On Education
This one is long overdue. But 7 months later, my feelings are the same. Maybe this will rub off the wrong way for some people. I just want to express some of my thoughts concerning school based on my experience. I know my experience is fairly limited, only going through undergraduate at a public university, but I think my opinions are valid. Don't consider what I say here to be truth; I'm just a voice who may even represent many others. I pray this will either challenge or encourage some of you. I ask that you would read this with an open mind. This is a very complicated subject and I understand that some of the things I say might not be as clear here as they are in my head, so if you have issues, talk to me before finalizing your judgment. I think more discussion on this topic would be good. Warning: this will be a fairly long read.
A little about my experience: I graduated from UCSD in December 2013 with a degree in Psychology. My favorite classes and the ones that had the most impact on me as a person were all outside of my major: ethnic studies, music, and poetry. So please don't make judgments about me based on what appears on that piece of paper. I also spent a lot of that time being frustrated with being in school, which I'll share more about later. I plan on going through seminary in the future. I believe God called me to ministry with the Church so that is what I'm planning to do for the rest of my life. To be paid for that would be cool but if not, I'm doing it anyways. As far as what type of ministry God is calling me to, whether it is being a pastor, continuing to work with students, or anything else, I'm not sure. So let's get to it. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Not everyone has to go to college. I would not hesitate to tell anyone this. I think the idea of college and a degree is so overvalued in our culture. People are exhausted trying to get into these prestigious schools with the immense amount of pressure for them to conform to these man-made standards. Whether or not people will explicitly express it, I feel like people who don't have a degree are viewed in a negative light (not counting the popular outliers like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc) compared to people who do. I am not saying education is bad; I actually think it is good. We should strive to continually learn throughout our lives. And there are some professionals, like doctors, where I would hope people are well-trained and went through quality schooling to do the job. But there are some cases where if someone has the ability to do the work well, the lack of a degree should not disqualify them from doing that and nor cause people to look at them differently. Some people are just gifted. Let's celebrate that and let them show it without making them wait years and going through an unnecessary process to do so.
2. My degree means very little to me. I understand for other people a degree can have a lot of value, like first generation college students, or people coming from a life of poverty or oppression. But at the same time, why is this such a highly esteemed sign of success? Towards the end of my time in college and afterwards, people would often ask me, "What's next?" or "What are you going to do with your degree?" I didn't really like those questions. My life wasn't going to drastically change after I finished, and it still hasn't. My plans were to continue being involved in the ministry I was a part of and relax for a while without having to worry about school. As far as what was I going to do with my degree..probably just put it in a box and never see it again. I don't plan on using the degree. I plan on using myself and the gifts I've been given. And I don't feel like it was that great of an accomplishment. I just sat through classes for a few years and did some work. The only thing challenging about college was continuing to go through it when I had no desire to. There was a point during my freshman year when I was going to walk away from UCSD. While many people told me I needed to get a degree, I didn't think it was necessary. All I wanted to do was to know Jesus and share Him with others. And I don't need a degree to do that. When the disciples were viciously sharing the Gospel in Acts it says, "Now when they [the religious leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). I wanted my life to look like that. So why didn't I just do leave? I don't know. But maybe a greater statement could have been made..
3. The system is broken. Actually, I believe education has become too much of a system. It's too standardized and this excludes many people. It doesn't matter what your background is or who you are as an individual; you have to play by the rules set up by the people in charge of the system. I spent much of my time in school taking multiple choice tests and got through school because I was good at taking tests, not because I knew the material well. I know many people who just aren't as good at taking tests as others are and these people are far more intelligent than people would think they are. But according to the system, they fail. Maybe the students are not the problem.. I know people are unique and therefore flourish in different environments, learning differently and displaying their intelligence in different ways. But when all these people are forced to go through the same system instead of setting them up to excel and maximizing their potential, not only are their gifts not seen but they are hindered from seeing themselves succeeding. The educational system seems to be more about people going through a process rather than people being developed into what they are striving to be. Leaning information is good. Learning the skills to do what you are planning on doing is even better. On top of all this, most people go 4-5 years of undergraduate, which is often not even good enough, then have to spend a few more years in school in order to begin their career. Plus, it's still difficult to land a job. Oh, and the price of this education leaves so many people crippled before the race even starts.
