All academic institutions aspire to form, educate, teach, and instruct the next generation. This may sound quite obvious but these all institutions want students to "learn". I put learn inside quotation marks because learning is a tricky concept to grasp. Learning is not memorizing or cramming but rather it is the growth that students should be experiencing.
Less than two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending Close Up in DC. Close Up is a program for high school students in which they are immersed in the United States' capital. In 5 short days I actually learned. I felt that growth, that special moment when I saw things in a new way. Everything I memorized in class became real for me. It was no longer an abstract concept in a book or just a picture but rather it became a person, an idea, a moment.
From the very first day to the last one, Close Up was a nonstop roller coaster. On the first night we were split up into workshops and explored the definitions of political efficacy. After this we attended a seminar about the two conflicting points of view in American politics: Republicans vs. Democrats. From here on, the tone was set that I would be learning about the things I was passionate about. From the seminars about nonviolence, foreign policy, and free press, to being able to explore everything DC has to offer, it goes without saying that Close Up truly left a lasting impact on me.
This growth wasn't only intellectual though. Sure I was able to appreciate everything I had "learned" in year's past but when I learned about these places first hand I felt a rush, like I had discovered something new. During that week I learned to collaborate, and listen to other people's ideas. I realized that the world outside of Miami is very different than what I am used to. I was able to grow by listening to their stories, their views, and their perspectives. At the same time, I grew because I was able to fight for what I stood for.
Close Up left me in awe. Before junior year I honestly didn't want to go and in the end I only went because my parents urged me to and also because two of my best friends were going. I came back from DC begging my parents to take me back. I felt that I actually learned and that it meant something more than just a score or grade point average. On the plane ride back I began to wonder why schools don't give students the opportunity to explore the world and be free to grow in the way they wish to grow. I was also puzzled because I began to question the validity of learning solely within a classroom setting. I began to wonder if the reason we aren't learning was an effect of the closure and rigidity of the classroom.
Students have been raised into the culture of cramming and memorizing rather than truly learning. I am a part of this group and it has become normal for our age. Thinking about it all on the plane ride back, I realized that the reason this is happening might not completely be the fault of the students, as many people would say. The institutions play a big if not bigger role on this idea of what learning is. Universities and colleges are looking for the perfect students with 2400 SAT's, 36 ACT's, straight A+'s, and many AP's yet being super involved in your school's sports and clubs. I'm exaggerating but the reality is that the pressure to go to college has been building since we were in elementary school. I was told that every step I took along the way would lead me to the next step and so one and so forth. Thus, there is no time for truly learning, understanding and being given the opportunity to think because there is only time to memorize and do our best to be as close to perfect as possible.
Now don't go thinking I am just a student that hates school and wants to skateboard and spend time in big cities like DC, quite the contrary, I actually enjoy learning new things but traditional learning environment isn't cutting it for me. Last year I began to realize this was an issue. I wasn't getting all I had wished my education to be and rather I found myself drowning in busy work, essays, and projects. I felt I needed to do more with everything I had been given and I wanted to do something that not only pushed me intellectually but also as a person. Thus, I began to blog and research about the things I was/am passionate about. Then, I went on Close Up and all the theories I had about learning were essentially proven. I finally put my supposedly "ill conceived" notions about education to the test and I realized how important experiences like that one were to the formation of a person.
Obviously not every school and person can have an experience like I did on Close Up but the bottom line is that classrooms need to become a haven for the ideas of the next generation. Classrooms need to build up the students rather than bring them down. Classrooms need to promote innovative and passionate learning not a passive one. In essence, there needs to be more freedom given to the student. Whether the freedom is found in an internship, a community service project, picking all the classes he or she wishes to take or being able to travel like I did, more leeway needs to be given to students. It's very difficult to not get overwhelmed in school but it shouldn't be that way. Students are individuals with individual goals, they aren't just numbers. With the current classroom setting students are treated as numbers. Every single thing that is done for a grade and there are very few moments that are meant for pure enjoyment. On Close Up the opposite was true. I was not a number; I was a person with a view, with a perspective, with something to say. This is how classrooms should be in order to promote true learning.
