Memorizing data to spit back out verbatim

That’s not learning

Banking our self-worth on a letter

That’s not learning

Staying up so late that the book get’s blurry and our brain gets fuzzy

That’s not learning

Annotating instead of creating

That’s not learning

Conforming our ideas to match our teachers

so we can ace the test

That’s not learning

 

Spinning in worthless work that fills our brains to capacity

So there’s no room left in us for creativity

Breaking our backs just to get into that prodigious academy

Self hate and torture for

Failing

The word that hurts like a gun wound

It breaks into our psyche

Slowly beats us down ‘till we feel gone

Nothing, worthless, stupid

 

Comparing ourselves to each other

Wanting to be like every other

Wanting to be better

To win

But learning is not a game to win or lose

Why is this something I have to prove?

 

Stop making us hate education

Isn’t freedom what built this nation?

Give us the freedom to learn

Don’t just force information into our brains

Because it won’t stay

The next day all of it will just blow away

 

Our broken system is no longer a system

But mangled bits of parts that are boulders on students shoulders

It’s time to change

Get back to learning

and rearrange

outdated thinking

 

Reading a book and enjoying it

That’s learning

Sharing ideas and believing them

That’s learning

Discovering an ancient world from our history

That’s learning

Standing out from the crowd and

measuring ourselves by our quirks

That’s learning

Learning who we are

and where we stand

Learning is acceptance that the world is not perfect and having a willingness and desire to change it

 

Teachers, listen up

This

writing, creating, questioning

This right here is learning

So, teachers, get your facts right.