Humanity and regulation

Why do children and teenagers have to go to school? Answer: "to be moulded into the Government approved homogeneous drone that will disable you to think outside of the prescribed consensus and curriculum. If you think outside of the box, you will fail. If you question anything you are told or undermine any sense of authority, you will fail. You will learn to repeat information instead of learning how to think independently for yourself so that you do not threaten the status quo and norms of society. You will graduate, get a job and pay your taxes in order to perpetuate the corporate system of indentured servitude. "

Currently airing on British television channel C4, is Educating Yorkshire - a documentation of the outcome of cameras being placed in a British secondary school over the period of a year. A secondary school in Essex, the county that I live in, has previously partaken in the programme and it is apparent that there are plans to record various secondary schools across Britain; as the secondary school that my Uncle teaches at, Heathcoate School, based in the sub-urban London district of Chingford, was offered to participate in a series of "Educating Heathcoate". As aforementioned, the schools are offered £15,000 to allow Channel 4 access to record the school for the period of a year. Although my Uncle's school thankfully declined, there are many secondary school's that will happily accept in the hope of receiving positive feedback and boosting publicity for the school. 

However, it seems that although allowing viewers an insight to the running of British Secondary School's may have some mildly humorous aspects, it is in-fact, more alarming than anything else

Tweets under the hashtag #EducatingYorkshire include:

"For the whole programme the teachers defend the bullies and the bullied boy blames himself for reacting to bullies? #EducatingYorkshire"

James Buckley, English actor and musician, tweeted about the programme twice, quoting:

"Watchin #educatingyorkshire wrong mentality, its nt the responsibility of bullied kids 2 learn 2 put up with bad treatment. Punish bullies!"

"It's the schools failure for not stopping the bullying #EducatingYorkshire"

Aisleyne, reality star, actress, columnist and media personality wrote:

"I'm watching Educating Yorkshire on 4+1 and I'm fuming with the dumb blonde bullying that poor boy :( I HATE BULLY's the damage is so painful" - Aisleyne, reality star, actress, media personality and magazine columnist 

Best-selling author and psychologist, John Amaechi OBE said:

"'#EducatingYorkshire is hard to watch... If this is what passes for "handling bullying" (or anger management training) then I despair..." 

Other tweets also include:

"They're punishing him for standing up to his own bullies! #Educating Yorkshire" 

"Watching Educating Yorkshire makes me lose faith in humanity"

It is clear that the way secondary schools are run, both throughout Britain and across the world, is distressing.When entering "school makes me" in Google's search engine, it autocompletes with suggestions of: 

"School makes me depressed"
"School makes me suicidal"

School makes me sad"

and

"School makes me nervous"

Surely this should raise enough alarm and question in order to change the way in which today's youth are educated? 

Children need to be taught about humanity rather than academia.

Children need to be encouraged to be a good person, instead of how to be a successful business owner. 

Children need to be taught how to think independently, instead of how to follow rules and regulations. 

Children need to be educated on culture and sexuality - helping them to disregard all prejudice and discrimination from an early age, instead of algebra.

There needs to be more focus on creative subjects that will allow their minds to grow and create a positive vent for their emotions and feelings, such as the arts and Literature, rather than subjects consisting of  "facts" from fifty thousand years ago. 

Religious Studies should be an option, not compulsory. Appearance needs to be less of a big deal. Why does it matter what a student is wearing, if it is not hindering the performance, mind or learning? Why is it okay for the "ordinary", if you will, students to dye their hair with "natural" colourants such as blondes and browns however the "unusual" students who prefer creative, bolder colours such as reds, pinks, greens and blues aren't allowed? 

This world is so caught up in routine, normality, business, politics and money that the majority of the world's population have forgotten what we are on this Earth for, and also, how long we are on this earth for.

The average person lives for up to 28,385 days. How you wish to spend it is entirely up to you. 

I personally believe we are on this Earth to make it the most pleasant experience for ourselves and those around us. So, bus driver, you can choose not to let the homeless man on the bus because he doesn't have sufficient funds to pay the fare. You're following the rules and regulations handed to you in the guidebook. Well done. But when your time is up - your work is not going to come with you. Your money is not going to come with you. They will continue in the circle of life. Someone else will replace you in your job. Your money will end up at thousands of other banks, in the wallets of thousands of other people, passed from person to person in exchange for goods, services, trade. To end up who know's where? a vending machine, a child's birthday card, a charity donation box... 

