Why do we go to school?

Why do we go to school? So we can be molded into a state-approved homogeneous drone that cannot think outside the prescribed consensus. We will learn to repeat information instead of how to think for ourselves so that we do not become a threat to the status quo. When we graduate, we will get a job, pay taxes in order to perpetuate the corporate system of indentured servitude. Rick Sanchez said it best, "school is not a place for smart people".

I think Rick is referring to the standard education system. In my experience, I was taught to be a mindless drone; to jump when I was told to jump; memorize dates; follow directions; and never question anyone or anything.

Its sad to say but, even when I was in university it was like that... It was very few teachers who told us to open our minds and think outside the box; question everything; and do our own research instead of accepting the prescribed reality or truth.

To be honest, it was only two teachers who, in a way, told me to wake up and open my eyes. The first person was my 6th grade elementary class teacher. She might not have said it directly that way, but she was a very motivating teacher and she was the first to explain to me the expression "think outside the box". The other teacher, who encouraged me to do my own research and not be a drone, was my college professor. Both teachers were there for a brief period but they left a mark on me.

They both had different teaching styles. But, then again, they had a totally different audience.

My elementary teacher resembled a character from a Disney movie. She was sweet and caring, yet very knowledgeable took her time to explain every single thing we learned. Whenever I would get something wrong, she would tell me, "don't worry, you'll get it next time. Just take this failure as a lesson." Whenever I would get the right answer, she felicitated me and told me I did a wonderful job. Both times, I felt acknowledged, praised and I did not feel like I was an other dumb kid at school.

The college professor was different. He looked like something from a Seth Rogan movie - both in his appearance and the way he acted. He would sometimes show up late, looked like he just smoked a joint and showed us a documentary about PIMPs in America. It was a highly educational video that to this day, I still do not know how it was related to our course. But, according to the professor, we learned something about 'Research Methods' (that was the name of the course). He was the one who told me to question everything and think outside the box. He said that, as students - in college and in life - we should do our own research before jumping to conclusions or believing what everyone says. Poke around and get your hands dirty. your reward for digging - uncovering the truth.

After college, I was enrolled in the sociology program at Concordia. I learned a lot from it but, in a way, I also felt I learned how to be a drone. A mindless drone. I had to memorize what my teachers said and what was written in the book. Sure, it gave me a place to start doing research, but I was not doing anything really worth doing. Or, at least, that is how it seemed back then.

In one of my classes, we were told to write an essay about a topic. I asked the teacher if I could approach it a certain way but I was shut down because that is not how she taught her class and it would be useless. In other words, I had to do it her way because her way the ONLY way and I was too young and unintelligent to do something on my own. Maybe I was... But, teachers should not shut down their students because what they say or think does not align with their own way of thinking or doing things. A teacher, to me, needs to embrace the creativity and the 'thinking-outside-the-box' way of doing things. They should encourage it rather than to shut them down.

When I was growing up, I used to draw a lot. I would draw often. I remember I design my own car when I was 9 years old. I designed the exterior, the interior and even the engine. Of course, I did not have the technical knowledge to do it, but I remember I loved to draw that car. I called it JonTen. I would draw a lot at school because, while I was drawing I was listening to the teacher at the same time. It helped me focus a bit more. But, in my teachers eyes, I was messing around, not paying attention and drawing my future away. My teacher would rip the paper out of my hands and throw it out because drawing will not get me anywhere in life (that is exactly what she said to me). Oh, I was hurt. But, I couldn't argue because that was not allowed. I did not understand why it was happening to me and worst of all the teacher did not understand me and did not make an attempt to understand me because that was not part of our curriculum. I had to get with the problem and follow the herd like a nice little sheep, like a mindless drone.

When I was 13, maybe 14 years old, my parents brought me and my brother to church. I was not a big fan of going to church on a Sunday morning because I wanted to sleep in (there were no interesting cartoons Sundays and we only had one TV so I couldn't play video games because my parents would want to watch something else instead of me playing). The preacher was telling a story about a child who would always dance in the class. The girls's gift for dancing was discovered by a doctor. She had been under-performing at school, so her mother took her to the doctor and explained about her fidgeting and lack of focus. After hearing everything her mother said, the doctor told the girl that he needed to talk to her mother privately for a moment. He turned on the radio and walked out. He then encouraged her mother to look at her daughter, who was dancing to the radio. The doctor noted that she was a dancer, and encouraged the mother to take her to dance school. That little girl turned out to be Gillian Lynne - a British ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theater-television director, noted for her popular theater choreography associated with two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

Just imagine, how many more great people we would have in this world if more teachers, parents, doctors, whatever, encouraged children and their parents to do something different, pursue their gifts and dreams. Hell, I could have been the next great artist if I was encouraged by my teacher and my parents. And yet, I cannot fully blame them because I was the one who put down the pencil and retired my sketch book. I still draw sometimes, and I am happy with the results. But, what could have been with a few words of encouragement and the green light to use my gift to the fullest?

“Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.”

- Anne Frank

“Encouragement came into the English language through old French. It means to put courage into someone, and courage came from the Latin word for heart. It means more than to make someone feel better about themselves and their situation, and includes the idea of inspiring someone to action.”

- David Packer