This topic is one in which I have been incredibly curious about throughout my academic endeavours. I am fascinated by the idea that school isn’t just “to learn” anymore, rather, a myriad of ego boosting activities, coupled with pressure that often leads to academic dishonesty. I look forward to implementing some of these findings into my own life, putting into perspective the utter privilege it is to be educated in a world where it is largely taken advantage of.
What challenges did you overcome throughout this inquiry project? How did you go about overcoming these challenges?
Over the course of the semester, I ran into different articles of information that were largely the same. As this topic is quite complex but widely understudied, I often found myself faced with numerous articles preaching the definition of academic validation, rather than the nuances that come along with it. As one can expect, all of these aspects are relevant to and will serve as useful for the current generation receiving education to realize that it is far more than grades alone. All in all, setting and achieving realistic goals is great, but it cannot be done without the boundaries and awknowledgment that education is a lifelong investment. Looking at consumption of knowledge through the lens of something you “must do” limits people from realizing that our entire journey through life requires us to learn and adapt to new ways of doing things.
How did this inquiry change the way you think?
This inquiry altered my perception of the egos myself and many of my classmates inflated over the course of our educational history. Society wants us to get good grades to be great employees, but this notion is misaligned with the ways we must navigate the rest of our lives. Despite parental pressures, or the state of the economy, we were never supposed to view school like a chore. It is such a privilege to have an education, something many long for and would be upset if they saw us constantly fretting about it. This entire notion requires most North Americans with this attitude on education to rethink their privilege and understand that education opens personal doors that are very different than just the professional ones we were taught to strive for.
How did this investigation impact your future decisions?
This investigation showed me just how precious education is, something no one should ever take for granted. Additionally, it made me realize that everyone who uses academic validation as a sense of control and identity has underlying trauma. In the future, I plan on finding a happy balance between courses that challenge me, those I am brilliant at, and new concepts that promote the idea of lifelong learning. After all, if I am given the gift of education, something that I am incredibly grateful for, I must harness its benefits to the best of my ability. As a result, I will be able feel fulfillment in the process rather than just the end result. This applies to everything in life.
What impact will this investigation have on others locally and/or globally?
My hope is that this investigation has helped others become aware of how toxic the narrative of getting perfect grades to uphold one’s ego is. After all, the goal was never to go through the motions mindlessly, rather sit with and soak up the information mindfully, in a way that constitutes self growth. On a global standpoint, I pray that the future generations aren’t held under the same unrealistic standards as we are, as the levels of academic dishonesty and unnecessary usage of AI is getting out of hand. Preaching balance and the ability to stay curious is what we should all long to achieve, rather than letters on a page telling us that we correctly followed a set of arbitrarily set rules.
