The Game We Play With School
At some point, we come to realize that school is a game
When I was in middle school, my school had me take the SAT. It was the first time I had ever seen one, but I still scored pretty decently. Yet, it was confusing — and not just because the math problems resembled puzzles more than they did assessments of my ability to do math. I was told that the SAT would be used to assess us and would help colleges determine if they would admit a student.
“So the SAT measures how smart I am?” I asked.
“No, you’re still smart,” replied my mom from the front of the car. “But you need to do well on the SAT for college.”
That didn’t make sense. If the SAT didn’t measure intelligence according to my reputable mother, then why did it matter what I scored on it? Regardless, I had to take the test and do well on it.
As I later discovered, that resolution marked the beginning of my growing skepticism with tests, school, and, eventually, the education system as a whole.
From a fairly young age, many kids realize that applying to college and doing well in school is like a game. It doesn’t matter if the game makes sense — if playing and winning is what it takes to make money, achieve our goals, and make everyone happy, then that’s what it takes.
