The Game of Education
During my first few semesters at college, I learned that being successful in school is less about being exceptionally intelligent and more about knowing how to play the game. In fact, the entire education system, beginning from the primary level, is a game that’s rigged and does not treat all players equally.
I’ve had the great privilege of having education be guaranteed throughout my life. With the support of a caring family and talented educators, I grew to be a well-rounded student who excelled in most of his classes. Now, as a university student nearing graduation, I plan to continue onto my graduate studies in hopes of becoming a professor and mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers as an educator.
Although I have succeeded thus far as a student, I refuse to sit idle and watch others remain at a disadvantage. Students should not be separated into winners and losers. Education is the most empowering tool an individual can have. If we want to truly change the world, we need to ensure everyone can have a good education such that they are enabled to change the world themselves.
Who is winning and who is losing?
As it stands, education at all levels is not accessible enough to the people who need it the most. It’s not accessible to people who live in areas where school systems are underdeveloped and lack the means to seek a better education elsewhere. It falls short of catering to current students who have trouble learning through conventional teaching methods. The rules have been written to benefit those who come from privileged backgrounds and have extensive support from their communities to pursue their studies.
Our educators are often put in a position where they struggle to complete their job. Many K-12 schools lack adequate funding to support teachers with a reasonable salary and students with the educational tools they need. At the university level, tenure-track professors lack the bandwidth to focus on their classes as well as their research, leaving undergraduate education at expense. University lecturers are paid a fraction of a professor’s earnings while often being expected to teach multiple classes a semester and maintain their own research agenda.
It may seem like I am winning the game of education, but I am in favor of flipping the table and letting the game pieces fly everywhere, as long as we all contribute to setting the playing board back up in a way that helps more students succeed.
So where do we start?
I hope to focus on higher education reform in the long term. With the access to technology continuing to grow, incorporating more technology into the classroom is a practical way to cater to the learning needs of all students. We must progress from dated systems of assessing students based on their ability to regurgitate information instead of applying it in useful and innovative ways.
Currently I work with a research group interested in using virtual reality as a platform to teach concepts in materials science and engineering. By designing VR modules to supplement core curriculum, we study how individuals with different levels of experience can benefit from this new approach. While there is still work to be done to determine the efficacy of such tools, we must use technology to our advantage as much as possible.
I also want to focus on inclusive enrollment initiatives. Many universities already have programs to help students from underrepresented minorities make the transition into a four-year institution. I think more progress can be made in terms of providing support throughout their time in university, whether that takes the form of financial or emotional support or providing other resources. I credit my success in school to my teachers who believed I could achieve great things. If a student has a role model who believes in their ability to succeed, that can relieve a lot of the anxiety surrounding the college experience.
Ultimately, many problems the education industry currently faces are financial issues. Governments and corporations must make funding education a priority. Teachers cannot do their job effectively if they are held back by money. Schools should be funded such that teachers can creatively energize their classrooms, making teaching both a noble and a practical profession.
In higher education, the longstanding system of professorships should be reconsidered. I dream of being a professor who can conduct research, teach, and pursue education reform. However, I acknowledge that no one can effectively pursue all three efforts at once. If universities prioritized supporting lecturers and research scientists whose responsibilities both contribute to the operations of a research institution, the burden could be split amongst many able people.
You don’t have to be the CEO of the next big EdTech startup to make a difference. Volunteering at local schools is a great way to spark curiosity in children who may need a path to follow. I found my passion for helping others by serving as a mentor for at-risk students in elementary schools. Promoting education enrichment in our local communities is a widely accessible way for more people to contribute to education reform.
The largest impact an individual can have on their community is by enabling others to become agents of change. It is not enough to climb the ladder to success; one must help those who are not as fortunate climb the ladder as well.
