Schooling has never been about Students
By: Siddhi Malviya
Tags: Study, Students, Teenagers, Schools, Education

— By Siddhi Malviya

A few days ago, I received a proposal from my English teacher to compose a 180-word article on the fondest memories I’d enthusiastically managed to collect throughout my school journey (a torturous one it has been, really) and to which I, skillfully playing the role of an obedient student, responded with a ‘Sure! I’d love to.’

To put it rather bluntly, the below-average article overflowed with lies. I was asked to document all the things I wish to cherish, all the memories and life-long friends I’d met along the way — ones I’d occasionally find myself thinking about in college. Ironically enough, getting through such an article was agonizingly difficult solely because the more lines I typed, the more I found myself disagreeing with everything that appeared on my desktop screen.

I’ve always disliked school, and having to write about something I dislike is evidently not something I’ve ever been fond of or great at. So, I did the next best, and the only logical thing to do — I decided to write an article on the innumerous things I detest about School.

To be fair, detest is a powerful word. I don’t entirely hate every aspect of schooling. I’ve met several people whom I’ve learned a lot from, individuals I wish I never cross paths with ever again, and teachers who truthfully, have saved me from failing certain subjects. I’ve witnessed a lot in these few years and I’ve met many. Yet, I find myself repeatedly questioning whether people lie every time they utter the sentence “School years are truly the best years.”

After a point (fifth grade), schooling started to feel less like a place I was invited to and more a place I was forced to be in. My schooling years have singlehandedly felt like a repetitive cycle of wake up early, get to your seat, school work, school work, eat, come back, homework, eat, sleep, wake up early. That is all that comes to mind when I ponder over the supposed fond memories I’ve gathered. Furthermore, I’ve had a dozen, ostensibly very wise, individuals advise me on how students are to do absolutely nothing but stick their noses into their books at this age. Why? Because it makes so much sense to behave as if we are nothing but flesh and bones who shouldn’t hesitate to respect such customs.

Inherently, this restrictive system has compelled us to stop questioning and start adhering.

The schools of today are not magnitudes away from schools of the past. Teachers teach, students listen, and then we head home. This cycle repeats and that is essentially the root cause of the problem. Nothing changes. We are educated, but learning has long become extinct. Such a schooling system has successfully manipulated the majority into believing that only good grades are the epitome of a high IQ and an increased level of intelligence, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

From a more personal perspective, schools have become a battlefield of social class. You could have a talent and you could have ambition, but if you don’t live up to a particular standard, you’re next to nothing.

These highlighted matters are certainly not exhaustive, and they’re not supposed to be ‘right’. All of this has been spewed on paper from a very personal point of view. I don’t hate school, definitely not as much as I hate the fundamental ground it has been instituted on.

The education system was never carved out for the students and that is precisely the issue.