4. A complete overhaul of our societal structure is way too much to ask for. But transformation can happen. I believe this begins with a change in the way we view people - not as products but as actual people. Evaluations should be made based on the actual person, not their qualifications on paper, which can be helpful but do not tell the whole story. But so many people are overlooked before getting that chance. Our education should strive to better shape people as people instead of producing products. Students should be cared for better. Much can be learned from the smaller, private schools which allow greater opportunities for students to receive more attention and have more personal relationships with the teachers. Teachers should strive to impact the lives of their students, not just upload a bunch of information. Education should not be a one-way transmission of information from the teacher to students, which is so common. More organic and dynamic pedagogy should be utilized, and learning environments can change. Active discussion and processing of information as well as avenues for creativity and expression should be much more common in the classroom than it is now. Instead of being so standardized, learning should be more personalized and people should be allowed to develop without having to conform to some standard. I also think we would benefit greatly if the connection between knowing and doing was more integrated into the structure of education. I like the concept of apprenticeships where the education and experience go hand in hand. And quality education should be more accessible. The cost is so high and people end up in a great amount of debt after graduating. How does this help them succeed? Speaking of success, more opportunities for success should be available for people who graduate and are prepared as well as people without degrees but still possess exceptional skill. Finally, education, especially here in the United States which is made up of so many different cultures, should be more representative of that diversity, not just catering to the privileged. There are many stories and perspectives that are silenced by the dominant narrative. Sure, making changes would take a lot of work and time and won't be easy. But would it be worth it? I believe so.
5. I hated when, after graduating, people told me stuff about how I was entering the real world. Please.. Life has been very real. And not much has changed for me except I don't have to go to school anymore. So stop with that welcome to the club junk.
The people who know me know I did not enjoy school. I often complained about it. But it wasn't because I just didn't want to go. It's because I didn't believe in what I was doing. Yes, I confess my attitude and approach to school was prideful and did not bring the most glory to God as it possibly could have. But it's hard to enjoy something and want to do something when you feel that way about it. Do I have a solution? No. But we'd be fooling ourselves if we thought there was nothing wrong. And progress begins with knowing there's a problem.
At the same time, I also know it is not all bad. I am sure there are plenty of exceptions to my criticisms as well as many people and schools who are doing great things in the world of education. So to the teachers who love your students and are more concerned about impacting their lives than filling them up with information, to those who are fighting to transform education, and to those who are succeeding without going through the system: I applaud you. Keep doin ya thing. And as God continues to redeem this world, I pray for His grace on our education.
A little about my experience: I graduated from UCSD in December 2013 with a degree in Psychology. My favorite classes and the ones that had the most impact on me as a person were all outside of my major: ethnic studies, music, and poetry. So please don't make judgments about me based on what appears on that piece of paper. I also spent a lot of that time being frustrated with being in school, which I'll share more about later. I plan on going through seminary in the future. I believe God called me to ministry with the Church so that is what I'm planning to do for the rest of my life. To be paid for that would be cool but if not, I'm doing it anyways. As far as what type of ministry God is calling me to, whether it is being a pastor, continuing to work with students, or anything else, I'm not sure. So let's get to it. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Not everyone has to go to college. I would not hesitate to tell anyone this. I think the idea of college and a degree is so overvalued in our culture. People are exhausted trying to get into these prestigious schools with the immense amount of pressure for them to conform to these man-made standards. Whether or not people will explicitly express it, I feel like people who don't have a degree are viewed in a negative light (not counting the popular outliers like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc) compared to people who do. I am not saying education is bad; I actually think it is good. We should strive to continually learn throughout our lives. And there are some professionals, like doctors, where I would hope people are well-trained and went through quality schooling to do the job. But there are some cases where if someone has the ability to do the work well, the lack of a degree should not disqualify them from doing that and nor cause people to look at them differently. Some people are just gifted. Let's celebrate that and let them show it without making them wait years and going through an unnecessary process to do so.
