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1. Embed this notice
   Colin the Mathmo (colinthemathmo@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 22:29:35 JST Colin the Mathmo

   Seen on FFB, copied here with permission. Link and attribution at the end.

   FOMO is killing our students' future, one shortcut at a time.

   But what if the shortcuts they chase are the biggest lie?

   Last night, I stumbled upon a reel about how to ace the 10th and 12th exams.

   The video explained how students should attempt questions and how to get perfect marks—fair enough.

   But then my feed transformed into a rabbit hole of board exams and quick fixes for prep.

   I scrolled past mindless short tricks, claims of guaranteed success, and people begging for followers, promising free videos and notes once they hit 50,000 followers.

   Some X-Sirs or Y-Mams were selling below-the-basics products masked as revolutionary tips.

   The pinnacle of advice came from a renowned person: Solve the SOLVED QUESTIONS of the top 3 books and read NCERT like a Bible.

   Solved Questions. Not Unsolved. Really?

   Have you ever noticed the likes on such meaningless videos? None less than 100K.

   The comment sections were filled with—fear, doubt, and misery.

   1/n

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 22:29:22 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • j_bertolotti
     • Anna

     @j_bertolotti @ColinTheMathmo @mothninja
     This is (1) 100% accurate and (2) something I remember complaining about as long as 35 years ago.

     It’s not just this generation. The whole way our culture views education is wacked.

   • Embed this notice
     j_bertolotti (j_bertolotti@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 22:29:24 JST j_bertolotti

     in reply to

     @ColinTheMathmo

     The central point is this:
     "We're raising a generation of students who equate learning with rote memorization and instant gratification.
     They are never given the time or space to struggle with a problem or to think deeply."

     The kids are not the problem. We are the problem. We (collectively, as a society) have created this monstrous system where the only way to survive is to chase a good grade doesn't matter what, at the cost of skipping all the learning and understanding.

   • Embed this notice
     Colin the Mathmo (colinthemathmo@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 22:29:27 JST Colin the Mathmo

     in reply to

     (cont'd)

     I saw a comment from a student -- "I can't do this without shortcuts. I'm too dumb for this."

     My heart sank. There it was.

     That moment when a child's belief in themselves gets crushed under the weight of a system that teaches them to believe they aren't enough.

     That moment solidified something for me: The problem isn't just the shortcuts—it's the system encouraging them.

     Joy, curiosity, and actual learning are tossed aside in the pursuit of instant success.

     We need a paradigm shift.

     Learning must be about building mindsets, perseverance, and conceptual understanding.

     If we don't shift this now, we'll lose the future to mediocrity masked as brilliance.

     -- Rakhi Chawla

     https://www.facebook.com/therakhichawla/posts/pfbid027pEUDfVQWivxEXp4CajN8bZ3RbwkzWLJKuAFnd37SYLZVyGC7FHg97V4pkntfEvGl

     4/n, n=4

   • Embed this notice
     Colin the Mathmo (colinthemathmo@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 22:29:30 JST Colin the Mathmo

     in reply to

     (cont'd)

     And let's not forget the parents.

     They, too, are sucked into this game, running after crash courses and rapid results, because FOMO isn't just the students' problem—it's a societal one.

     This FOMO-fueled learning mindset has steep consequences.

     We're raising a generation of students who equate learning with rote memorization and instant gratification.

     They are never given the time or space to struggle with a problem or to think deeply.

     In a world that demands innovation, creativity, and resilience, we rob them of the tools they need to succeed long-term.

     If this trend continues, what kind of adults will they become?

     Quick-fix seekers?

     Problem avoiders?

     And for what?

     A school mark sheet?

     3/n

   • Embed this notice
     Colin the Mathmo (colinthemathmo@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 22:29:32 JST Colin the Mathmo

     in reply to

     (cont'd)

     Where was the joy of learning?

     How did learning get shrunk down to meaningless pressure for marks?

     What do these marks even signify? Learning?

     What has this system truly done to us?

     The pressure to conform to these quick hacks—these promises of effortless marks—is killing any real hunger for knowledge.

     They're chasing virality and volume, not value.

     What we're seeing is a system focused on marks, not mastery.

     Concepts are lost.

     Critical thinking? Forgotten.

     Instead of building a foundation that lasts a lifetime, students are obsessed with patching up with shortcuts.

     It's like trying to build a house on sand.

     2/n

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 23:58:21 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • Donald Ball
     • j_bertolotti
     • Anna

     @donaldball @j_bertolotti @ColinTheMathmo @mothninja
     This exists for sure. And fear about the future is at least as powerful a force in discouraging the “curious bohemian.” One of my advisees once said to me, “It feels like the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and only the chosen few are going to survive.” That’s not a historically unique feeling, to be sure, but it’s at a high point now.

   • Embed this notice
     Donald Ball (donaldball@triangletoot.party)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 23:58:23 JST Donald Ball

     in reply to

     • Paul Cantrell
     • j_bertolotti
     • Anna

     @inthehands @j_bertolotti @ColinTheMathmo @mothninja I agree, but am curious about your perspective – it seems to me that the path of the… curious bohemian through the academy is less accessible than it once was, as students have shouldered more and more of the financial burden of education. Students have more at risk, so they’re responding rationally to the perverse mismeasures of the academic system.

     Is this a thing or am I projecting?

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Oct-2024 23:59:29 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • Donald Ball
     • j_bertolotti
     • Anna

     @donaldball @j_bertolotti @ColinTheMathmo @mothninja
     On the flip side: there is a •lot• more emphasis in high ed on including and supporting student who’d once have been shut out. My family, culture, education, everything prepared me for college since toddlerhood. Not so for everyone! And by preparing, I don’t mean “rigor.” Bah. I mean: curiosity, agency, intrinsic motivation, teachers are humans and you can talk to them….