This is Why You Were Bored as a Teenager

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newsweek:

From NurtureShock:

In his new book, Dr. Joe Allen has concluded that our urge to protect teenagers from real life – because we don’t think they’re ready yet – has tragically backfired. By insulating them from adult-like work, adult social relationships, and adult consequences, we have only delayed their development. We have made it harder for them to grow up. Maybe even made it impossible to grow up on time.

Basically, we long ago decided that teens ought to be in school, not in the labor force. Education was their future. But the structure of schools is endlessly repetitive. “From a Martian’s perspective, high schools look virtually the same as sixth grade,” said Allen. “There’s no recognition, in the structure of school, that these are very different people with different capabilities.” Strapped to desks for 13+ years, school becomes incredibly montonous, artificial, and cookie-cutter.

This was my experience, and a key reason why I dropped out of high school and joined the workforce at sixteen.

This was my experience as well. I’ve always thought real learning was active, hands-on, and took place in real-life, not behind a desk.

Now you have students who, because of the internet, have surpassed their teachers in knowledge and experience. I often find myself chuckling at new media courses in universities because we can learn all of it for free - just by researching, asking, and doing. Even the valuable school communities (and alumni) are being formed online based on interest and participation.

Sitting behind a desk learning information that is rapidly changing (especially if you’re in new media or technology) seems like a hold-back. The master/student dynamic is also royally warped. Today the students are the masters.

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  1. fongfong-desu reblogged this from psychotherapy
  2. thesquirrelbitch reblogged this from psychotherapy and added:
    This is very applicable to the discussion I had with my boyfriend earlier today.
  3. ragnarokandroll reblogged this from piquant
  4. tautou reblogged this from psychotherapy and added:
    omg…I was talking about this yesterday with a friend and thinking about it earlier. The bubble my mother sheltered me in...
  5. android1014 reblogged this from figuremeout
  6. kylieeann reblogged this from figuremeout
  7. figuremeout reblogged this from laurakelly00 and added:
    The plight of institutionalized education, in which produces not the mentally enlightened individual, but the mentally...
  8. metaphysicalreverie reblogged this from piquant and added:
    well this is just depressing, but unfortunately in most cases, true -__-
  9. mashedpotatoes reblogged this from isolophobia and added:
    i agree. unfortunately.
  10. cottoncandycarly reblogged this from piquant
  11. piquant reblogged this from hunterpryor
  12. isolophobia reblogged this from newsweek
  13. irrationalobsession reblogged this from newsweek
  14. hunterpryor reblogged this from zadi
  15. aeontriad reblogged this from newsweek
  16. klaatu reblogged this from mikehudack
  17. scundayfourpiece reblogged this from newsweek
  18. excalipoor reblogged this from zadi
  19. luap reblogged this from psychotherapy
  20. boheme86 reblogged this from psychotherapy and added:
    Maybe this is why I crave an office job, because they remind me so much of that environment again. Although… without the...
  21. lipglossblackleather reblogged this from psychotherapy
  22. subwaysheep reblogged this from psychotherapy and added:
    Hi mom, hi dad. Thanks. Is this why I still feel like a teenager (or younger?)?

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