I am an uneducated person which today
simply means traditional education
didn’t work for me
I stand before you completely
unqualified to be standing before you
today I also stand before you
representing so many others just like
myself your friends family and those
around you uneducated unqualified and
still with something to say and
something to offer my journey to
becoming a proud uneducated person
started when I was very young I was a
good student but I was often bored and
restless and chatty really chatty in
middle school I didn’t fit in didn’t
have many friends and ultimately didn’t
do well academically but I found my
place in a very special place I attended
a charter high school that was focused
on the arts and designed for students
like me where we were encouraged to ask
questions solve problems and we only had
to sit in chairs if we wanted to then I
went to college for one simple reason
because I was told along with all my
peers from the point that I was very
young that I two choices for my future
that I could go to college or be a
failure and I didn’t want to be a
failure
I had never been a failure so over
achiever that I am I did not only drop
out of one college
I dropped out of three so I was forced
with the decision I decided that I would
find people who were doing work that I
admired and I would ask them how did you
learn how to do that and more
importantly how can I learn how to do
that this is a concept that’s now known
as experiential learning experiential
learning is defined as learning through
experience but more specifically
learning through the reflection on doing
so world I am NOT a college dropout I’m
an experiential learner and maybe you
are too so here’s my proposal I propose
that we change the conversation that we
change it from where did you get your
degree and to how did you learn how to
do that this may seem very simple
because it is this is a simple shift in
conversation that instantly moves it
from exclusive to inclusive you see by
asking someone how did you learn how to
do that that doesn’t exclude the answer
from being I went to college and earned
an advanced degree that simply includes
and validates individuals with
experiences like mine all right so it’s
not lost on me that this talk up until
this point has been fairly hypocritical
I am standing before you and telling you
how to think and behave so let’s get a
little unconventional shall we let’s
step out of the box and do something
that this TEDx stage has never seen
before full audience participation we
know that we retain 70 percent more
knowledge when learning is active so
let’s retain some knowledge together
shall we
we’re gonna play a little game called
sit down if the rules are very simple I
will give you a list of criteria and you
will sit down if that criteria applies
to you enough all right everyone please
stand with me
first sit-down if you currently hold a
degree or a diploma that directly aligns
with the work that you’re currently
doing if that applies to you please sit
down thank you next sit down if you
currently hold a degree or a diploma but
are not currently working in that field
if that applies to you please sit down
all right those left standing with me
you are my people
you are my peers you are the answer to
the question what happens to people who
don’t graduate from college you are the
living and breathing examples of what
experiential learning looks like I
applaud the work that you have done and
that you will do in the future I
understand the difficult conversations
that you have had to have and defend
because I have had them too I appreciate
when you are made to feel less than
simply because of the way that you’ve
chosen to build your life because I have
felt that too I also understand that
some of you may be feeling fairly
uncomfortable right now
that is precisely why I’m here today
I am tired of having to dodge omit and
compensate for my lack of education I
stand with you as a proud uneducated
person and I applaud the courage that it
takes for you to stand with me today all
right now let’s change things up please
stand up if you have ever acquired a
skill through doing your getting your
hands dirty getting your head in the
game or having a conversation well would
you look at that
you are not college graduates you are
experience allure nurse thanks for being
awesome everyone please sit down
electing a life without higher education
requires a certain set of skills it
requires one to be passionate dedicated
resilient resourceful creative and to be
extraordinarily hard-working employers
think about the last job that you posted
we’re any of these qualities that you
had listed in your ideal candidate
section maybe you’ve had it a neat
little bullet point sitting next to them
now think about the other bullet points
on that page did you have an education
requirement have you considered how many
candidates that you may have excluded
who have the qualities that you want and
need to grow your organization simply
because you placed one bullet point
ahead of another now I want to take a
moment to clarify something it would be
very easy to misinterpret my talk as
anti higher education I want to make one
thing very clear I do not want someone
hands-on learning in my guts during
surgery I strongly believe that there is
a place for academic learners in our
system I also believe that there is a
place for all learners in our system
look at it this way picture two tables
with students sitting around them the
first table has a variety of materials
and an example of what an end product
should look like the second table has
the same materials but no example the
best possible outcome that the first
table with the example can hope for is
an exact copy of that example that’s
placed before them they’re confined by
the individual that created that example
and they will be judged as a success or
a failure based on their abilities to
copy that likeness now the second table
has no example those students who have
to create individually
they will have to think critically and
creatively and they will have to defend
their successes and describe their
choices which team would you rather have
at your workplace here’s how we create
change we need to evaluate the way that
we assess the credibility and
qualifications of those around us we
have to change the conversation from
where did you get your degree and to how
did you learn how to do that this small
shift in conversation will make a large
impact for people like me your friends
family and those around you who will
have to compete in a future workforce
but mostly thank you thank you for
taking the time to listen to someone as
uneducated and unqualified as I am thank
you for standing with me and still
believing that I have something to say
and something to offer thank you
you
