Fun English: “Why I Hate School But Love Education”—Youtube

Have you ever questioned the abilities of schools to translate what they teach into real world success?

How much of what you’ve learned in school can you actually apply to your life? Or still remember..?

In today’s Fun English article, you’re going to:

• Practice your listening comprehension

• Work on your ability to understand a British accent

• Learn new vocabulary

• Clarify whether school is right for you

Why I Hate School But Love Education by Suli Breaks

This is a spoken word video [poetry spoken over a beat/rhythm] that asks a lot of important questions…

What is the value of mainstream education [conventional/popular]?

Why is it that some of the most famous and successful figures within the Western world never went to a university? (For examples watch the video.)

With many people wanting to expand their education with no guarantee of their dream job at the end of it, we should ask ourselves whether qualifications still hold the same value now as they did in previous years?

Does success in the school system mean success in life?

Or is the school system designed toward memorizing and repeating facts?

What is true education?

Learn New Vocabulary and How to Understand the British Accent

Here’s how I recommend learning English from this video:

1. Listen to the video first, and try to understand it as best as you can.

2. Next, read through the transcript. All of the bolded words are defined at bottom of the article.

3. After you feel you have a good understanding of the lyrics, listen to the video again and do your best to understand what he’s saying.

4. If you still have trouble understanding, then watch the video while reading the transcript.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you can understand everything that Suli Breaks says.

Okay, let’s get started

Transcript

So you want to get a degree, why? Let me tell you what society will tell you: increases your chances of getting a job, provides you with an opportunity to be successful, your life will be a lot less stressful, education is the key.

Now, let me tell you what your parents will tell you, make me proud, increases your chances of getting a job, provides you with an opportunity to be successful, your life will be a lot less stressful, education is the key.

Now let’s look at the statistics, Steve Jobs’ net worth: $7 billion R.I.P; Richard Branson net worth: $4.2 billion; Oprah Winfrey net worth: $2.7 billion; Mark Zuckerberg, Henry Ford, Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates now here comes ‘the coup, de grace’.

Looking at these individuals, what’s your conclusion? Neither of them in being successful ever graduated from a higher learning institution, now some of you would protest like, you know money is not the only medium by which one measures worldly success, some of you even have the nerve to say, I don’t do it for the money, so what are studying for? To work for a charity, need more clarity?

Let’s look at the statistics, Jesus, Muhammed ‘Praise be upon him’, Socrates, Malcolm X, Mother Teresa, Spielberg, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Sean Carter, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, Michael Joseph Jackson were either of these people unsuccessful or uneducated?

All I’m saying is that if there was a family tree, hard work and education would be related, but school would probably be a distant cousin. Because if education is the key, then school is the lock.

Because it rarely ever develops your mind to the point where it can perceive red as green and continue to go when someone else said stop, because as long as you follow the rules and pass the exams, you’re cool.

But are you aware that examiners have a checklist? And if your answer is something outside of the box, the automatic response is a cross, and then they claim that school expands your horizons and your visions. Well, tell that to Malcolm X, who dropped out of school and is world renowned for what he learned in a prison.

Proverbs 17:16, It does a fool no good to spend money on education, why? Because he has no common sense. George Bush, need I say more?

“Education is about inspiring ones mind not just filling their head”.

And take this from me, because I’m a educated man myself, who only came to this realization after countless nights in the library with a can of Red Bull keeping me awake til dawn and another can in the morn, falling asleep in between piles of books which probably equates to the same amount I had spent on my rent, memorize equations, facts and dates, write it down to the letter, half of which I’d never remember, and half of which I forget straight after the exam, and before the start of the next semester, asking anyone if they had notes for the last lecture?

I often found myself running to class, just so I could find the spot on which I could rest my head and fall asleep without making a scene, ironic because that’s the only time I ever spent in university chasing my dreams.

And then after nights with a dead-mind; identifying myself in the queue of half awake student zombies waiting to hand in an assignment, maybe that’s why they call it a dead-line. And then after three years of mental suppression and frustration, my proud mother didn’t even turn up to my graduation.

Now I’m not saying that school is evil, and there’s nothing to gain, but all I’m saying is, understand your morals and reassess your aims, because if you want a job working for someone else, then help yourself. But then that would be a contradiction, because you wouldn’t really be helping yourself, you’ll be helping somebody else; there’s a saying, which says: “if you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help build theirs”.

Redefine how you view education. Understand its true meaning. Education is not just about regurgitating facts from a book on someone else’s opinion on a subject to pass an exam.

Look at it, Picasso was educated in creating art; Shakespeare was educated in the art of all that was written. Colonel Harland Sanders was educated in the art of creating Kentucky Fried Chicken.

I once saw David Beckham take a free kick, I watched as the side of his Adidas sponsored boot hit the playing level of ball at angle which caused it to travel towards the skies as though it was destined for the heavens. And then as it reached the peak of its momentum, as though it changed its mind, and switched directions.

I watched as the goalkeeper froze, as reciting to himself the laws of physics, and as though his brain was negotiating with his eyes that it was indeed witnessing the spectacle of the level swung that was sweeping towards it, and then reacted.

But only a fraction of a millisecond too late, and before the net of the goal embraced the FIFA sponsored ball, as there was the prodigal son returning home and the country that I live in erupted into cheers. I looked at the play, and thought, damn. Looking at David Beckham there’s more than one way in this world to be an educated man.

Peace.

Vocabulary

• Is the key – is the answer
• Net worth – the total assets in monetary value someone owns
• The coup de grace – the final shot given to a hurt person or animal
• Medium – (In this context) a way of doing something
• Have the nerve to say – <how can I define this?>
• Praise be upon him – what Muslims say after saying the name of the prophet, Muhammed.
• Family tree – a diagram showing the relationships between people of several generations
• Cross – another word for “X”
• World renowned – famous throughout the world
• Dawn – when the day is first beginning
• Morn – short for morning
• Piles – large stacks
• Lecture – an informative speech, generally given at school
• Chasing my dreams – working towards living the life I want to live
• Queue – a line of people waiting for something (British English)
• Deadline – the last possible time to turn an assignment in
• Reassess your aims – rethink your purpose
• Help yourself – you have my permission
• Regurgitating – saying exactly what you learned without adding your own spin to it
• Peak – the top, the highest point
• Reciting – saying something from memory
• Spectacle – an impressive performance
• Sweeping – a wide continuous curve
• Prodigal – a person who spends money in a careless way
• Peace – an informal goodbye

What Is Your Opinion?

What do you think about what Suli Breaks is saying about school in this video?

Do you agree with him?

What can we do to improve the education system?

Post what you think in the comments below.

To see another Spoken Word Video Article by Suli Breaks, check out I Will Not Let an Exam Result Define My Fate.

Like What You Read?

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