With the concerning increase in the number of young people with mental health challenges and the increasing global crises we are facing, it has become clear that our rapidly changing world is outpacing our schools and formal education systems. In some ways, they are failing our young people.
As schools, parents, bosses, and leaders, instead of emphasizing our kids' grades or whether they get into selective schools or universities, maybe we should be more concerned about arming them to be personally resilient, adaptable to the rapid changes they must face, critical thinkers—especially with all the noise and propaganda coming out of social media—and, most importantly, compassionate and generous to others.
In the end, won't these qualities matter much more to their happiness and life success, and to the cohesion our society needs to prosper, than if they receive a C in trigonometry?