Rethinking Your Education

I’ve watched Ken Robinson videos several times on Ted.com and am inspired by his empowering message.

I agree with him.

Since the early signs of my “awakening,” I’ve continued to un-learn much of what I’ve been taught by schools or shared by “society” as conventional wisdom. This has been necessary for me to succeed.

During this time, I continue to help thousands of others un-learn what they’ve been taught…so they may break through their barriers and achieve what they want in life and business.

It’s hard to argue our education system is broken. Schools demand ever-increasing amounts of money, while any viable measure they have created, continue to drop. The “system” is not working.

And whenever I mention education (or politics or religion), I receive a flurry of attacks.

Please note, I have the utmost regard for teachers (whether formal public education teachers, or the many other ways teachers show up in our lives). I’m criticizing the ‘system’ or the process by which society has decided to educate it’s children.

More Money is Rarely the Answer

Businesses, friends or family sometimes say “if we just had more money.” As if money were the problem. Money is the symptom to the underlying problem, whatever that may be.

Regarding education, he U.S. spends more per student than any other country in the world – approximately $12,000 – $27,000 per pupil. Yet, our students rank in the 2o’s for competency in math and science.

So, clearly, money is not the problem.

Corruption

One of the many corruptible forces in education is that it is; 1) paid for by taxation, 2) compulsory to everyone, and 3) free at the point of delivery.

History and your own experience will show that the closer you bring the buyer and provider together, the better the result.

As Milton Friedman said;

“Nobody spends somebody else’s money as carefully as he spends his own. Nobody uses somebody else’s resources as carefully as he uses his own. So if you want efficiency and effectiveness, if you want knowledge to be properly utilized, you have to do it through the means of private property.“

As an adult, you use your own hard-earned money to purchase information and educational products you hope will help you. If they do, you’ll probably choose to buy from that provider again. If they don’t, you’ll probably choose not to buy from them again. If enough others feel the same way, that company will thrive or not survive.

The Difference between Theory and Practice

I’ve helped many “educated” people reconcile their intelligence with their results. They thought since they have a bunch of initials after their name, they should be rich and successful.

Isn’t that what we’re taught in school?

Do what you’re told, strive for academic excellence and you’ll be successful?

The problem with that is the consumer. Us. We don’t behave like that. When we’re at the supermarket, online or at a seminar. We buy what we want if we feel there’s a benefit in it for us.

It’s the opposite of what’s taught in schools. No wonder so many people struggle. When we give more credence to advanced degrees and lofty titles than we give to results, facts and our own experience.

In the video, he talks about ADHD. I agree it is the most intensely stimulating period in history.

And he summed it up perfectly by saying,

“We are getting our children through education by anesthetizing them.”

I would have been seriously drugged when I was in school. I wasn’t designed to sit in a chair for six hours per day, during the most energetic period of my life. Nor were you.

Wake Up

He said “We should wake them up to what is inside of themselves.”

Isn’t that what most of us are doing as adults?

Trying to wake ourselves up and figure out who we are?

You see, while schools are all about conformity and standardization, “real life” outside of school is not. As a matter of fact, the most successful, those we hold as ideals…are those that comply the least.

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dropped out of formal education. Lady Gaga doesn’t fit into a mold. And the Khan Academy gives away education for free. Talk about not conforming.

Isn’t it any wonder that you may be confused. You think you’re supposed to do ‘this,’ but what works is ‘that.’

That’s one of the reasons I had such problems in school, I saw things and thought differently. I wasn’t ready for the lessons in the order they gave them, I was on a different schedule – mine.

My Simple Test

It’s not you. You may be struggling for months or years. You’re probably still reconciling what you think you “should” be doing versus what you want to be doing.

It’s a struggle rooted in your early years. When you were taught to comply, conform and stay-in-line.

But that’s not success. That’s compliance.

Success is when you listen to, and act on those empowering messages you receive…inside. The trick is to hear it.

I believe your inner-voice and intuition guides you to what you’re “supposed” to be doing.

• If I feel; curiosity, interest, passion, joy, love, serenity – I follow that path.
• If I feel fear, doubt, boredom, dis-ease – I avoid that path.

It’s much harder than may sound.

I  stopped trying to “figure out” what I’m “supposed” to do long ago, and simply “listen” to what my inner-voice is telling me.

Doing this may be one of the hardest practices for you because you have to let go of what it’s “supposed” to look like…and what “they” will think.

Just remember, there are people like me ready to support you and accept you for who you are and who you want to become.

To You.

David

Related articles

•  Ted video from Salman Khan http://youtu.be/gM95HHI4gLk
• The Khan Academy website http://www.khanacademy.org/
• One of the best writers on education is John Taylor Gatto (former teacher of the year)
• For personal support moving forward, consider working with me directly

Tags: Bill Gates, Education, Ken Robinson, Khan Academy, Lady Gaga, Milton Friedman, School, Steve Jobs