- 70% of high school students do not know what study to choose
- 50% choose a study which in the end does not suit them
- 40% of students claim to be depressed or burned out
If I would run a school facing these facts I would close down the building and find myself another job. Unfortunately these are realistic figures all over the world and we have a hard time improving them because the world of tomorrow asks for a change in our school system which is based on a future we do not (yet) fully embrace.
Our school model is created one hundred years ago in the industrial era and it’s worn out and obsolete. School took over our ‘modern’ system of competition and production. We actually demand of the children to fight for high marks and shiny portfolio’s. No place for losers here, no breathing space for creatives (except for those studies which demand it), no place to develop multiple skills, and what’s worse… no place to learn how to live and be ready for your personal grown up life.
It all comes down on three simple questions:
- What does a child (human being) need?
- What does the world need?
- How do we learn best?
To start with the last one; it has always shocked me how little we actually learn and remember, compared to the amount of hours we get educated. An average student with 3 full months of French education is most likely to stutter some sentences when they are on holiday in France. But any good inspirational business course can teach you to talk and understand French on medium level within three weeks guaranteed!
It all starts and ends with motivation. It starts with ‘playful necessity’. It starts with connecting the mind to the heart. Literally dragging students through 12 years of basic education without developing them as a person and without finding their talents and direction in life leaves just one desperate motivation for the student: get that diploma and get out of this uninspiring place as soon as possible. And in the end, it’s devastating for the student, a financial burden for society and a disaster for the professional world where they need to be educated all over again.
We need to find a system where the heart meets the brain. When the knowledge meets inspiration, it can be allowed to grow within enriched and developed personalities, ready to live their lives. We’re never too old to learn.
