Post 121: Outside the Box

Well, out of all my classes this semester I didn't expect Philosophy of Education to be the most inspiring, but so far - it has been. Though, most of the inspiration that has come from it is the reminders of all the things I found most interesting about Philosophy.

One that did not link back to Philosophy, but rather Education, was the idea of out of the box thinking and kids that don't color within the lines. 

In an ideal world education would benefit everyone, would be suited for helping everyone. However, that is not always the case. There are abstract-thinkers, students that dance to the beat of their own drum and other similar cliches, who are not always receiving the education best suited for them. 

This has come up both in class and out of class. Both seem to hold the idea that education shouldn't stifle their creativity or individuality. But is that really the point of school? Can it even be done?

I actually don't think so. Schools have structured systems of grading so that everyone is graded by the same means, and this might benefit some students more than others, it doesn't mean that there are better options available right now. 

If every student was graded as individuals, on their own scale, based on their learning style and thinking style, it would be exhausting for teachers. And who would come up with each of the individual grading schemes? 

There are not really enough teachers in the field to do this. And it doesn't really prepare students for the world. 

When they go off to work, some might find jobs that are suited to a more loose performance scale, but a lot of employers aren't going to look at their employees' work and say, 'well they didn't get as much done, but they did do it in a very creative way'. 

I think that schools should have Philosophy classes and Art classes so that students are exposed to out-of-the-box and creative thinking. But, I don't think that schools should reorient themselves for everyone who thinks differently. Sometimes you need to think inside the box or stay in the lines, and it is important that students are taught how. 

I like creative thinking and I am an outside the box person when it comes to a lot of things, but I can think practically and linear if I need to. At least, that is my thought now. Change is slow in education and a lot of teachers who have been teaching for years and years aren't looking at changing. A lot would need to change to get this to a place where it would work as it should and I think that the time it would take to start getting it implemented would just be an awkward phase for those involved.