Children cannot fulfill their life long dreams for lots of reasons. The short answer as to why is actually very simple, crushed passion.
It starts during our childhood, typically at the age of 5. Our parents sign us up for a district/school, we sit in uncomfortable chairs for hours on end, we do work in class, we go home, we do even more work at home, do whatever tasks we wanted to do with the short amount of time we have left, go to bed, and repeat the entire process over for the next 12 or more years. It is just a constant cycle of work, sleep, work and sleep. And with that little time we have to ourselves two things tend to happen, one, we rush to try and get something done to the point where we work ourselves to the bone, experiencing burnout. Or, option 2, when we finally get that small time to ourselves, that thing we once loved feels like nothing but a chore.
A passion should not feel like a job you are being forced to do. It should make us feel peaceful and something we enjoy doing. It won’t always feel like that but sometimes that’s your escape from a rough day.
However, due to the amount of work we receive as the school years progress, that passion we once had, maybe to become an artist, fashion designer, or baker are gone because of the amount of work we have. It sucks the energy and life out of us. Which then causes us to no longer try and achieve that dream, making us let go of it.
According to a few of our interviewees they too can confirm that they feel this way about school. Our first interview started with a friend of mine, Logan. I had asked Logan how school killed his passion and he responded with a very lengthy answer. He stated “ School is actively killing my passion for music. I am an avid singer/drummer, and I get through my day with the help of music. So many school programs that involve music are getting cut due to poorly managed budgets, and most schools do not allow their students to have time in the day to practice such passions.
If your passion is history, or science, or even math, you got lucky. You get to do that every day. If you like something such as music or art, then boo-hoo. My schedule is packed with pre-requisites that leave no time for me to take something I enjoy. I’m slammed with classes like Spanish and health which take my elective slots to partake in something I actually enjoy. On top of that, I get so tired with classwork, and then slammed with homework, so by the end of the day, I’m too tired and too busy to actually set some time aside to practice my drumming. Schools need to support their students by giving them less work outside of class so they can partake in their passions without feeling exhausted and burnt-out.
Then, if you actually get into a music class, then you’re forced to play some marching-band esc- instrument like the trumpet or snare drum, and you end up playing some dumb song that nobody enjoys. Music classes should be based on learning music theory, learning to write songs, and playing music that everybody enjoys. I gain nothing actually important to making music by learning how to read music for the trombone. Kids like me want to take a class that will support our passions and teach us how to write songs. Not just play to the beat of somebody else’s work.
Overall, school crams kids with too much work to enjoy their passions without feeling tired and burnt-out, and the few courses that schools do provide are often cut, or are insufficient for the needs of their students.
Pitman High freshman Hailee MacGregor said, “Yeah, drawing [is a good example]. Not all classes let you be creative in them; even with a class as in art – it can help you but it’s only an hour of work when art can take you hours, days or even weeks to complete. Debating on your project you are working on, schools should include more hours into letting the students express themselves in art if they have the interest and passion, too. It’s not everyone’s thing but it will help out people who do have it since school focuses on other subjects more.”
Our next interviewee – and a friend of mine – is Turlock High School freshman Tsuuki Grimme. Grimme stated, “Usually I draw or paint very often, but when school starts or a break ends I start to draw a lot less. My drawings also become a lot less intricate and they all look very similar when I’m in school. I find it hard to focus on art, and most of my art goes unfinished.”
Based on both interviewees it is obvious that they have a strong opinion about their passions. I feel we can all agree that when that first alarm for school wakes you up for the first day, at the same time that is when your interests and passions fades away.