Ayaan thinks highly of himself, is grateful, and has big dreams. At least that’s what he has been taught to believe. He’s walking to school with his parents and is only three years old. Wearing his baseball cap tipped up so he can see and a backpack that’s almost as big as he is, Ayann repeats his optimistic mantra, “I am smart, I am blessed, I can do anything!” When I first saw the viral video I thought, “Oh wow, how cute. This little kid is going to make it in life.” But, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I had that reaction.
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me, clarified my perspective on the education system by reaffirming that it is flawed. Ayann’s mantra sounded familiar. Yes, it was definitely something I had heard before, something that closely follows the lines of the growth mindset taught in schools. This is the idea where students believe that with learning, hard work and persistence they can develop their abilities and intelligence versus a fixed mindset where students believe their intelligence, abilities and talents are fixed traits. I can’t help but think of my elementary school days, when teachers and parents would ike to ask the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up? With answers like, “an astronaut, a movie star or professional soccer player,” my dreams and aspirations now seem silly and a bit unrealistic. What is the purpose of a question like this, and as Coates asks, “what did it mean to, as our elders told us, ‘grow up and be somebody’? And what precisely did this have to do with an education rendered as rote discipline?” (25).
For me, to be somebody means to be successful, well known, and or have a purpose. There are hundreds of paths one can take to become “somebody”, but the education system tends to promote a single path consisting of cooperation and putting all your effort towards school. I remember in grades one through four asking my teachers if we could do more hands-on projects with nature and wild-life, but I was always shut down and told that it was not in the curriculum. I never quite understood why I wasn’t able to learn more about things that interested me, but when Coates explained that he “was a curious boy, but the schools were not concerned with curiosity. They were concerned with compliance” (26). it seemsed clearer. If you don’t comply, you will be disciplined to make sure that you stay on the “right” path. Implying there is a right path. How is it reasonable to expect a kid to put all their effort into a subject they have no interest in, and not allow them to be curious? The simplest answer is, it’s not reasnable. How is Ayaan going to fulfil his mantra “I can do anything” if the place he is walking to is going to stunt his creativity.
As a kid I found myself going to numerous after-school programs in order to fulfill my creative needs that weren’t being satisfied at school where I was bound by the constrictive curriculum. I found my experience resonated with Coates as he “was made for the library, not the classroom. The classroom was a jail of other people’s interests. The library was open, unending, free” (48). Neither Ayaan or others should have to go outside of school to fulfill their dreams and creative interests, nor should they be disciplined for not complying.
I’ve noticed flaws as I’ve progressed in the educational system, but Coates magnified it in a way that brought it all together. The educational system promotes a growth mindset, and yet provides no room for self-growth. This is has to change, especially for Ayaan.
Your post gets at some of the key questions that schools and educators still grapple with today. With their focus on preparing students for college and the work force, schools often devote little time to allowing students to explore their own interests. Can schools serve both purposes? How would schools need to change in order to better support students' unique interests and aspirations?
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