Recently, I have been getting a lot of attention primarily because I am the only kid from my high school going to Stanford. I have been asked for advice, but in those moments of need, I truly cannot think of genuine things to say. If I’m being honest, there are words I want to say to them that I simply cannot bring myself to say. These words are hard for me to express, not only because reality is a bummer, but also because I’m not sure I understand the lesson myself. These “words” are my thoughts on intelligence:
I truly believe that all humans were born equal. We are born alone. We die alone, and arguably we are all alone throughout life. The only line of continuity that exists in our life lies in our mind and our ever-evolving mindset. At this time in my life, I truly believe that everyone in this world is intelligent. Regardless of any division, we are given an equal amount of intelligence from our creator. There will be those who point out students who are chronically absent or failing, but the lack of “intelligence” in these students that we so condescendingly observe are due to factors out of their control. The true ideal of any education system, in my humble opinion, should be to level the playing field and allow all students to genuinely interact with one another in a way that they can learn from one another. The world of academia often focuses heavily upon book smarts, but a large portion of this world’s shortcomings are as a result of a depreciation of emotional intelligence. An ideal education would put equal weight on both. Those who are often overlooked by our educational system manifest their intelligence in different ways that are too often neglected. In early education, it is not rare to see a child chastised for being a chatterbox, simply because their social proficiency could not be contained by a teacher, who has been worn down over time. There are various alternatives to this scenario: The foster kid who has typically lacked the support that others take for granted, the latchkey child who may not feel as loved, and especially underprivileged communities of color who have been ravaged by a system full of weapons of math destruction (See WMD by Kathy O’ Neil for more on this. Highly recommend. 10/10 ;)) Quite frankly, when an individual is marked as “intelligent” by the system, not only is this extremely subjective, but often, this can be very toxic. To prove my point, exhibit A:
I would say that success in America’s broken education system does not always amount to personal contentedness, especially to the individual. I mean, I’m pretty sure all your GIFTED students have depression now. “Success” as defined by most of society often revolves around a lot of luck. Likewise, the American dream may be the greatest illusion offered to our society. Similarly, with our education, it’s the luck of the draw when it comes to teachers, friends, and even the damn year. The year matters because certain programs and activities phase in and out and even disappear as soon as you leave. Take me for example. I was lucky, yes, to be at Reseda when we had biotech offered after school. Had I been offered the chance to do so on my own time, outside my high school on a separate campus, I would have probably not. That biotech program in itself opened many doors, yet I was lucky. Lucky enough to have had a teacher to even mention the program. Lucky enough for the program to have even started that year; that year when I was a freshman (when I was still motivated and wholeheartedly optimistic.) I was lucky, period. I’m sure there are so people who would say, “But, you put in the work,” which is true, but there are also many others who would surely as well if offered the chance. To be frank, it is foolish to be proud of things that you have no control over. Without a doubt, I know I am privileged. I have unconditional support from my family. I’ve gotten lucky as far as schools go. I somehow beat the odds getting into Stanford (cause God knows that 4.3% admission rate was practically a lottery), AND I’m privileged enough to be writing this. A large part of my so-called success has been a result of things I do not have control over. There are kids my age who don’t have access to the internet (hard to succeed without that [looking at you Quizlet fam]). There are other kids my age who don’t necessarily have a support system. There are other kids my age, at a school where they simply feel like a number, a source of revenue, and there are other kids my age, who unlike me, don’t even believe an education is that important. However, as long as I hold this position of privilege, it’s up to me and all of us to level this field. It’s up to all of us to mitigate the effects of a broken education system.
Why? Because we must. Because a system that propagates inequality, when we are equal in terms of intelligence, should not be a system that exists. A zip code should not define whether someone succeeds or not. It’s up to those of who lucked out of this crooked system to change the world so that we deliver justice to a world that delivered injustice to our friends, to our families, and to our communities. Intelligence is NOT rare, but the way our flawed system approaches it makes us think it is. Believe it or not, but we’re all smart. Before the rise of the U.S. News rankings, a pernicious positive feedback loop, college-bound students were confident they could get into their safety school. If students didn’t get into their top choices, including the dream school and their target schools, they’d still have their safety school. Safety schools no longer exist, and as a result, perfectly smart students feel as if they are less “intelligent.” This is a result of rankings and is only one example of the horrible feedback loops embedded in our educational system. By failing to cultivate the potential offered by all students, this flawed system has acted as a detriment to our society. Note of caution dear reader!!! Rather than to complain, however, it’s necessary to play the game to win the game. It’s only once we win the game that we can afford to make BIG MOVES on the system. Change from within is truly the only place where change can begin. Change in our education system begins in the classroom and should put an emphasis on inclusive learning. I’m not talking about NCLB or more standardized testing, but with a cultural revolution. Viva la Revolucion!
Anyways..back to me (because I’m sooooo important, lol). What I am trying to say is, don’t ask me how I got into Stanford. To be truthful, I don’t know. A large part of it was luck if I’m being honest. The Stanford admissions committee would like to tell me that it’s not because of my past accomplishments, but rather because they saw potential in me. I say BS. I’m sure there were many better applicants than me. But, I’m in and I couldn’t be happier. *sighs* Stanford is perfect (or at least that’s what I hope it’ll be after our class gets through. There’s nothing wrong with striving for perfection as long as one gets comfortable with the idea of failure.) My thoughts on intelligence or as follow: you’re intelligent. We’re all intelligent. It’s too much of a subjective term, so rather than to obsess with SAT scores, extracurriculars, or even your GPA, become obsessed with your personal fulfillment. Besides, you’ll end up being a lot happier than I was while I was taking AP Chem. Anyways, I think a good ol’ teacher of mine said it best, “Don’t think.” I’m sure that’s the best way to get through the educational system lol.
Good luck dear reader (’cause you’re going to need it)
Sincerely,
Richard
Rich in College 