Hey SCG,
Yesterday (24th June) was another legendary day of my life’s journey. The day started by driving 120km to the best high school in Slovakia to give away my 3rd gift to Slovakia: workshop about School 2.0
During a workshop I have been astonished and deeply moved by brightness, sincerity and courage of this young man: 14 years old Filip from town Ružomberok.
Yes, I live for moments like this: when my heart misses a beat, because of one’s purity and visionary thinking. And I am strong believer, that even one person can make a difference. Filip is making a difference!
Let me share with you Filip’s opinions and proposals for upgrading his school experience.
Filip bravely stood up during a discussion about re-designing his school experience in front of his teachers and raised following questions:
#1
Why are our tests designed in a way, that only one answer is correct? What if I understand the question from other point of view and my reasoning is different only because I have understood the question from other perspective? Why only teacher’s answer is correct?
#2
Why are some teachers passionate while explaining the subject and some are just “teaching” without any interest?
#3
Why are we NOT tested via informal conversation about the topic by teachers instead of standing in front of class and repeating memorized words from the textbook? If teacher would be asking me questions, it would be much easier for me to prove that I understand the matter.
#4
Why getting good marks is more important than knowledge itself? Huge majority of classmates are cheating during tests and they are getting good marks, but their knowledge is far behind those who are honestly struggling on tests?
#5
Why our political leaders cannot understand that investing in kids is investing in our future? Why this fundamental thinking is not understood in Slovakia?
I was so moved by Filip’s confessions, that I have recorded this video, when I have walked out from the school.
When I spoke to him off the record, I told him to be himself and not to trade off his face and honesty for being “dishonest but A plus student.” I told him, that grades are not important and he replied with sadness in his eyes: in this system marks are important, because if he wants to get a scholarship to go to study in UK later on, his grades will not qualify him to get scholarship and his family cannot afford to send him to study without scholarship.
Filip wishes to go to study abroad in 2 years…
So, I have offered Filip my full support on matter of his personal development.
He is too precious to be nailed down by the system.
World needs more Filips!
SCG,
do you know any “Filips”, too? Are you helping them to rise? How can we help in this matter, when system is killing creativity and authenticity?
Peace out.
i.
Inspiring Shipments (#IS) by Ivana Sendecka 
salam Ivana,
First congratulation for this great step, Wish you all the best straight from my heart. Let me tell you Ivana, there are many Filips around us. Children dont like to read conventional syllabus, my younger bro and sis too. I am also guiding them to follow their insight and to get the knowledge only, where ever find it. You know Ivana favoritism and references is another issue in our institutions, like My younger sis is doing D-pharmacy but she is really disappointed with the professors and lecturers at her university because majority are following favoritism system. Now she wants to migrate to another institute. And very common factor which has spoil our institutions is corruption in funds, thats why students are not able to get all facilities for research work. Anyhow thats another part of the story.
well I must say we should work on our future through Schools which must be designed to deliver knowledge, only knowledge without competition( marks oriented study). Real knowledge which gives us insight to be more human, authentic, sincere and passionate to bring a positive change in Society.
Ivana I want to share with you that my mother is going to get Bs-18 and within few months she will become a principle of high school. I really want to work there for enhancement of real knowledge. Then I will contact you for help and guidance plus I am curious to know more about your project School 2.0.
Filips questions are truly a brave step towards change.Its reflect, now we dont need conventional education more. Its time for change.
Have a great time.
Dear Sidra,
thank you for your amazing comment (as always!).
I agree with you, that school should be re-designed and schools should serve their students not teachers to have comfortable secure job with regular pay.
Congratulation to you mother for new assignment. If I could be of any help, please let me know!
Let us have a Skype call, because when you are saying that there are many Filips around you, I can be more useful for you than here in Slovakia, where people do not even say thank you for what I do.
😉
But that is a life and as our SCG-er Michael Yanakiev said: “one of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a good and new idea.”
HUGS, Sidra!
i love you already.. great post.
rahul was smart to bring us together.
we are doing the same… redefining school…
here’s one you and filip might like… more when you’re ready…
Hey Monika!
Thank you so much for your 1st comment here! 😉
Yes, I am truly grateful to Rahul for connecting us.
I have seen your prezi slide deck and I really like your concept of:
#1 access
#2 process
#3 connectivity
SCG-ers,
have a look at it here: http://prezi.com/crci00sggswk/be-you/
Monika, let us talk, how we can help each other;-)
Beautiful topic, Ivi! I must agree with you, it’s true, we need more Filip’s mostly in this country, but on the other hand, what you are saying on the record, is little bit striking for me, because I don’t think, that these people are made in schools, (“he is only 1 year on high school Sucany…”) these people are growing in their own world, and only one thing keeps their mind on this way, “being your self”, how you have said!
I am always saying, that the only thing, that didn’t change already 100 years, was scholar system which need to be changed. Of course schools like Sucany High School in Ruzomberok, is making this fact more serious! And that’s amazing, school wihch is fighting against system!
PS: If you want, I can cut your vids… 😉
“schools should serve their students not teachers to have comfortable secure job with regular pay.”
That is a false dichotomy: schools can be designed to serve the students while still attracting the best talent to teach. Teachers in SVK are not just underpaid, they are woefully underpaid, 31 percent below the national salary average for teachers of the youngest grades. Throwing teachers and professors under the bus is not going to help the situation in my opinion.
It is also worth pointing out that millions of students don’t have access to school 1.0. No, offering classes online for free is not going to change the fact that the child must spend 4 hours a day collecting wood which her family needs for cooking, and can only dream of attending school. So while school might not be a big deal for students in SVK, for the one billion poorest in the world, it is something they don’t have access to.
I will also add that we live for the most part in a society that lacks passion. Very few occupations require passion. I’m not talking about the poor soul that has to clean the bathroom at Tesco. In general, there aren’t many occupations that are worth getting passionate about. Our economy isn’t built that way. We need people to drive forklifts, to work in factories, etc. Every student can’t go on to become a dancer, or astronaut. Unless of course passions change and making bricks becomes more fun.
What I am getting at is that the inequalities and wrongs are not due to schools killing creativity. There must be an economic revolution before educational. This seems like an even larger dragon to slay – Progression towards an egalitarian society where all occupations are equally respected and paid the same.
Anyhow, just some thoughts. 🙂