I can clearly remember the moment when I realized that my interests did not align with school’s. I was 13.
I loved school.
I loved it because I saw my friends. I loved it because I was excellent at dodgeball and red rover and running. I loved it because I was learning new things every day.
We moved.
And then I had to make new friends. I did.
And then gym was nothing more than basketball. I didn’t like basketball.
And then I got bored. 8th grade math was just the same as 7th, which had been slightly more than 6th. I asked to be moved to the next class. Sure, just pass this test; it will assess whether or not you know what will be taught this year. Makes sense. I failed the test. I had never heard of some of these things. Guess I’ll learn them this year.
But we didn’t. We never covered that material. And next year I got to the class I wanted the year before, just because.
School was not there to teach me the things I wanted to know. School was there for something else.
What?