curiosity

Imagine this: a young Nicole (let's say around 3 or 4) looks up at the sky on a sunny day. The sky is blue and she thinks the white fluffy clouds look really pretty and squishy. After a while, she notices dark angry clouds creeping in from the distance, eventually covering the whole sky. A drop of water slowly falls down her cheek. A tear? She wipes her face and looks up again. The drops of water continue to fall and she runs into the house (she realises that getting wet was not a good idea) and sits next to a windowsill, her gaze still fixed upon the darkening sky and the pouring rain falling on the windowpane. Is the sky crying? Why is it crying? Is the sky sad? I wonder who made it sad- maybe the angry clouds did? 

Now imagine the same Nicole (fast forward to around 10 years now) is sitting in a chemistry lab. Mr K tells her that raindrops come from condensed water in the sky being too heavy so they fall down to earth as rain. It is part of the water cycle he says, and it is testable material in the upcoming test and therefore must have this memorised. This class has been going on for nearly an hour now and Nicole just wants a chocolate roll from the canteen. It's 10:25 now, just five more minutes to go! When the bell finally rings, she barely remembers where the rain comes from or what the water cycle is. All that's important is that class has ended. The chocolate roll awaits! 

Learning has become a chore in this day and age, a need rather than a want. A source of stress and anxiety even. Schools push facts and equations at us, with exams asking us to rote memorise huge amounts of facts without really understanding. Questions are not tolerated and you must sit quietly and listen in class. I'm exaggerating here (only slightly) but for sure is it much easier to sit back and let the information just pass over us: Don't ask too many questions and class will end quicker.

This is how we are moulded by the education system. To be quiet and passive. It is by far the greatest folly of the 21st century's education system. We are already born with the want to learn - a desire for more information, to understand the world around us. We already have the gift of wonder, pondering and observing, asking questions as they come. We don't have to learn how to learn, we already know how to. Of course, there's always the argument that schools and lecture halls are not ideal and yes, we sometimes must learn things that don't even interest us. But we can still be curious. We can ask more questions and engage. Have courage and dare to raise your hand in the classroom. Remember the excitement of discovery and the sparkly new world around you as a child. Do not wait for the answers to come. You must go get them. 

A little note

This is something I've been actively trying to implement in my life, being proactive in lessons and throughout the little things in life. A little constant wrestling match in my brain if you will. Stay curious!

Nicole L.

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