“My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.” ~Maya Angelou
True. I went to a school where I will get whipped for misspelling a word, or reciting my multiplication table incorrectly. Every Friday was ‘Quiz day’, and the good old cane would gaze at me like the devil waiting for me to sin so that he could fling and sting my innocent body. Yes, that type of schooling I had.–The type of schooling where “Chew and Pour” (Memorizing without applying) was the only way we could survive or be promoted to the next level. We would cram information by night for the purpose of exams and quizzes, but then gradually the information would evaporate from our memories after the exams because we did not understand how to apply it to our daily lives or future ideas; Theory without practice, fundamental laws without a case study, formulas without solutions, experiments without analyzing, no critical thinking, ‘nada’. Yet when we passed the exams because we ‘chewed and poured’ we were considered smart: After-all the questions were not designed for critical thinking.
Ironically, I had a friend called Kojo who couldn’t afford to go to school so was forced to sell bread on the streets, his English was bad, had no clue of what a multiplication table nor did he memorize laws and formulas, but when it came to his money his calculation was sharp. Kojo dealt a lot with buying and selling of good and was exposed to all kinds of customers at the age of 11years old. Kojo was beyond smart for me even though I was in school, he always had the mastermind; Thinking about ways to flip his money earned– what the schools will call ‘investments’. Kojo ventured into different businesses; from a shoeshine boy, to a barber (eventually owning a barbering shop), to selling eggs from a stray hen he claims he found as a gift from God on the street, mhh!. Oh well, today he owns a poultry farm and living comfortably. If you ask me who had the better education, I would say Kojo, as he got to use his ability to critically think and make choices.– And although there were some few failures here and there, he was able to correct himself for the future. But, what did I learn from my school?
Yes, Today the same system is in place and has not changed, yet we looking for the next Einstein and Steve Jobs to come from our school system. A system where we dare not question the intelligence of the teacher or share thoughts–Pretty much a ‘He say, we say’–. Now you tell me, how can a child love school? And what leaders are we developing in school systems as such?
Are you shocked? I’m not. The school system whether in Africa, Europe, China or the West should be designed to empower our minds with an education to reveal dreams greater than the generation before, but not to enslave our thoughts to controls our knowledge, dreams and lifestyles destined for us. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ~Nelson Mandela.
I am not saying don’t go to school. I am saying educate yourself beyond the walls of the school. Let wisdom be your educator with questions that leads to solutions.
Why I Hate School But Love Education.
Inspired by Bob Marley’s philosophy “None but ourselves can free our mind”, Orijin is a unique “Culture Brand” connecting all African descendants together through it’s Fashion brand and thought provoking magazine to influence our lifestyles world wide….Don’t just WEAR Culture, SHARE Culture
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