School Sux?

An anarchist look at the school system

by dj

 

When we first go to school as kids, most of us look forward to going. As time goes on though, more and more of us realise that school, if it ever was, is not so cool. Even those who do well at school do not always like it.

A lot of people like school because we get to meet people there. Sure school gives us a chance to meet people of our own age, but couldn't we do that without school? Most people have friends who do not go to their school. By just walking around the streets we can make friends. Music, sport, skating, bike riding and other activities, even hanging out, can all be ways to make new friends. All it takes to make friends is to be in the same place as other people, school is just one place where this happends.

So, if there are other ways to hang out with people you like, school starts to look pretty shitty, especially when we add the bullies, bossy teachers, work that is boring and you'll never use again, long hours spent inside stuffy classrooms and too much homework. We are all made to go to school until a certain age to do things we don't like, we are told what to do and whey you decide to say or do something about your boredom, you are told it is your fault and punished. So much for freedom in education.

The problem isn't that people don't like to learn things, most people like to learn new things to impress their friends and family, to be able to do something or just to satisfy curiosity. One of the most fucked up things about school is that you don't learn what you want to. Instead, some faceless middle-aged fat-cat school bureaucrat decides what you will learn and how you will learn it.

People who have different interests and have different abilities are fed into the education sausage machine that's called the 'education' system. Many of them come out hating learning and pissed off. This anger is often taken out on other people or is focussed inwards, particularly when failing school means a lack of opportunitites to get a job, let alone a good one.

It is not only those who 'fail' who suffer in school though. Everyone who goes into school has their freedom of education taken away from them and is forced to learn things they don't want to, be where they don't want to be and has to dress in clothes they hate. School is part of the system where one group oppresses another, in this case mostly adults oppressing kids, but this oppression keeps on going through life. Most adults couldn't stand to go to school and be treated like the kids there, but when they go to work they still have to do things that make them feel really small. There is always the boss and the bossed, almost everywhere you go.

I used to think school was about education, but I realised that it wasn't. School is about schooling. Schooling is all about discipline, doing what you are told, not asking too many questions and ending up a 'model' citizen. A 'model' citizen is someone who know when to shut up, when to speak and how to follow orders and timetables without complaining.

School is about producing worker drones, not educated people. Take a look or listen to the news or current affairs shows and you will hear television hosts talking about what kids need to do at school. All they talk about is jobs, they don't care about what you actually want to do. None of these people will ask you about what you actually want to do. There aren't too many jobs out there worth having, but the politicitians and bosses don't give a shit about that.They just want to keep their little system of exploitation going.

Unfortunately, too many teachers don't do anything to challenge the system, because they too will get told off if they do and might lose their job. Of course, there are some teachers who totally support people like 'Honest' John Howard and will do their best to keep students in line and docile.

When I was at school, I got completely conned into thinking that being smart at school was going to get me places. The reality is not like this for most of us. Those of us who go to state schools, who come from families that aren't rich will always be up against it. The school system does not override the class system. Rich kids can get well paid jobs through mummy and daddy or by 'networking' with old school friends who are corporate movers and shakers. The well-off can afford computers, books, excursions and can go to schools where there are less students per teacher.

While some kids from state schools 'succeed', most don't and get stuck in exactly the same types of jobs their parents had, or no job at all.

When this happends we are made to feel like failures, like we're dumb. After all , we have been to school and still can't get a job, or are not driving a Mercedes. Something must be wrong with us. What is wrong is school and our society, not us. Just because we are not good at school, have a shitty job or are unemployed does not mean we're thick, it more likely means our society and school have failed us.

It is often hard to change things. When teachers and students challenge the school system they get picked on, evern though it is the system that is stupid. Though bosses and politicians like to talk about freedom, they don't want us to have freedom of education, they don't want people to think too much for themselves and do something about their thoughts.

This article is pretty negative, but there are things that can be done to change schools and the education system. There are different ways to gain an education. At school, you can talk about why school and society suck. Some of the people you hang around with might share your ideas. It's not uncool to think for yourself instead of following the herd and lusting after the latest Nikes.

If you are pretty brave, you might even think about having a protest at school, a debate about why school is bad, or produce some pamphlets or an article telling people your thoughts about school. You could even look into starting your own school! Let your teachers know that you don't like school and that it is not just because you are thick. Think about how school could be different or what might replace schools. What would it be like if we could actually learn what we wanted to?

For older people who aren't at school, you can start to think of people younger than you as intelligent human beings, rather than being scared of them because they don't dress, talk or walk like you. When older people start talking for kids, question their right to do so. As young people are often discriminated against in our society, they need our support but don't need us telling them what to do. Make suggestions, offer advice but don't assume you are an authority, just because you are older.

Education should be available for everyone, at their own pace. Education should not be about studying things we don't like, mindless exams and tests, or punishment for wearing the wrong clothes. We should not have to learn in a way we can't understand, or go to school if we don't want to. Education should not be about what business bosses or certain politicians want, it should be about what students want. An education system that isn't based or takes into account student's needs, wants and decisions isn't about freeing our minds, it's about indoctrination and manipulation.