Rethinking the Education System

Ask yourself, “Why do we send our kids to school?” The answer often concerns one crucial point: we want them to become self-sufficient, independent adults. Education helps children gain the skills, knowledge, and social competencies required to thrive in life.

But have we ever stopped to ask whether the current education system is actually achieving this goal? The last 100 years of education have shaped the world we live in today—but is that necessarily a good thing? Maybe it’s time to admit that we got it wrong. Maybe we need the courage to reimagine education from the ground up. If we had more Einsteins, Keplers, and Newtons—curious minds driven by exploration, not rote memorization—could we be many years ahead of where we are now?

The State of Teachers Today

Teachers in the U.S. are facing a crisis that cannot be ignored. According to the RAND Corporation’s 2023 survey, more than a quarter of teachers indicated they would likely leave the profession within the following year. The primary drivers? High stress, poor pay, and burnout. Teachers are still paid significantly less than other professionals with similar levels of education. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the wage gap between teachers and similarly educated professionals is at an all-time high. Teachers earn 23% less than their peers in other professions.

Furthermore, teachers’ well-being is deteriorating, with many reporting frequent job-related stress. Despite some improvements in recent years, teachers still report lower well-being than other workers, making it harder for them to stay engaged and motivated in their classrooms. This raises an important question: if educators are overwhelmed, underpaid, and overworked, how can we expect them to inspire students to become successful?

And what has this “well-structured” education system brought us? Yes, advancements in medicine, technology, and infrastructure. But it has also contributed to a world of skyrocketing anxiety, depression, addiction, corruption, and violence. The education system helped build the world we live in today, so why should we only count the wins? If we accept the successes, we must also acknowledge the failures.

The Shift Toward Self-Directed Learning

Given the accessibility of information today, is it necessary for kids to learn directly from teachers? The internet allows students to access lectures, courses, and mentorship from world-class experts. Traditional content delivery by teachers is just one of many options in today’s world of endless knowledge and information.

Instead of keeping students trapped in outdated learning models, what if we embraced a system that fostered creativity, exploration, and problem-solving? Perhaps we should drastically reduce the content teachers are responsible for delivering and instead focus on cultivating human skills such as communication, teamwork, and civility—critical skills for personal and professional success. This would prepare students for the workforce and help them navigate their complex emotional and social lives as they grow into adulthood.

Basic Psychological Needs: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness

Research in psychology shows that for individuals to grow and thrive, they need three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. These principles, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), are vital for fostering intrinsic motivation and well-being.

1. Autonomy: Students should have more control over their learning journey. Why do adults get to enjoy technological advancements while demanding students stick to outdated models? Adults don’t rely on paper maps anymore; they use GPS. So why should students be forced into rigid, structured education models when information is freely available?

2. Competence: Teachers wouldn’t be the primary source of information. Instead, they would act as facilitators, helping students connect with resources, mentors, and tools that enable them to reach their goals independently.

3. Relatedness: Schools should be spaces where students build relationships and collaborate. Instead of forcing students into passive learning, we should be fostering real human connection and emotional intelligence.

Students today are expected to be perfect—no mistakes, no room for error, because everything is tracked and recorded. They don’t get the same chances to fail and learn from failure as previous generations did. Meanwhile, adults continue indulging in the very things they claim to restrict for students. Teachers keep their social media, their games, their vices—but students are expected to live under stricter rules. Is that fair?

A New Vision for Schools

Imagine if we turned traditional schools into self-directed learning centers. Here, students would still have to attend school for a certain number of hours but wouldn’t be required to sit in classes. Instead, they would be free to explore different learning experiences, choose their projects, or engage socially with peers. They could still attend workshops or mentor-led groups, but the focus would shift from rigid class schedules to a more fluid, interest-driven system.

This approach wouldn’t entirely discard traditional education. Rather, it would refocus efforts on essential human skills, such as patience, empathy, and teamwork. Students would be mandated to learn these core abilities, but they would also have the freedom to pursue their intellectual and creative curiosities in a less structured way.

Building Schools Around Psychological Needs

This new learning environment would offer students the three pillars of motivation:

1. Relatedness and Belonging: The primary goals are to bring students together in a secure space to build relationships, share experiences, and feel supported. Teachers would provide emotional guidance and help students navigate personal and social challenges.

2. Autonomy: This model encourages self-direction and fosters a love of learning by giving students control over their learning path. Students could select what they want to explore, choosing from various elective courses, workshops, or mentorship opportunities.

3. Competence: Teachers wouldn’t simply “teach” but support students in their individual learning journeys. They would help students access the resources and tools they need to succeed, facilitate mastery in areas of personal interest, and allow them to revisit topics as necessary to gain competence.

Conclusion

This shift toward a more individualized, self-directed learning model represents a radical departure from the current one-size-fits-all educational system. By focusing on human skills and psychological well-being, we can create an environment that nurtures the autonomy, competence, and relatedness necessary for students to thrive.

Maybe it’s time to admit we got it wrong. Maybe the system that has shaped our world—for better and worse—needs a fundamental reboot. Are we too scared to start over? Are we willing to keep buying into a broken system, or do we have the courage to wake up and reimagine what education could be?

The future of education may not lie in traditional classrooms but in empowering students to direct their paths toward growth and fulfillment. It’s time to stop telling students they are the future while robbing them of the chance to create it.