Letter from a free learner

am not a child who would like to travel for 2 hours a day to reach a good school,

‍
I am a child who would prefer not to waste time and learn at home through a better and more updated system which is online learning,

‍
I know how to use a computer so I can do my research and get my work done quickly and efficiently.

‍
I am not a child who would like to study the topics decided by the school,

‍
I want to be able to learn what I want when I want.

‍
I find the idea of learning from curriculum claustrophobic,

‍
I want to have the freedom to explore and learn about things that fascinate me.

‍
Sitting in a classroom listening to lectures all day is not my idea of fun,

‍
I would much rather be able to learn at my own pace and in my own time.

‍
I feel the world is an open book for me and with online learning, I can access it anytime from anywhere.

‍
I want to be able to connect with people from all over the world who share my interests and learn from them.

‍
While parents dream of helping their kids score well in schools

‍
I dream of learning, I don't want to be scored or marked,

‍
I want to be able to show what I know in my way.

‍
After all, learning is a lifelong process and it should be enjoyable.

‍
Technology interests me more than learning subjects taught in class,

‍
I want to be able to learn about things that are constantly changing and evolving.

‍
I like to about businesses, social media, and how technology is changing the world.

‍
I was watching this talk by Sugata Mitra with my mom this other day,

‍
he was saying how we don't need schools anymore and that the internet can be our teacher.

‍
I liked that idea because it makes sense to me,

‍
I find cars very fascinating and I want to learn more about them,

‍
I like to know about the latest cars and features,

‍
I want to learn about how they work and their engines.

‍
Another thing that has piqued my interest is coding,

‍
I started from scratch and now I am learning python,

‍
I want to be able to build things and create useful things.

‍
But all these things are not possible in a traditional school setup,

‍
I would have to wait till I'm older to be able to learn about the things that I'm interested in.

‍
I want to be able to start learning about them now and not wait till I'm older.

‍
In an interview, Elon Musk spoke about the relevance of formal education,

‍
he said that we should not confuse schooling with education

‍
schooling is an institution where you go to and sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher,

‍
education is something that you gain on your own,

‍
it's something that you seek out, it's something that you find.

‍
I believe there is an opportunity to learn from various things and not just through schools.

‍
I would like to be able to learn from the internet, books, and people, travel, and experience.

‍
Ken Robinson says that schools kill creativity,

‍
I agree with him because in school we are always told to color within the lines,

‍
to not think out of the box, to not ask too many questions.

‍
I want to be able to think for myself and not have someone else tell me what to do.

‍
We never ask what a child might be genuinely interested in learning,

‍
we just teach them what we think is important for them to know.

‍
My cousin likes to learn about fashion and she wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up,

‍
but she's not allowed to learn about it in school,

‍
she's not allowed to express her creativity the way she wants to.

‍
She will have to wait till she finishes high school to be able to learn about fashion

‍
and pursue her dream. I don't want that for myself,

‍
that's scary for me to think that I will have to wait that long.

‍
But now many parents are homeschooling or unschooling their children,

‍
they are giving them the freedom to learn about whatever they want,

‍
whenever they want, and however they want.

‍
I think we need mentors more than teachers,

‍
people who can guide us and help us when we get stuck,

‍
I think parents decide too early what their kids should do when they grow up,

‍
they should be allowed to try out different things and find their passion.

‍
I want to be able to do what I love and not what is expected of me,

‍
I want to be able to learn in my way and at my own pace.

‍
I like to write, design, and build things,

‍
I want to be able to use my creativity to make a difference in the world.

‍
After all, learning is a lifelong process and it should be enjoyable.

‍