An "Alternative" Education Doesn't Mean "Inferior" Education

So as you have probably surmised from the title, this is going to be somewhat of a rant. Yes, it's all fine and good to have a couple of list blogs that (hopefully?) make us laugh, but there's a topic that's been on my mind for quite a few years now, and I just haven't known why or how I should articulate it.

That topic, my friends, is education.

I'm not going to throw a bunch of statistics at you. You have free will and the rest of the internet to look those up. Obviously education is a huge topic that politicians and school teachers battle about, and there are facts and figures to back up what they think makes the "best" kind of education. I'm not an expert in how one should shape the supremest of supreme curriculum, but I do have my own experiences to tell you what kind of stereotypes and biased judgment I've encountered when it comes to alternative education.

But let's first define the meaning of "alternative." Meriam-Webster defines the word as "different from the usual or conventional." In no way does it imply lacking skill. If that were the case, we'd all hate the Beatles and hair dye. 

I started off my schooling at Friend's School, a private Quaker school. I learned how to read, just like any Kindergartener. I learned that birthdays were awesome because you got a shitload of sweets wiser. I learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream speech." But here comes stereotype number one:
"Oh you went to a private school. You must be a snobby rich kid who used Daddy's trust fund to work your way up."

I'm not going to go into detail about my financial situation on the internet, but I am not going on ski trips and eating out every second. If you spend some time with me sans judgment and ultimately decide I'm annoying, weird, too obsessed with John Green, whatever. That's fine. But if you hear about my educational background and conclude that I'm a "snobby rich kid," shit's gonna go down.

Just like any educational system, my elementary school had some gaps in its curriculum. While the other kids were learning about all things American history, we learned all the details of MLK Jr's assassination. But we also had interactive learning about the silk road and Rube Goldberg.

Fast forward two years to public middle school. Scene: A108 homeroom, a bunch of little kids who think they're tough (plus an overly pink, overly sparkled twelve year old. May or may not be me...) . Plot: Homeroom teacher surprises class with "how much do you know?" geography quiz. Asks question about silk road. All four Friends School Kids light up and scribble down answer.

Bam.

Okay, so perhaps my American history background is a tad lacking. Points awarded to traditional schooling system, there. But we also had a strong music and art program. And a couple times a week, we got an education in yoga, complete with postures and Hindu stories.

Different, not inferior.  Each school had its strong and weak points.

I did have "traditional" schooling for two years. But it was middle school, and obviously the ages of 12-14 don't actually count towards one's acceptable memories. I learned the five paragraph essay. I resented it. Looking back, it was helpful organization-wise. I learned that if you show up to class wearing twelve different shades of cheetah print, you will be mocked, and that calling people bitches is generally not a positive thing. Life lessons, people. Write them down.

In eighth grade, I entered the Delta Program. By this point, I was much more aware of judgment and being accused of something. I heard that all the druggies went to Delta, that people who were social outcasts or too stupid for regular high school needed somewhere to go. Yes, stereotypes originate from some level of observation, but that doesn't mean that a bunch of pot smokers were arriving high to class. I never touched a drug (besides caffeine) during my year and a half at Delta. I made "normal" (what in the hell is normal anyway?) friends. The classes were more specified, so I didn't gain all the knowledge a typical 8th or 9th grader may receive. Rather than getting a brief overview of many things, I dove into film studies, romantic poets, and environmental studies, amongst other things. To this day, more than half of my film knowledge comes from a class I took at Delta. That's not to say that getting a brief overview is bad. But gaining mastery in one topic is no less valuable. I mean, heck, that's what grad school is all about.


For two years of "regular" high school, I felt like I had to apologize for my educational background. Because I didn't have all the same references my friends did, I felt like I was dumb or had slept through what I was supposed to know. There are certainly topics that I could use some brushing up on. But it's not like I spent ten years sitting in a circle and singing "Kumbaya." I did learn a lot at State High. I had some phenomenal and some not-so-terrific teachers. Same with Delta. Just because you learn something different, doesn't mean you're totally useless in the intellectual world.

I'll get back to more humorous blogs, I promise. This was just something that I had to get out in the world. Or something.

Namaste.