Less than two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending Close Up in DC. Close Up is a program for high school students in which they are immersed in the United States' capital. In 5 short days I actually learned. I felt that growth, that special moment when I saw things in a new way. Everything I memorized in class became real for me. It was no longer an abstract concept in a book or just a picture but rather it became a person, an idea, a moment.
From the very first day to the last one, Close Up was a nonstop roller coaster. On the first night we were split up into workshops and explored the definitions of political efficacy. After this we attended a seminar about the two conflicting points of view in American politics: Republicans vs. Democrats. From here on, the tone was set that I would be learning about the things I was passionate about. From the seminars about nonviolence, foreign policy, and free press, to being able to explore everything DC has to offer, it goes without saying that Close Up truly left a lasting impact on me.
This growth wasn't only intellectual though. Sure I was able to appreciate everything I had "learned" in year's past but when I learned about these places first hand I felt a rush, like I had discovered something new. During that week I learned to collaborate, and listen to other people's ideas. I realized that the world outside of Miami is very different than what I am used to. I was able to grow by listening to their stories, their views, and their perspectives. At the same time, I grew because I was able to fight for what I stood for.
Close Up left me in awe. Before junior year I honestly didn't want to go and in the end I only went because my parents urged me to and also because two of my best friends were going. I came back from DC begging my parents to take me back. I felt that I actually learned and that it meant something more than just a score or grade point average. On the plane ride back I began to wonder why schools don't give students the opportunity to explore the world and be free to grow in the way they wish to grow. I was also puzzled because I began to question the validity of learning solely within a classroom setting. I began to wonder if the reason we aren't learning was an effect of the closure and rigidity of the classroom.
Students have been raised into the culture of cramming and memorizing rather than truly learning. I am a part of this group and it has become normal for our age. Thinking about it all on the plane ride back, I realized that the reason this is happening might not completely be the fault of the students, as many people would say. The institutions play a big if not bigger role on this idea of what learning is. Universities and colleges are looking for the perfect students with 2400 SAT's, 36 ACT's, straight A+'s, and many AP's yet being super involved in your school's sports and clubs. I'm exaggerating but the reality is that the pressure to go to college has been building since we were in elementary school. I was told that every step I took along the way would lead me to the next step and so one and so forth. Thus, there is no time for truly learning, understanding and being given the opportunity to think because there is only time to memorize and do our best to be as close to perfect as possible.
Now don't go thinking I am just a student that hates school and wants to skateboard and spend time in big cities like DC, quite the contrary, I actually enjoy learning new things but traditional learning environment isn't cutting it for me. Last year I began to realize this was an issue. I wasn't getting all I had wished my education to be and rather I found myself drowning in busy work, essays, and projects. I felt I needed to do more with everything I had been given and I wanted to do something that not only pushed me intellectually but also as a person. Thus, I began to blog and research about the things I was/am passionate about. Then, I went on Close Up and all the theories I had about learning were essentially proven. I finally put my supposedly "ill conceived" notions about education to the test and I realized how important experiences like that one were to the formation of a person.
Obviously not every school and person can have an experience like I did on Close Up but the bottom line is that classrooms need to become a haven for the ideas of the next generation. Classrooms need to build up the students rather than bring them down. Classrooms need to promote innovative and passionate learning not a passive one. In essence, there needs to be more freedom given to the student. Whether the freedom is found in an internship, a community service project, picking all the classes he or she wishes to take or being able to travel like I did, more leeway needs to be given to students. It's very difficult to not get overwhelmed in school but it shouldn't be that way. Students are individuals with individual goals, they aren't just numbers. With the current classroom setting students are treated as numbers. Every single thing that is done for a grade and there are very few moments that are meant for pure enjoyment. On Close Up the opposite was true. I was not a number; I was a person with a view, with a perspective, with something to say. This is how classrooms should be in order to promote true learning.
Link to the video about Close Up - vimeo.com/whoisrodb/closeup