can actually view and understand people they have never physically encountered and places they have never physically been. When they work on projects to better humanity and change their world, they can actually come into contact with the people they are helping and see the true impact of their endeavors. They can view projects in which people, individuals, have taken an idea and changed the lives of the people around them. They become inspired. They become passionate. And with this combination, the influence of a person is limitless.

Students will only take advantage of a classroom integrating learner choice if learners recognize that their choice is valued by the larger group, recognize that their voice is integral, recognize that their choice has an effect. When students are provided with an illusion of choice, they quickly recognize the illusory dynamic. Prescriptive choice, choice within too many boxes, only results in the perpetuation of disengaged and unmotivated students. The crux of student choice is the integration of student passions and the continuous recognition of student value within the classroom. Coexistence of passion and recognition of student worth in the classroom are pivotal when developing engaged and invested students.

Engaged and invested students, students with drive, ambition, motivation, and the capacity to innovate — these students still begin with teachers. These students will always begin with teachers. Working as a team, student and teacher, we can change our educational crisis. Teach students how to learn; don’t tell them what to learn. Teach students the importance of asking why, challenging an ineffective status quo — AND OUR INFLUENCE IS LIMITLESS.