Education Is Failing Us
- Angela Cangialosi
- Mar 6, 2019
- 3 min read
I have a lot of thoughts on education and the mentality that it creates. I graduated from college in 2017. The only thing that I knew was that I wanted to help people in some way.
Knowing nothing else but being thrust out into the world and told to make stuff happen was stressful. I felt overwhelmed and like my life was out of my control as I waited for employers to invite me to interviews, invite me back for a second and maybe hire me. I ended up taking many jobs since then as I've been building my coaching practice and I continued to have this gnawing feeling that nothing was really FOR me.
I had to come to terms with the fact that whatever I'd be doing for the rest of my life would likely have to be created by me. Something novel. Something outside of what's already out there.
Now, growing up I was also a great student. I barely made a peep in class. I never really got into trouble at all. I did my homework, I followed the syllabus, I listened to all the older figures present in my life. I never learned how to lead. I never had someone push me to be a leader and I never took it upon myself to be a leader because I just thought it was better to go by the book.
Leadership to me has a lot to do with expression, failure, and community. I've had a tough time with all three. Finding communities of people that feel like they're my people have been tough, I avoid failure because I don't want to fuck stuff up and if I express myself I risk fucking up so naturally, I avoid that too. Very old story and way of being.
My point in this post is to say two things. One is that being a part of my coaching community has given me a safe space to fuck up and express myself as a leader and I'm mighty grateful for that. The second thing that I want to express is that the education system as it stands today is doing many humans a disservice. This is a generalization, I will own that.
What I've found through personal experience and many an interview is that school has now become data-driven.
School is about test scores and performance more than it is about learning, community, fulfillment, leadership, belonging, self-efficacy, compassion, self-love, expression, etc. And for the people that think things like fulfillment and belonging can't be measured, they can. It's a matter of being willing to...and psychology.
When I've spoken to teachers there's an air of resignation, doubt, victimhood, frustration, cynicism, empty hope. As I'm listening I'm thinking to myself, "Why the f*ck haven't you made a mess?". Why haven't you chosen to BE different about this system and to DO something different? Maybe it's just the fear of losing your job, of ruffling feathers, of fucking up, of being seen and heard, of leading. I don't really know, that's just my hunch.
I have a request of teachers, parents, bosses, and mentors. My request is that you go beyond the numbers, the rules and the how-to's. Not only for the young humans you interact with but for yourselves as well. Own your impact.
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