The fulfilment of academic potential correlates to passion and purpose – a theory which is often neglected. By defining the aforementioned words, we can discover how all three are intrinsically linked, and begin to nurture fearless learners, and not tantamount workers.
Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, presents an exponent of inaction; Hamlet is given a purpose but is hindered by his own passivity. His inaction has caused great debate – ethics, mania, and sentiment are cited as possible causes.
Many students struggle with connecting enjoyment and education, thereby delaying the fulfilment of their potential. The act of learning should extract students’ latent aspirations, creating passion for a subject and motivation to study.
If, as demonstrated by the Schlegel-Coleridge theory in Hamlet, there is “enormous intellectual activity”, but an aversion to take action, man becomes the “creature of mere meditation”. Education providers need to harness intellect and passion through creative delivery, such as workshops to develop knowledge, or literary concepts which establish new perspectives.
Students are encouraged to have a clear career path, to have obtained work experience, and to have written a personal statement about their purpose – all before 18. How can universities expect the future workforce to know what sector they will work in if students are imprisoned by a limited course of study?
Students are taught what to learn and are victims of the UK’s outdated exam culture. There exists an interminable number of topics for children to learn about outside the indoctrinating UK curriculum; only 11% of GCSE history students are currently studying black people’s contribution to British history.
Michael Gove rewrote history when he reformed the curriculum. Our students are taught about the tireless reign of the British Empire, and not how 700,000 African Americans enlisted in the army for WWI. Our students learn about how white soldiers defended Britain, but not that every fifth British soldier serving in WWI was Sikh.
Laura Walker, a French teacher from Hertfordshire, says “[The national curriculum] limits freedom and creativity for teachers and students. Learning can’t just go off on tangents because it’s interesting.”
A standardised education is necessary to provide students with the skills required to enter the workforce. However, are we really educating children if we provide them with a biased, limited perspective of British history? Educating students about Britain’s complete history, promoting creative delivery, and offering a range of topics to learn about should be every education provider’s aim. This will enable a child’s true potential to be fulfilled.
Passion leads to purpose, which in turn leads to potential.
