How to escape education's death valley | Sir Ken Robinson | TED

I just finished college, all these years of schooling have been mostly miserable. Now I spend a lot of time learning things on youtube for fun and out of curiosity.

It's funny how when I'm out of school, I want to learn more...It's almost as if the school system sucks.

The sad thing is this was posted 7 years ago and nothing has changed in the school system.

"We've invaded every country we encountered." That's the most British thing I 've heard so far.

I honestly can't decide if this gentleman should become the head of public education in America, or America's next great stand up comedian.

Don't make children learn, make children want to learn.

This man made more sense in 20 minutes than a whole 'committee' in years and years of 'planning' and 'execution'.

I often watch this Ted Talk when needing extra encouragement as a home educator. May you Rest In Peace, Sir Ken Robinson. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

my whole academic life has been so far just studying to pass exams.

3 years later and our focus is still on the damn tests.

Who is here after learning about his passing? 😭 Rest in peace, dear sir. Rest in peace. You've inspired many including myself, and we'll do our best to continue carrying your torch.

This great man passed away in 2020 aged 70 . His childhood story of poverty and illness would bring you to tears and yet he triumphed over it . He spent the greater part of his life fighting to ensure that others ( of any race or denomination ) could have the chance to do the same. And yet if you stopped 100 people at random in the Street they would not know who he is / was. Ken would have thought that unimportant and carried on the fight and we should do the same !

It wasn't until I left school that I discovered how interesting learning can be - including what in school I found tedious.

He manages to excite the audience (to the point they often interrupted him with all that clapping) and also deliver a clear and thoughtful message. Many people would only do one or the other, most would do neither, he does both. Brilliant.

This is why field trips are soooo good. They create an atmosphere of curiosity and learning. Its sad how in high school we get much less.

The best thing we all learned from school: The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell

"Children are natural learners. It's a real achievement to put that particular ability out, or to stifle it. Curiosity is the engine of achievement."

My class was having an argument with our homeroom teacher the other day about how we never learn anything practical at school, just endless pointless maths formulas and the day so and so died that no one honestly cares about. The common trend is that we memorize everything right before a test, we pass the test and within the next week we forget everything to make room for new information. What is the point of education if we're not actually learning anything? We want to learn about things are actually useful to us; how to change a tire, how to pay your taxes, how to raise children, how to manage relationships, how to manage our money, how can I make a difference in the world, what can I personally do to prevent climate change, world hunger, etc. etc. You know what the teachers answered? "That's not my problem, I can't do anything. The government makes the standards, I have to follow them, there is nothing you or I can do about it." How can teachers with no passion, no drive, no backbone to speak of, that blindly follow a system that they themselves know to be incorrect, teach a generation how to be free thinking individuals? We are not being educated, we are being brainwashed to be complacent. To be unquestioning. To be a good employee; smart enough to do the job but just dumb enough not to ask questions.

We always remember our best teachers. The very ones who encouraged us the most are never forgotten.

For anyone watching this take a moment and appreciate that this is one of ways that we can enjoy Sir Ken Robinson as he was passed away Aug 2020. Definitely watch this with a very grateful heart that he has left us with something beautiful to learn from.