Is our education system failing us?
As someone who has recently exited the U.S. educational system and working to figure out my place in our global society, I’ve been pondering some questions that require continued exploration and consideration.
Simply put: How do we unlock the highest collective potential of the human species?
With the strongest computing resources in the history of mankind at our fingertips, how do we distill the lessons of those that came before us and avoid having history repeat itself? How do we utilize technology to allow for the creativity naturally present in young minds to flourish instead of acting as vehicles of divisiveness and bigotry?
The global structure of education has an unparalleled opportunity to shape the minds of our youth and future of our world. They are missing the mark and oftentimes focusing on artificially created goalposts that set a poor precedent for the most important factors of living a healthy, fulfilling life.
What evidence is there to back these contentious claims? One that I find particularly compelling is the staggering size of the self improvement market. Regardless of the true dollar figure associated with this industry, this programming and content is undoubtedly growing in popularity as the percentage of anxious, depressed and unfulfilled in our society skyrocket.
If our educational institutions were more focused on preparing our youth for the realities of life and offered tried methods/habits to face these inevitable difficulties perhaps this market wouldn’t flourish as much as it has.
Education leaders, policymakers, teachers and parents need to collaborate to hardwire positive, productive habits into our younger generations. More effort needs to be spent into equipping our youth to make informed and deliberate daily decisions ranging from how they treat others, to what they put into their bodies, to how they manage their finances, to what professions they would like to pursue.
Can we apply agile methodologies that have led to massive success in the private sector to our educational endeavors? How can educators maintain fresh, relevant curriculum as well as iterate based on successes and failures in the classroom?
There is no shortage of obstacles and challenges we face as a global community. The barrier to entry for educating oneself is lower than it has ever been.
The question now becomes how can we impart our collective wisdom to young minds earlier so they are able to develop a growth mindset and face our world’s issues head on?
