In our efforts to leave no child behind in school we are sacrificing the fast learners. The ones that get it the first time and have completed all exercises given before class is over. They run the risk of becoming bored since they are not challenged enough. That, in turn, might cause them to talk in class and disturb the kids who need more time to finish their work. And so the fast learners don’t learn as much as they have the potential for and the slow learners don’t meet the minimum criteria. Everyone learns less than they are capable of.
The education system needs a new system. It’s insane to put 30 kids in one room, sorted only by the year that they were born and then expect them to perform on equal levels. Humans don’t work that way. Our brains don’t work that way. We are all different and need to learn things in different context and at varying pace. But there’s no place for that in school.
When all efforts are put into the “no child left behind” mantra we are building a society of mediocre. Mediocre doesn’t invent the new things. Mediocre doesn’t solve the challenges that we are facing. Mediocre could be the downfall of our civilization.
We need fast learners. We need the brilliant minds of the smartest to survive as a society. We need to change the education system to challenge these kids to perform their best. If we don’t, we might miss out on the biggest inventions of the century.
Photo by Feliphe Schiarolli on Unsplash
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