This I Believe Ever since middle school, I’ve always done okay in school. Not particularly because I couldn’t do well, I just didn’t try all that much. I do regret this decision, as it may prevent me from getting into the college I want, however I’m tired of everyone acting like school is everything, and that college is a requirement. I’ve seen a lot of people, many of them friends, be torn apart by the college application process and the stress of college because our society has implanted this idea school is our job, and that college is the end all be all, and that if you don’t go, you’ll amount to nothing in life. Not going to college is officially the worst thing that can happen now. And I don’t blame the students, I blame the parents and the teachers. These expectations begin in the household, and are upheld in our schools. Of course everyone should do their best in school, but not at the expense of one’s sanity. It’s disappointing that so many kids sacrifice their mental state to please their parents, and it’s even more disappointing that the parents expect this of them. It’s not that these kids can’t or don’t want to learn, it’s the way they’re taught. They wake up at the crack of dawn every day, and show up at school, just to have loads of, usually useless information shoved down their throats by teachers that aren’t really that good at their jobs (obviously there are exceptions), and it’s assumed that they’ll just soak it all up. Kids want to learn, they don’t want to remember. Learning is trying something new. Learning is going someplace you’ve never gone before. Learning is making mistakes. Learning is gaining more knowledge to better understand the world around you. We live in a society where kids become sleep deprived, lose their appetites, and their personalities, all because school is more important than their mental stability and happiness. We claim to hate school, yet we’ll still be there, 8:45 am tomorrow, the next day, the next month, the next year. Until we can do it all over again, but pay for it. Of course, you could argue the opposing point to this essay, that school IS everything, and that kids are supposed to do well in school, and bring home good grades, regardless of any extenuating circumstances. However most people who think this, are the kind of people that pass off clear character flaws as “just the way it is.” People that live a suit and tie, 9 to 5, “I know what’s right and my kid needs to have the same set of beliefs that I do” kind of life. Though I do not expect this to change, we need to do better. We need to show kids that it’s not all about school, and that it’s not all about the numbers. That there’s more to life than clocking in every day from 9-5, only to go home, go to sleep, and do it all over again the next day. That they don’t have to go to college and become a doctor just like their parents. We need to inspire them to be the best version of themselves, in everything that they do. And that is what I believe.
Robert McKoy