Blog Post #7: Storytelling as Resistance

The meaningful issue in which I will be exploring in my final product is the outdated American school system and its negative effects on children and their learning. I, as well as many researchers have found that our current school system (which was compiled all the way back during the Industrial Revolution) has now become ineffective in our ever-changing and evolving society. School systems during the Industrial Revolutions were trying to instill in their students skills in following instructions and doing exactly what they’re told to in order to produce factory workers. This does not prepare children to be successful adults in today’s world. In today’s society where attributes like critical thinking, being creative, self-ambition and communication skills are idealized, no one will get far in just following instruction and memorization/ retention. I find this issue to be meaningful enough to investigate and be vocal on because I feel that it is under-represented yet, very crucial to our world because the education of our children is what molds our future societies. I find this personally meaningful because as I reached higher levels of my education, even as early in late middle school – I started to realize that I would often disagree to what I was being taught and feel disconnected to how I was learning. I began to realize early that if I wanted to be successful and embrace all in which I individually had to offer the world, I was the one who had to work hard to express my individuality in my school system because it was not always welcomed. I am humbly but, honestly grateful that I, for whatever reason, had this self-fueled ambition and do not associate that with the American school system I was subject to. When I look back on my education, I feel as though I had to sort of “play the game” of the system in order to get to my higher, individual goals. Until later on in high school when I fortunately did get more of a say in what I was learning about – I don’t feel that any of my learning was organic or authentic. Honestly, I don’t even really remember half of the material I learned. All I can remember is studying to pass an exam or write a long essay and then forgetting about it after the fact. However, I excelled in and completed the curriculum because I realized these were the steps that I had to complete in order to reach my later goals. However, for the many students that don’t come to this realization or, deeply reflect on these flaws within the system and get lost in the fact that they can’t connect to school, there’s not really any other options for them except failure. Especially in talking about children and them being in their developmental years, the system in place is setting many up for this “failure.” No wonder why many children say that they “hate school,” where they have to sit all day and do nothing but follow orders or fail. Adults often laugh when their children tell them this but, I think it’s time to take it more seriously. If we do not upgrade our outdated system with industrial values and make children find enjoyment and freedom in learning, then they will become ambitionless in this aspect and never see a point in knowing more or critically thinking – making their adult world one filled with those factory workers from the 1800’s without any individuality and all uniform, not progressing or advancing. I believe that adults need to hear this message because many of them, including teachers and parents, have this notion in their minds that children’s points of view are not to be taken seriously and to even lightheartedly mock as they’re “just children” and “don’t know what they’re talking about.” However, I want to give them an opportunity to be heard regarding these important areas of their education and futures. I will also be choosing for my project to be presented through the medium of a short video. I plan to do this to emulate a interview- based documentary, with an informative and deterministic genre. I feel that this will be effective in not only expressing the urgency of the matter but, will also literally give these children the opportunity for their words to be heard, not filtered through my adult understanding of what they say.