How does the school experience shape individuals' identities across different cultures and societies?

Spending my formative years in an institution where my character was treated and developed with the same importance as my academic education, I believe I owe much of my identity and ability to engage with the real world to my schooling. As a recent high school graduate who now has no choice but to confront the world around me and break through the bubble I prefer to keep myself isolated within, I see myself as the happy result of my slightly unorthodox education.

I spent my childhood and adolescence in two very different schools; different by design, and consequently, different through my experiences. I vividly remember faking sick and spending most of my years in the first school in the nurse's office, waiting for my father to come pick me up. What my family and I excused as the menial antics of a six-year-old was actually a projection of my own discomfort, a discomfort that soon faded when I joined the second school. I soon stopped “falling ill” every week, and spent more and more time in the classroom, engaging with my peers. I could justify this by saying the second school had better teachers, or friendlier students, or perhaps it was just a better fit — but in any case my school experience was drastically altered for the better. The restraints of a stereotypical Indian education that had been cast over me at the first school were magically lifted; no longer was I expected to spend three-fourths of my day sweating over textbooks. Instead, the wonders of experiential and adaptive learning took over, and I was able to find joy in my schooling. Over the last 10 years, I’ve watched myself blossom into someone I doubt would have emerged if I had remained at the first school, someone I am truly proud to be.

One’s schooling has perhaps the largest impact on their development as a human being. Spending over eight hours every day in one community, surrounded by the same group of people, could either make or break who you become as a person. It’s a hive mind you’re introduced to, and more than anything, it’s a closed bubble that often consists of individuals with similar beliefs and similar identities — subconsciously synced to follow the same frequency even if they differed earlier. To break out of this almost overwhelmingly enclosed mindset is a feat, and my school has made every effort to help the students do so, blending concepts from the more collectivist, academically-oriented Indian education with values of critical thinking and individualism that a Western education may prioritize. And while both these stereotypical education systems would choose to ignore the hive-mind that is bound to follow the creation of these academic bubbles, a more holistic approach consciously helps steer clear of such dangers.

One of the most unusual, yet impactful, experiences my school introduced me to is the “Persistence” Programme. Akin to a community service program, Persistence encouraged us to pick a local organization at the beginning of the academic year and stick with it, visiting and volunteering there every week. While I was definitely uncomfortable with these weekly excursions at first, over time I grew to enjoy them, and I looked forward to the time I spent with the individuals at these organizations that enabled me to expand my own understanding of the world and people around me. I found that there was a core quality of empathy instilled in me through this program, and while I may not have appreciated it or noticed it being nurtured at the time, it has followed me through my travels and my interactions with others, and I am confident it will follow me as I head to college as well.

The ability to build healthy and strong relationships is another key quality I’ve noticed is severely lacking in many individuals around me, another key quality that most schooling systems tend to overlook in the face of test scores and rote learning. Yet my school went out of their way to ensure this facet was instilled in us from our youth through the “Buddy Programme.” I was part of this program from second to seventh grade, and it was probably my favorite way of moving out of the monotony of a fixed group of classmates, which would have otherwise dulled my years and restricted me socially and emotionally. Through this experience, I developed fresh and new relationships with individuals I may not have interacted with on a day-to-day basis. We were all paired with a student from a younger grade, and met with them every week for self-planned activities. To this day, I remember the names and faces of each one of my buddies, and I still say hi to them as I cross their side of the campus, and catch up with them whenever we meet.

I suppose the fact that I went to a relatively small school also helped me build this strong sense of community — something that I find myself subconsciously carrying on in my everyday life. Thanking a bus driver, or striking up a conversation with a fellow passenger, comes as second nature to me; I forget I’m no longer mandated by school rules to “be a good citizen.” I have unknowingly become what I believe my school intended for me to be.

I do recognize, however, that I have been fortunate enough to be part of a school that is consciously working to shape each of its students' identities into that of an open-minded, empathetic, and communicative individual, and not all schools have the time and resources to engage in such thoughtful character development. Nevertheless, the impact these varying experiences have on our identities is the same. I do believe that signing up for school is in and of itself signing up to have one’s mind molded. What could easily become a factory, churning out rote learners and variations of the same individual, has the potential to change lives, and to develop free, creative thinkers and individuals able to withstand the pressures of time and change.

These qualities of gratitude, empathy and individuality are the true fruits of an education, one that rightly transcends the fixed binaries of what classical schooling must be. While the contents of education boards and syllabi may differ across continents and cultures, it’s one's character that a good education influences and shapes to withstand challenges of the future. Exposure to the universal concepts of community service and relationship building allows for the ultimate fostering of a strong global identity, the formation of individuals able to adapt to varying societies and cultures grounded by their collective humanity. While my experiences as someone who has spent her entire life in the Indian subcontinent may vastly differ from those of someone living halfway across the globe, I can, with confidence, assert that my education has prepared me to appropriately interact and empathize with them — my cultural identity and education not restricting me but empowering me to connect with others on an emotional, psycho-social level.