Summer is approaching and I honestly couldn’t be more pleased (on second thought, I could, but that’s a different story). Grey clouds, shouting and intimidation matches had clouded my morning, with the probability of being late for first period. When I got to the public school, I still hadn’t reorganized my thoughts. So I ditched first period. And headed for my refuge – also known as the public library. I had been reading a book about the connection between type 2 diabetes and diets with high nutrient density on my last visit. Much to my dismay, the book was not where I had last seen it. I grumbled a sigh of defeat, and looked through the other ‘New & Hot’ books. This one caught my eye.
The book was The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined by Salman Khan. For those of you who don’t know, Sal is the founder of the Khan Academy, and in general, a really awesome and crazily smart genius.
The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined tells the story of the Khan Academy’s success and shares Khan’s vision for a future education system. Even for a person who is highly critical of the public education system, and reads a lot about it, Khan’s book is an eye opener. It’s a great read, I highly recommend it for people who truly wish to educate themselves.
Lessons Learned
1. The purpose of education is to master certain topics.
I scored a 97% in Algebra II last academic year. Prior to reading the book, I thought a 97% was an excellent mark. I thought I had mastered what had been given to me to learn. As Khan points out, a 97% grade in Algebra does not mean complete mastery of the subject. It means 97% understanding and correct implementation of concepts and formulas. Keep in mind, 3% of what was taught was not understood or correctly implemented, meaning that the learning topic had not been completely mastered.
2. ‘Better Education’ or Better Economies and more Innovation?
Despite American kids not scoring in the top 20s for mathematics and science (PISA 2009), it is our ground that is the most fertile for innovation,* Khan states. Think about it, Apple, Google, and Microsoft were founded here. Yet, Slovenian kids score rank higher than we do in maths and science. But is knowing the dot product of vectors by heart or how to factor polynomials quickly useful to most kids? Most entrepreneurs? Lawyers? Writers? Is it useful for you? And the answer for the majority of you, is no. Yes, education is super important.
* Yes, I do recognize 56% of tech start-ups are founded by first and second generation immigrants, but they planted their most successful seeds in the ground most fertile for innovation.
3. A teacher should be a guide and mentor, not a director
I want you to picture a classroom. The students (most of whom would rather be elsewhere) sit in desks, with their notebooks on the table, with a pen in their hand. Some are sitting up right on their desks, eager to learn. Some kids place their hands on their faces. There are a bunch of kids muttering in low voices to each other. Enter the teacher projecting equations and problems onto a projector of some sort. The kids stop talking, open their notebooks and begin to copy the quadratic formula. Students copy the writings on the board without really mastering nor understanding the concept of the quadratic formula. The teacher assigns homework. The bell rings. The students rush out the door. Sound familiar? For most of you, it should. This, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, was reality in the math class at the public high school I attended. Perhaps it was yours too.
Here’s a great passage by Sidharth Kakkar that reinforces this point.
In all, there are 18 different concepts that the students are working on, but there is only one teacher in the class. If you were a teacher lecturing to the class—what do you lecture? Do you lecture on concept 8, recognizing equivalent fractions—and bore 80% of the class that already knows that content? Or do you lecture on concept 11, generating equivalent fractions, and confuse 20% of the class while boring another 60%. Or do you go with the curriculum and teach concept 18, multiplying fractions—ignoring the fact 60% of your class isn’t ready for that yet?
The sad truth: in a traditional classroom, no matter what this teacher lectures, he or she isn’t going to get through to more than 15% of the class—essentially wasting the other 85% of students’ time. This is typical of classrooms today.
4. Skip class
Hi. I have a 3.98 of 4 unweighted GPA, and I encourage you to skip class. Yes, you read that right. Skip class if you can. Reread that last passage by Kakkar above. The sad truth: in a traditional classroom, no matter what this teacher lectures, he or she isn’t going to get through to more than 15% of the class—essentially wasting the other 85% of students’ time. This is typical of classrooms today. I still can’t comprehend how the public education system thinks passive learning is a good idea. Let’s be real. It’s boring. It’s not effective. Kids don’t care. Here’s a fun fact. When I skip class, I’m more productive, I can go beyond what the teacher lectures, I’m able to nurture my own curiosity. In fact, it is self-motivation and serious dedication to my education that allows me to truly learn.
5. Own your education
When I was homeschooled and in FLVS, I felt that I took charge for my education. I owned it. I was responsible for it. It felt good. How much I learned and what I learned was up to me – not the teacher. On the other hand, enduring these days in public school, I can’t say that I own my education. I feel almost powerless in my effort to control my education. Lessons and discussions are dictated by the teacher. I feel less involved. Lesson learned: take charge of your education for it is the one thing that may set you apart from your peers.
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