This week I was asked to watch the documentary “Most Likely To Succeed”. This documentary follows a school with a different approach than the typical system. Teachers did not have to follow any criteria, rather, they could teach whatever and however they would like. Students were encouraged to create self-directed projects with help from teachers if needed. Rather than focusing on quizzes and tests, students were evaluated based on the production of their project through a showcase night.

Watching this documentary really encouraged me to think about the school system. Throughout the film many people debated that the students weren’t learning the right information to get into college, but were learning important skills that would make them successful in future employment. From an outside perspective, I can see the points made by each side. I think schools based on inquiry are taking education in a very neat direction, focusing more on life skills rather than knowledge. I know for myself, I would often memorize information for a test and then forget it immediately afterwards. I would get a good grade on the test, but what for? These students were learning how to become better people, learning skills such as teamwork, leadership, persistence, determination, and many more. I completely agree that the current system is outdated and education should be more based on this.

However, I can see why so many parents and students were concerned, and I myself may not have wanted to be in a school like this. It was argued that these students were not learning the curriculum needed to get into college. You could only think that these students must be completely lost once in college. My stance is that it is great that students have these skills for future employment, but how will they be able to get a job if they can’t get through college? One girl in the documentary stated she would rather get an A+ than learn relevant life skills, and if I were back in high school I probably would have agreed. In high school it almost seems that the goal is to achieve good grades to get into college, not necessarily to learn. Innovative schools make more sense as a lot of the information we learn in schools is always accessible on the internet, yet the memorization for a test has a big factor on if you get into university. The documentary stated a 98% acceptance rate into college at their school, but I wonder how equipped these kids are once graduating and going to college, as I would have a hard time believing they are all successful.

I do believe the current education system is flawed and needs to be updated, and I believe this innovative learning style is a great direction. However in order for this to be successful, there has to be a domino affect. Universities would have to look at admissions in a completely different way, as well as adapt their curriculum. This sounds complicated and time-consuming, with a possibility of failure. It is challenging because students should be assessed based on things other than grades, because after you graduate and get into the job market that isn’t what is most important. The question is, how can you assess someone based on skill? How could the system adapt to not be fully based on grades? I would love to see a new way form, I just have a difficult envisioning it right now. Regardless, the documentary really made me think about what kind of teacher I want to be and how to best set my students up for success. At the end of the day, that is all we can really do.