My favorite point that she makes is that kids who are "academic" or good at school are that way because they have figured out the school system. Figuring out the school system may help you get good grades in school, but in real life it is irrelevant.
I personally am not an "academic" person. I cannot sit through lectures and lectures and remember everything. I get bored. I start to think of all the other things I could be doing instead. Wright says in this article that if you are not academic, it is okay. Being academic does not tell you who you are as a person. Just because I am not good as good at school as some others, does not mean that I am not going to exceed in my life.
My whole life I have struggled with not being as smart as other people in my class or not getting the best score on a test. This article says that in the big scheme of life, it does not matter.
Wright also says that the school system destroys children's curiosity. I agree with this one hundred percent. In school, we as students are expected to be interested in whatever is being taught. If we want to know something that does not have to do with what we are learning about, it is a bad thing. I am curious about many things in the world but I might never find out while I am still in school.
Everyday in classes like math and science, I wonder why I even need to learn these things. How do they apply to real life? Every time I ask myself these questions, I always give myself the same answer- no, none of this is going to apply to my life.
I hope that someday someone will be able to make a change to our school systems so that we are learning how things apply to our lives and our school is not so focused on being "academic."
If you want to read this article, here is the link. I would highly recommend it!
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/11/why-academic-teaching-doesnt-help-kids-excel-in-life/