Many college students can recall standing in entrance of their kindergarten class and reciting the alphabet. All of us have faint recollections of repeating the order and pronunciation of every letter after our trainer. We discovered to emulate our instructors with perfection, understanding that it-imitation- was most likely the easiest way to reach the fashionable American academic system. If an individual mentioned the alphabet within the mistaken order or didn’t acknowledge the distinction between an “A” or a “P”, they most likely could be deemed “under common” or “dumb” or worst of all, “mentally challenged”.
Nearly as good as one other 12 months of “nap time” might have sounded to me on the age of 5; I refused to reveal the stigma of being “particular” or completely different, which had a really unfavorable connotation at my catholic elementary faculty. I suppressed my mental curiosity and made positive I conformed to the kindergarten norms, however sooner or later I stepped exterior of my boundaries and requested my trainer a Question Assignment that actually modified my perspective of the tutorial system.

Earlier than class may begin its each day chanting of the alphabet, I threw my hand within the air and waved it frantically till the trainer seen me. She known as my identify and I sat up in my chair and requested in a nervous trend why did “a” come earlier than “b”. Your entire class responded with laughter and the trainer gave me a puzzled look. She put her head down as if she needed to assume, then rose up and advised me to cease asking “foolish questions”. I swallowed laborious and felt tears construct in my eyes as the category started to roar with laughter as soon as extra. Embarrassment overwhelmed me and my trainer started to present a spiel on how asking dumb questions interrupted the educational course of. I unthinkingly hollered out that I solely needed to know why. She squeaked furiously “That’s simply the way in which it’s!” and demanded that I be content material together with her reply, however it was too late.
I had an prompt paradigm shift and refused to just accept her erratic reply. I all of a sudden grew to become pushed to know why issues occurred, how issues occurred, and when issues occurred. I started looking for information and understanding as an alternative of memorizing, emulating, and regurgitating what another person advised me. I entered a brand new realm during which I valued my mental curiosity even when others might have discovered my concepts radical. I additionally realized that everybody was distinctive in their very own method and that my individuality outlined my objective in society.
Nevertheless, my faculty, like others, nonetheless tended to shun individuality and reward uniformity. Since I selected to enterprise from the typical thought course of of kid, my trainer scolded me for my crucial pondering as an alternative of valuing my ambition to be taught greater than required of me. For some purpose, some faculties are operated like factories which can be trying to mass produce the “ultimate scholar”. When a scholar steps out of the mildew or doesn’t match the pre-designed “blueprint for educational success”, they instantly change into a menace to the college’s “academic conveyor-belt” and are dropped into the “defective product bin”, which is often detention or particular schooling lessons. Nevertheless, this try and create a utopian academic system would deter the progress of innovation and produce creativity to an abrupt halt.
Mental curiosity is the muse for creativity and creativity is foundation for innovation, which is often linked to progress. If nobody ever thought exterior the field then progress in all disciplines would stop. As an illustration, think about an artwork teacher telling Leonardo Da Vinci that his portray didn’t adhere to a sure guideline or J.Ok. Rowling’s highschool English trainer telling her that her storyline wasn’t organized appropriately. These are excellent examples of how discouraging creativity can result in destroying innovation. How can something “new” come into existence if somebody doesn’t assume “past” what concretely exist now? Subsequently, many colleges should stop with the concept that human beings could be educated by means of a prepackaged curriculum that’s common and at all times works for each single scholar.