And so we begin.

I never knew that choosing my first blog topic would be this hard, but I finally settled on something closest to home and a subject I feel incredibly strongly about.

Education. 

I was going to write about the crap I found out was in Quorn Bacon Slices, but I think this will be a lot more relatable...

Prior to writing this blog and putting it online, many people had said to me "change that lasts does not need to be radical". We do not need a revolution, we need incremental evolution, and I think the perfect place to start would be school. It's what we spend the first quarter of our lives doing, and the rest of the time working on the knowledge that we learned in those 20+ years. 

My biggest problem with the educational system is the people. People, students, children, adults, we are all different, we are all individual. I remember learning that people had different learning styles when I was 13 and from then on I thought, well why aren't people taught the way they learn best.  

This picture encompasses exactly what I am trying to say.

An example: Someone close to me was recently diagnosed with ADD and Dyslexia, so they cannot learn the way "everyone else" does. This is not the case, they simply learn differently. This is the key, just because they are different it is not a defect or a failure, in fact the contrary, they are an incredibly intelligent individual with points of view that many people over-look.

These organic people should be the ones with the higher grades, because they have the knowledge and the unique perspectives, yet they simply cannot put pen to paper, retain the knowledge for a multiple choice exam, or concentrate solidly for 2 hours. Yet when the individual fails the exam, it seems to be the end of the world. For several reasons.

If 5 A*-C GCSEs are not obtained the child cannot attend college. Without college the child cannot attend university, therefore they cannot reap the "benefits" that all of those at University obtain at the end of their degree in their 30% higher paid jobs. 

This is my problem. The divide and monetary discrimination of those that are "different" or simply aren't academically minded. Vocational courses and apprenticeships, or even leaving secondary school to go straight into work, are the "other" options, whereas I believe they should be promoted and respected as much, or even more, as academic subjects. People in charge of this system need to understand that pushing a square peg into a circular hole is not going to cut it anymore. Surely learning a trade is a far better use of money and resources, as once they leave education they have a physical trade, as opposed to an array of academic knowledge and not much else. 

What use are 4 GCSEs to a child that feels like a failure and did not get the opportunity to further their talent and love for mechanics? They must find the money for the courses to become a mechanic, or do an unpaid internship, or a very low paid apprenticeship. 

So what happens next when the child fails their exams. They are told that it is okay, and they can resit the exam. Not consider other directions or vocations, but simply continue up the same route, jumping through hoops and not absorbing or understanding the information, simply regurgitating it in the correct order. The teachers want the child to continue, because they need to hit a certain target. X% of A*-Cs or X% of passes. The children aren't viewed as what they are, an individual, they are viewed as a statistic. I've heard many a story of children not being able to sit a certain exam because they were assured they would fail, thus there is no point. My translation of this is: Don't bother to sit the exam, it will bring down the overall mean grade of the school/class/my portfolio.

It is a shame, because the children going through education right now, are the future, they aren't simply machines to pass exams and write essays, they are all gifted and are eager to learn, yet this enthusiasm is squashed when you realise that you need to learn formulas, names, dates, titles...empty information that is only required for an hour long exam that you will sit once in your life, and the information is then rendered invalid. 

Do not get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my schooling and love my degree, but this is because I am one of the lucky ones. Those that can get to grips with the educational system. I can tick the boxes, jump through hoops, because I know that at the end of it, I can change all of what I have just been through, because ironically enough you need an education for people to listen to you and to make a difference. 

I loved my Sixth Form teachers, because they seemed to care about you as an individual and help you to grow and improve on what I couldn't quite achieve. I left with 3 Bs at A Level, but I watched others fail that worked as hard or harder than me, with far less help, maybe because they weren't worth the attentional investment in the long run, I will never know. But this is for those people, they know who they are. 

If there are any teachers out there that would like to shed any light on this, or their opinion, I would be incredibly grateful.

P&L.

Charlie.