It is odd that we have linked learning so closely to work that school is effectively a child's job. Ken Robinson jokes that we should not be surprised by how children struggle to concentrate when many classes are not dissimilar to purely administrative office work. Even when people do study further, I have had many friends celebrate their last ever exam in a subject or last ever exam, with the firm conviction of 'Never Again'. I have very literate friends who stop reading for pleasure because reading at all is too closely associated with work. School is preparing for work which is preparing for retirement. As we have more and more, and we do (see below), education needs to shift to things that inspire the love of learning. Not for work, but for life. As Malala says in the clip, Education isn't just about the content.
The world was about as poor in 2000 as the U.S. was at the time of the Civil War. https://t.co/94B1nFsFXm pic.twitter.com/NpbDPJc8WG
— Justin Sandefur (@JustinSandefur) October 11, 2014
Some learners are lucky. They get awesome teachers. Fire starters. Those who can speak to something deeper and get people excited about learning.Others find themselves in much tougher situations. They are fighting against the flow. Adrien Brody's movie 'Detachment' shows a substitute teacher making some inroads but illustrates just how hard it can be despite the best intentions.
There is a snowball effect. Once someone gets the bug it can be lifechanging. Malala's father caught the bug and passed it on. Malala's mother is now studying too.
Through the bullets, the backward steps and the traumas... we find a way to progress. A love of learning gets the engine started.
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