Bill Gates and High School speech
Submitted by bron.bi on Mon, 03/07/2011 - 17:51
I read today a list of 11 rules Bill Gates believes are not taught in schools and should be. Each rule is based on some large assumptions and judgements that Gates makes. They include judgements around teenagers being untidy, lazy, blameful, dreamers. This speech Gates gave highlights for me that he is not in touch with teenagers and the many pressures they face in school today. Every teenager is reminded daily of the grades they need and the results they must achieve. They are reminded also of how their grades reflect the school they are going to and their parents needs for them.
We are living in times where being the top is expected of every child, yet we know there is only one top position. Children today are expected to take extracurriula activities, to study for hours on length, to find that child genius inside them to make their parents proud. Their social activites are curbed during their school years and so too are their hobbies and passions.
Yet when they complete all their studies and arrive at their first day of a new job the most important attributes needed are social skills. In addition they are required to be creative and flexible yet they have just left a system where they are required to follow a very strict pathway and to stop creative activities ie hobbies, passions etc.
Children are such amazing stunning talented people in their own right. We need to provide an education that allows them to find their talents and nurtures them. We need to provide an education that supports them in being creative.