But you are your soul; therefore your soul will be accompanying you to the grave, to the beyond, to the heavens or the hells, what ever you believe in. So ask yourself again, what is more important? Following the rules of a job you're most likely only in so that you can continue to exist, or making someone's day and life that bit easier and restoring their faith in humanity?

Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. Then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present of future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. - Dalai Lama 

Share your comments below! 

Why I hate school but love education

A few months ago, I watched a video of a young adult, Suli Breaks, titled "Why I Hate School But Love Education" in which he was performing an act of Spoken Word; which is an art that is word-based, often including collaborations or experimentation with other forms of art such as dance. The video was explaining that Suli had come to the realisation that education and school are not necessarily the same thing, despite having completed a University degree himself.

Suli quotes:

"Education is about inspiring ones mind not just filling their head” and take this from me, because I’m a educated man myself, who only came to this realisation after countless nights in the library with a can of Red Bull keeping me awake 'til dawn , another can in the morn, falling asleep in between paws of books which probably equates the same amount I’ve spent on my rent, memorise equations, facts and dates, write it down to the letter, half of which I’d never remember, and half of which I forget straight after the exam, and before the start of the next semester, asking anyone if they had notes for the last lecture? I often found myself running to class, just so I could find the spot on which I could rest my head and fall asleep without making a scene, ironic because that’s the only time I ever spent in university of chasing my dreams.
And then after nights with a dead-mind; identifying myself in the queue of half awake student zombies waiting to hand in an assignment, maybe that’s why they call it a dead line. And then after three years of mental suppression and frustration, my proud mother didn’t even turn up to my graduation."

 I found this extract of the video to be particularly powerful as I came to the realisation myself, that education and school are not the same.

 Education is learning what is valuable to you as an individual depending on your personality, your interests, your dreams and goals. School is being taught to memorise irrelevant pieces of information, putting yourself under extreme pressure whilst juggling the struggles of meeting a coursework deadline, getting enough sleep in order to function adequately, ensuring that your own physical and mental health is okay, attempting to have some form of a social life in order to feel human and making time to making time to be with your family and loved ones.

 As humans, our level of intellect is decided for us in the exact same manner that animals are - by how well we follow orders.

We are taught that we will only be successful in life if we pass the exams that are thrown at us. Who are taught by? Society. Including teachers, members of authority, parents, family, MP's, Prime Ministers, Politicians and many more. Why? Because they were taught the exact same thing and know no different. Ask David Cameron when the last time he used the pythagorean theorem in Parliament and I'll rest my case.
David Cameron did not wish to quality in the field of mathametics, for David Cameron's goal and fate was within Politics. So if a students personal goal and strength is within the field of retail management or owning their own clothes stall in a hippie market somewhere far away from their hometown, why are they made to feel like they will amount to nothing if they don't pass their Geography exam?

"Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend it's whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein, one of the world's most intellectually renown individuals, who was in fact, dyslexic.

 Examiners are given a checklist of what is right and wrong; if a student is to think outside of the box and provide examiners with an answer that requires thought beyond the approved print of their checklist, the student fails. Teaching a generation that expanding their mind and thinking beyond the usual horizon is wrong is completely unhealthy. 

What do you think? Share your thoughts and comments below.

Do students with social anxiety have enough say?

The Office for National Statistics Mental Health in Children and Young People reports that one in ten children up to the age of fifteen suffers a mental health disorder, therefore possibly at least three students in an average class of thirty will suffer from anxiety - so is it fair that students don't have a say in their education?

Students are powerless regarding matters such as seating arrangements and having to speak aloud to the class, however are teachers of this generation trained to deal with students suffering with anxiety, or in the least - are they even aware?

Surely making a student with social anxiety sit at the front of the class or share their work out loud, only to find 29 pairs of eyes staring at them, will increase their anxiety and cause them to feel uncomfortable towards school?

Teachers and schools are made aware of the specific students with ADHD (Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder), nut allergies and diabetes yet alarmingly, not anxiety. 

Ssome may argue that if students are allowed more of a say at school, it will cause them to hide away and become comfortable with not socialising with the rest of their peers, resulting in discouragement of facing their fears and getting better.

What do you think? Do you believe students should have a choice in matters such as where they sit in class or do you believe it will discourage them to face their social fears and make them worse?