The Truth About Education

Education is amazing. It’s what creates you, it’s what exposes you. Through education, you realize your passion and calling. Its education that helps you form opinions about issues and people and things. True. All of that, and much more, is true.

But, what is education when you’re more stressed about getting that paper or that homework in, than actually enjoying what you’re studying and understanding. What is education when you care more about what your predicted grade in a particular subject is than what concept you aren’t able to get your head around?

Don’t get me wrong, I love education. I love studying. I love just knowing that rights and wrongs are social constructs made by society, I love understanding how different theatrical devices and ideas affect the audience of the piece, I love seeing how one color an author has used can say so much about his state of mind at that moment, I love learning a completely new language, I love making that connection between Donald Trump and Hitler and seeing why both of them are rising/rose to power and actually see history repeat itself (almost, hopefully not). I love studying.

But, I don’t see the purpose when I am stressed out enough to have a mental breakdown during class, or come home exhausted and have to face a huge workload that I need to submit in the next day. What is the point of all of this, when you’re going to reduce something as beautiful as knowledge and education to workload; reduce it to students comparing studying to stress; to the word ‘study’ having negative connotations in a student’s life.

And, don’t even get me started on exams. Exams are not to measure your success throughout the year and fathom what you’ve understood and learnt. If you ask an average student, exams is for that grade at the end with which they can apply to university or have a standing in the society. That grade is what defines a person in our lives nowadays. That success in anything and everything is what defines a person in this age and world. How wrong could we get? Are we trying to measure a person’s ability with the way he performs in maths, while his passion lies in dance? Are we saying that someone is incapable of doing anything just because he got a D in school? It’ll be this guy who will end up starting a million dollar company, and then we will use his example as inspiration.

I have one request from everyone around the world. Please do not reduce knowledge to something like exams and grades. Knowledge is a lot more profound and beautiful than a letter on a piece of paper.

Its Just Another Set of Exams

I know your boards are starting soon. I know you are nervous, anxious, and freaking out. You probably even think that you might be under-prepared. I went through exactly what you are going through last year. The nervousness, the anxiety, the over-thinking, it was all there through the whole study break.

So, as someone who has been through this, I write to make you feel confident for your 'boards'. Your boards are nothing but another set of exams you have to tackle to get into the next year. It is just another test to see if you are qualified enough to get to the next class. The only difference is that it is marked by people who aren't your teachers. And, that's okay. You don't have to focus on that. Keep in mind that these exams are not going to make or break your future. Mark sheets don't have the power to do that until you give them that power.

I'm not saying treat it lightly or don't study. It's a milestone. But, don't put your boards on a very high pedestal. They don't belong there. That is unnecessarily putting so much pressure on your head that you are going to end up getting saturated, tired, and incapable of studying. Instead, study so that you understand what is happening. It isn't understanding when you read something and say to yourself, "Yep, I got it." It is understanding when you take a set of difficult questions on the topic and are able to solve it without too much of a problem.

You might have a lot of subjects, and you definitely are not going to like all of them (during my boards, I despised five of eight of my subjects). I know it is difficult, but enjoy the subjects while it lasts, Drop all your feelings and inhibitions about that subject, just take in all the information. Listen to what the subject is trying to tell you! You will not only learn a lot for your exam, you might even end up actually liking the subject.

Also (especially for them IGCSE students), don't ever ignore a paper thinking it isn't important. That paper could actually be the difference between a B and an A. If I'd done well in my Economics MCQ, I would have probably had 7 As and 1 B. And, never get overconfident for a subject. Give each subject enough time and study it. Revise everything in detail. Make sure you understand. Make sure you can explain what you have learnt to someone who has no knowledge about that subject.

Guys, the boards, or any other exam for that matter, will not make or break your future. The only reason this is important is because it gives you a milestone; it gives you an idea about what you like and what you don't. Your boards are just another way of testing you, so don't give in to societal pressure, and definitely don't negatively stress yourself out.

This, coming from someone who has already seen that the boards are nothing compared to what you're going to face later, and how insignificant your grades start seeming down the line. But, that's no reason not to study! Grades do decide your immediate future. Don't mess it up, and don't stress too much.

All the best!