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This piece is from the CU Independent’s opinion section. Any opinions or views do not represent the CU Independent.
I strongly believe that pretending to be fatally ill to avoid going to school has been a universal experience—perhaps even dating back to ancient times. I think it’s a perfectly normal part of adolescence and a small act of rebellion, and I’ve always believed that some rebellion is healthy and even beneficial for young people, as it fosters the development of individual opinion. However, there is a greater epidemic—one that stretches far beyond the stomachache little Timmy claims to have on a random Monday. This is the pandemic of modern education: an annoyance that has evolved into pure dread and ultimately manifested as a hatred for school and anything related.
Every kid learns differently, and yet the school system maintains a rigid exterior, one that inherently strips away the true purpose of learning: to learn. Instead, it preaches the importance of passing standardized tests. Since every person, and therefore every student, is unique, the very idea of a “standard” is illogical. Some might even find it comical that schools promote sameness, a concept so often demonized in dystopian literature, as the ideal goal. If I wanted to laugh, I’d go to a comedy show; I don’t want to laugh at the structural integrity of the school system when it’s supposed to serve as the foundation for the great minds of the future. It seems that change is not only needed but long overdue. Instead of forcing students to fit a mold, we should adapt the outdated school system to fit their diverse needs.
Working at Untapped, a mentoring and coaching program, has given me the opportunity to engage with a wide range of students who possess an incredible variety of talents. I have a sixth grader who writes novels, a professional skateboarder who makes films in the homework center, a student designing “trash fashion” and another who runs cross country while balancing hours of chemistry homework. I celebrate every seemingly small moment of passion and resilience because students are too often overlooked for their talents if they’re not acing algebra.
Students are labeled as “problematic” when it takes them longer to comprehend material or when they don’t perform well on tests. But maybe the school system is what’s problematic. Maybe the curriculum itself is the source of the cracks in comprehension. It breaks my heart when I have to explain to my students that there is nothing wrong with them just because they learn differently or need more resources to succeed. I wish I didn’t have to look a child in the eyes and validate their right to an education that isn’t painful, to convince them that they can succeed and that there are people who believe in them and want to help them do so.
At Untapped, coaches focus on executive functioning, which involves viewing the student as a whole person rather than just a GPA number. Executive functioning refers to a set of mental skills that help individuals manage their thoughts, actions and emotions to align with their goals. Every student comes in with a different level of skill and, therefore, a unique set of needs. At Untapped, we focus on these individual needs to help students build confidence in using their executive functioning skills daily. Through this approach, we’ve found that when students are given the tools and resources to manage and improve their habits and executive functioning, their grades naturally improve on their own.
Untapped focuses on developing skills such as planning, organization, task initiation, attention, metacognition, advocacy, time management, routines, project chunking, working memory and mental flexibility. The program encourages students to reflect on their day-to-day functioning and equips them with the tools to achieve their own definition of success in the real world.
Although Untapped is an amazing program and resource for students, I feel it should be naturally embedded into schools and their curricula. Too often, our society sacrifices the potential of some students for the convenience of others. Too often, students are viewed as simple pieces of machinery being moved along the conveyor belt of modern-day education.
My brother has a genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. This condition is often referred to as the “love syndrome” because of the high levels of empathy and affection shown by those who have it. Gavin has learning disabilities, and it takes him longer to comprehend material; however, he is passionate, curious and his dreams know no limits. He could tell you the names of a dozen dwarf planets, and for a while, I was convinced he was learning Chinese because he went through a phase where he only watched Chinese shows on YouTube. He loves scuba diving, space, bowling, karate and a plethora of other hobbies.
Yet, on career day, a day meant to expand students’ perspectives and inspire their future ambitions, the only careers his special education class discussed were grocery bagger, garbage man and waiter. There is nothing wrong with those professions; however, there is something deeply wrong with the stigma surrounding what those kids are believed to be capable of. There is something wrong with educators telling my brother that those are the only paths he should consider possible. Gavin surprises people every day with his intelligence, humor and kindness, but he shouldn’t have to. No one should have the right to decide a child’s potential, and no one should ever stop them from dreaming.
I hope that one day, Untapped won’t just be a program but a movement, one that pushes the school system toward reform. A movement that shifts modern education back to its true purpose: educating, rather than simply producing statistics of the so-called “educated.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sophia Neckin at sophia.neckin@colorado.edu.
