Name: I JUST SUED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM !!!
Uploaded: 2016-10-24T07:56:40.000Z
Duration: 6 min 1 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Albert Einstein once said, "Everybody's a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid."

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today on trial, we have modern day schooling.

Not only does he make fish climb trees, but also makes them climb down, and do a ten-mile run.

Tell me school, are you proud of the things you've done?

Do you realize how many kids relate to that fish?

Swimming upstream in class, never finding their gifts, thinking they are stupid, believing they are useless?

I call school to the stand and accuse him of killing creativity, individuality, and being intellectually abusive.

He's an ancient institution that has outlived his usage.

So your honor, this concludes my opening statement.

And if I may present the evidence of my case, I will prove it.

And here's a class we used 150 years ago.

Now ain't that a shame, in literally more than a century, nothing has changed.

Yet you claim to prepare students for the future?

But with evidence like that I must ask, do you prepare students for the future or the past?

I did a background check on you and let the record show that you were made to train people to work in factories.

Which explains why you put students in straight rows nice and neat, tell them sit still, raise your hand if you wanna speak, give them a short break to eat, and for eight hours a day, tell them what to think.

A letter which determines product quality.

I get it. Back then times were different.

But today we don't need to make robots zombies.

And now we need people who think creatively, innovatively, critically, independently, with the ability to connect.

See, every scientist will tell you that no two brains are the same.

And every parent with two or more children will confirm that claim.

So please explain why you treat students like cookie cutter frames or snapback hats?

But if a doctor prescribes the exact same medicine to all of his patients, the results would be tragic!

Yet, when it comes to school this is exactly what happens.

Where one teacher stands in front of 20 kids.

Each one having different strengths, different needs, different gifts, different dreams.

And you teach the same thing, the same way?

Ladies and gentlemen, the defendant should not be acquitted.

This may be one of the worst criminal offenses ever to be committed.

And let's mention the ways you treat your employees.

I mean teachers have the most important job on the planet, yet they're underpaid?

No wonder so many students are short changed.

Let's be honest, teaches should earn just as much as doctors.

Because a doctor can do heart surgery and save the life of a kid.

But a great teacher can reach the heart of that kid, and allow him to truly live.

See, teachers are heroes that often get blamed.

They work in a system without many options or rights.

Curriculums are created by policy makers, most of which have never taught a day in their life.

They think bubbling in a multiple choice test question will determine success.

In fact, these tests are too crude to be used, and should be abandoned.

Take Frederick J. Kelly, the man who invented standardized testing, who said, and I quote, "These tests are too crude to be used, and should be abandoned."

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if we continue down this road, the results will be lethal.

I don't have much faith in school, but I do have faith in people.

And if we can customize health care, cars, and Facebook pages, then it is our duty to do the same for education, to upgrade it, change it, do away with school spirit.

Unless we're working to bring the spirit out of each and every student.

Instead, let's reach the core of every heart in every class.

Sure, math is important, but no more than art or dance.

I know this sounds like a dream, but countries like Finland are doing impressive things.

They have shorter school days; teachers make a decent wage.

Homework is non existent and they focus on collaboration instead of competition.

Their educational system outperforms every other country in the world.

Other places like Singapore, succeeding rapidly.

Schools like Montessori; programs like Khan Academy.

There is no single solution, but let's get moving.

Because while students may be 20% of our population, they are 100% of our future.