2. My degree means very little to me. I understand for other people a degree can have a lot of value, like first generation college students, or people coming from a life of poverty or oppression. But at the same time, why is this such a highly esteemed sign of success? Towards the end of my time in college and afterwards, people would often ask me, "What's next?" or "What are you going to do with your degree?" I didn't really like those questions. My life wasn't going to drastically change after I finished, and it still hasn't. My plans were to continue being involved in the ministry I was a part of and relax for a while without having to worry about school. As far as what was I going to do with my degree..probably just put it in a box and never see it again. I don't plan on using the degree. I plan on using myself and the gifts I've been given. And I don't feel like it was that great of an accomplishment. I just sat through classes for a few years and did some work. The only thing challenging about college was continuing to go through it when I had no desire to. There was a point during my freshman year when I was going to walk away from UCSD. While many people told me I needed to get a degree, I didn't think it was necessary. All I wanted to do was to know Jesus and share Him with others. And I don't need a degree to do that. When the disciples were viciously sharing the Gospel in Acts it says, "Now when they [the religious leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). I wanted my life to look like that. So why didn't I just do leave? I don't know. But maybe a greater statement could have been made..
3. The system is broken. Actually, I believe education has become too much of a system. It's too standardized and this excludes many people. It doesn't matter what your background is or who you are as an individual; you have to play by the rules set up by the people in charge of the system. I spent much of my time in school taking multiple choice tests and got through school because I was good at taking tests, not because I knew the material well. I know many people who just aren't as good at taking tests as others are and these people are far more intelligent than people would think they are. But according to the system, they fail. Maybe the students are not the problem.. I know people are unique and therefore flourish in different environments, learning differently and displaying their intelligence in different ways. But when all these people are forced to go through the same system instead of setting them up to excel and maximizing their potential, not only are their gifts not seen but they are hindered from seeing themselves succeeding. The educational system seems to be more about people going through a process rather than people being developed into what they are striving to be. Leaning information is good. Learning the skills to do what you are planning on doing is even better. On top of all this, most people go 4-5 years of undergraduate, which is often not even good enough, then have to spend a few more years in school in order to begin their career. Plus, it's still difficult to land a job. Oh, and the price of this education leaves so many people crippled before the race even starts.
4. A complete overhaul of our societal structure is way too much to ask for. But transformation can happen. I believe this begins with a change in the way we view people - not as products but as actual people. Evaluations should be made based on the actual person, not their qualifications on paper, which can be helpful but do not tell the whole story. But so many people are overlooked before getting that chance. Our education should strive to better shape people as people instead of producing products. Students should be cared for better. Much can be learned from the smaller, private schools which allow greater opportunities for students to receive more attention and have more personal relationships with the teachers. Teachers should strive to impact the lives of their students, not just upload a bunch of information. Education should not be a one-way transmission of information from the teacher to students, which is so common. More organic and dynamic pedagogy should be utilized, and learning environments can change. Active discussion and processing of information as well as avenues for creativity and expression should be much more common in the classroom than it is now. Instead of being so standardized, learning should be more personalized and people should be allowed to develop without having to conform to some standard. I also think we would benefit greatly if the connection between knowing and doing was more integrated into the structure of education. I like the concept of apprenticeships where the education and experience go hand in hand. And quality education should be more accessible. The cost is so high and people end up in a great amount of debt after graduating. How does this help them succeed? Speaking of success, more opportunities for success should be available for people who graduate and are prepared as well as people without degrees but still possess exceptional skill. Finally, education, especially here in the United States which is made up of so many different cultures, should be more representative of that diversity, not just catering to the privileged. There are many stories and perspectives that are silenced by the dominant narrative. Sure, making changes would take a lot of work and time and won't be easy. But would it be worth it? I believe so.
5. I hated when, after graduating, people told me stuff about how I was entering the real world. Please.. Life has been very real. And not much has changed for me except I don't have to go to school anymore. So stop with that welcome to the club junk.
The people who know me know I did not enjoy school. I often complained about it. But it wasn't because I just didn't want to go. It's because I didn't believe in what I was doing. Yes, I confess my attitude and approach to school was prideful and did not bring the most glory to God as it possibly could have. But it's hard to enjoy something and want to do something when you feel that way about it. Do I have a solution? No. But we'd be fooling ourselves if we thought there was nothing wrong. And progress begins with knowing there's a problem.
At the same time, I also know it is not all bad. I am sure there are plenty of exceptions to my criticisms as well as many people and schools who are doing great things in the world of education. So to the teachers who love your students and are more concerned about impacting their lives than filling them up with information, to those who are fighting to transform education, and to those who are succeeding without going through the system: I applaud you. Keep doin ya thing. And as God continues to redeem this world, I pray for His grace on our education.
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