simply means traditional education
didn’t work for me
I stand before you completely
unqualified to be standing before you
today I also stand before you
representing so many others just like
myself your friends family and those
around you uneducated unqualified and
still with something to say and
something to offer my journey to
becoming a proud uneducated person
started when I was very young I was a
good student but I was often bored and
restless and chatty really chatty in
middle school I didn’t fit in didn’t
have many friends and ultimately didn’t
do well academically but I found my
place in a very special place I attended
a charter high school that was focused
on the arts and designed for students
like me where we were encouraged to ask
questions solve problems and we only had
to sit in chairs if we wanted to then I
went to college for one simple reason
because I was told along with all my
peers from the point that I was very
young that I two choices for my future
that I could go to college or be a
failure and I didn’t want to be a
failure
I had never been a failure so over
achiever that I am I did not only drop
out of one college
I dropped out of three so I was forced
with the decision I decided that I would
find people who were doing work that I
admired and I would ask them how did you
learn how to do that and more
importantly how can I learn how to do
that this is a concept that’s now known
as experiential learning experiential
learning is defined as learning through
experience but more specifically
learning through the reflection on doing
so world I am NOT a college dropout I’m
an experiential learner and maybe you
are too so here’s my proposal I propose
that we change the conversation that we
change it from where did you get your
degree and to how did you learn how to
do that this may seem very simple
because it is this is a simple shift in
conversation that instantly moves it
from exclusive to inclusive you see by
asking someone how did you learn how to
do that that doesn’t exclude the answer
from being I went to college and earned
an advanced degree that simply includes
and validates individuals with
experiences like mine all right so it’s
not lost on me that this talk up until
this point has been fairly hypocritical
I am standing before you and telling you
how to think and behave so let’s get a
little unconventional shall we let’s
step out of the box and do something
that this TEDx stage has never seen
before full audience participation we
know that we retain 70 percent more
knowledge when learning is active so
let’s retain some knowledge together
shall we
we’re gonna play a little game called
sit down if the rules are very simple I
will give you a list of criteria and you
will sit down if that criteria applies
to you enough all right everyone please
stand with me
first sit-down if you currently hold a
degree or a diploma that directly aligns
with the work that you’re currently
doing if that applies to you please sit
down thank you next sit down if you
currently hold a degree or a diploma but
are not currently working in that field
if that applies to you please sit down
all right those left standing with me
you are my people
you are my peers you are the answer to
the question what happens to people who
don’t graduate from college you are the
living and breathing examples of what
experiential learning looks like I
applaud the work that you have done and
that you will do in the future I
understand the difficult conversations
that you have had to have and defend
because I have had them too I appreciate
when you are made to feel less than
simply because of the way that you’ve
chosen to build your life because I have
felt that too I also understand that
some of you may be feeling fairly
uncomfortable right now
that is precisely why I’m here today
I am tired of having to dodge omit and
compensate for my lack of education I
stand with you as a proud uneducated
person and I applaud the courage that it
takes for you to stand with me today all
right now let’s change things up please
stand up if you have ever acquired a
skill through doing your getting your
hands dirty getting your head in the
game or having a conversation well would
you look at that
you are not college graduates you are
experience allure nurse thanks for being
awesome everyone please sit down
electing a life without higher education
requires a certain set of skills it
requires one to be passionate dedicated
resilient resourceful creative and to be
extraordinarily hard-working employers
think about the last job that you posted
we’re any of these qualities that you
had listed in your ideal candidate
section maybe you’ve had it a neat
little bullet point sitting next to them
now think about the other bullet points
on that page did you have an education
requirement have you considered how many
candidates that you may have excluded
who have the qualities that you want and
need to grow your organization simply
because you placed one bullet point
ahead of another now I want to take a
moment to clarify something it would be
very easy to misinterpret my talk as
anti higher education I want to make one
thing very clear I do not want someone
hands-on learning in my guts during
surgery I strongly believe that there is
a place for academic learners in our
system I also believe that there is a
place for all learners in our system
look at it this way picture two tables
with students sitting around them the
first table has a variety of materials
and an example of what an end product
should look like the second table has
the same materials but no example the
best possible outcome that the first
table with the example can hope for is
an exact copy of that example that’s
placed before them they’re confined by
the individual that created that example
and they will be judged as a success or
a failure based on their abilities to
copy that likeness now the second table
has no example those students who have
to create individually
they will have to think critically and
creatively and they will have to defend
their successes and describe their
choices which team would you rather have
at your workplace here’s how we create
change we need to evaluate the way that
we assess the credibility and
qualifications of those around us we
have to change the conversation from
where did you get your degree and to how
did you learn how to do that this small
shift in conversation will make a large
impact for people like me your friends
family and those around you who will
have to compete in a future workforce
but mostly thank you thank you for
taking the time to listen to someone as
uneducated and unqualified as I am thank
you for standing with me and still
believing that I have something to say
and something to offer thank you
you
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