There was a TED talk that I saw recently that spoke about how we are going about the business of education all wrong. It stated the example of Gillian Lynne who was a hyper active child who couldnt keep her feet still. When she was taken to a doctor he diagonsed her symptoms as being a 'dancer' rather than being ill!
I was happy to say the least. For this child went on to become one amongst the fore most choreographers in the world! Yet it left me thinking - this is one story of success amongst so many others who failed. Rarely do we hear the stories of failure. Of those who grew up and struggled for years to become an actor, artist, dancer or singer and had to do odd jobs all their lives to support their passion only to end up letting life pass them by. We only hear of those children who were encouraged to pursue their passion and ended up being stars in their chosen field. It made me think - is it only the fault of pushy parents who want their children to have 'stable' careers? Or of the education system which puts math and science above dance and music? In his TED talk, Ken Robinson notes that the current system of education stems from the origins of formal schooling in the age of industrialism. Hence children were then trained to fulfill the demand that prevailed- which was a strong foundation in science and math. Today, can we squarely blame just those who are directly responsible for turning out the future generations? After all they are merely looking out for their children. Will encouraging our children to pursue their calling suffice to secure a stable future for them? I don't think so.
 |
| Source: http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/post-1-37.php |
What we need today is not just an adjustment in the way we approach our childrens education but also an adjustment in the demand and supply dynamics of this world! When there is limited requirement for artists (art in all forms) in this world how can one be sure that they can sustain a stable lifestyle for themselves? When world economics clearly dictates the need for numerous business graduates year after year and continues to absorb them with an insatiable hunger how can a parent or an education system believe that its talented musician can survive and thrive in this world? For after all, if this world can only bear the burden of a handful of dancers, why would parents encourage their children to fight and lead a hard life to secure a place in that handful when the alternate (probably a career in a profession where demand and supply are better adjusted) is far more lucrative? There's beautiful example of a 15 year old boy in Mumbai who quit schooling and today is described as a 'Maker', for no other word describes him better. Other than the sheer genius of this boy, I also see the belief of parents who have allowed a 9th grader to quit formal schooling! Yet, it speaks volumes on the direction we are headed towards.
I am in no way demeaning the need to encourage our children to pursue their dreams. Yet what I think is more important at this point is to restructure our society and economy to be more encouraging to those who are looking to pursue non-traditional professions! Over the last few centuries we have witnessed the birth of a multitude of professions that were never heard of earlier. Today, more than ever before there are opportunities for the taking. And yet we find that this space is so limited that one has no choice other than to go through the factory that the education system has become. For, uniqueness has just remained a concept.
 |
| Image Source: http://www.psc-cuny.org/clarion/august-2012/perspectives-pathways |
When we examine human history, we talk about scientific and technological advancements in the same breath as artistic and philosophical ones. So maybe its time we stepped back and thought about how we want to be viewed by our future generations- as the lot who killed talent because of assigning differential values to pursuit of varied interests or as the forerunners of a wholistically developed society!
No comments:
Post a Comment