Fish on Land

Have you ever heard of the description of the education system as teachers grading a fish based on its ability to climb a tree?

When I heard that, I could say that I definitely agreed with the sentiments. Why are students being graded on the same criteria when everyone excels at different things? The education system values the academic excellency of the students above all other aspects. There is no second thoughts for students whose abilities lie outside of what they deem as important. For the education system, these students are labeled as failures.

But imagine a world where your abilities are valued and not viewed as lesser because they are not math or science or academic inclined. Imagine a world where your skills are appreciated instead of being belittled as being easier than any academic skills.

I think this focus on academics lead a lot of students to brand themselves as failures instead of maybe realizing that their strengths lie in other things. We can not all be engineers, doctors or any other professionals. Each of us play a part in the society. There is no one who is better than others because of their skills. There is only a difference in where our strengths lie.

For example, I can write, draw a little and do researches. However, the skill that comes naturally to me is crocheting and sewing. I discovered it late because I was so focused before on doing academically inclined things that I never imagined that my strength may lie somewhere else.

Sometimes, I would even have the regret creep into my mind that if I had not been so focused on excelling academically, I might have been attending sewing classes instead of an engineering one. I might have been buying yarns and fabrics instead of plates and technical pens.

Still, I am lucky that I get to figure it out this early. Not yet graduated so I still have the time to prepare for the life after graduation. I can't imagine what my life would turn if I had stayed in this academically inclined mindset. I would have been frustrated because while I may be able to get things quickly if I put my mind to it, it just was not my interest. I would have been branding myself a failure for not being interested in the program that I took.

Discovering what I am good at and what also makes me feel good is great. It helped me relax more into admitting things that I can not do. I am more confident because I know that there are things that I am good at even if it not the skills that this society deems as success.

For me, education system should change its way into helping the students figure out what they are good at and what they want to do. This way, everyone is aware of their part in society. No one would belittle others for what they are good at because everyone understands that you can not do everything. No one would be deem a failure, just not their skills lie somewhere else.