Uncovering the Deception We've Been Feeding to Our Most Gifted Pupils, by Stephanie Shaakaa

A conversation with my secondary school guidance counselor still resonates with me, as I recall telling him that he had failed us, leaving him visibly stunned, his expression a mix of surprise and introspection.

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In his perspective, he had fulfilled his duty by categorizing students into Science and Arts, labeling them A, B, C, D, E, akin to neatly arranged files, whereas I felt that we had been confined to narrow boxes.

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I expressed my concerns to him, stating that he never informed us that it was acceptable to be an A student and pursue Arts, or that an average student could excel in Science, and that passion was more important than prestige, to which he responded with a soft apology.

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That apology was the closest thing I had to closure from a system that evaluated us based on letters before recognizing us as human beings, a system that perpetuated the myth that only the brightest belonged in Science, and Arts was a consolation prize.

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We were led to believe in alphabet hierarchies and invisible ladders of worth, which resulted in subtle yet real psychological wounds, and I must confess that I was part of the problem during my secondary school days, internalizing superiority as a Science student.

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We did not openly insult Arts students, but we walked with a calm confidence, knowing we were considered the best, and even within Science, there were layers, with labels such as A1, A2, A3, creating a quiet caste system disguised as academic organization.

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This system was evident in the corridors, where teachers unconsciously affirmed some students while overlooking others, and A1 students stood taller, while A3 students learned to apologize for not being exceptional.

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Arts students were spoken about as if they had settled for a lesser option, and we thought this was normal, ranking students in a social order of worth at the age of fifteen, where curiosity was overshadowed by comparison, and achievement was about position rather than growth.

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Prestige was loud, while purpose was quiet, but ultimately, purpose prevails, and a school should not be a sorting factory, as intelligence is not a straight line, but a constellation.

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Dividing children too early manufactures insecurity rather than promoting excellence, and compartmentalization is never neutral, as it seeps into self-concept, telling children that their place is fixed and that excellence is exclusive to a few.

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However, life does not operate within the confines of A1, A2, A3, and the courtroom, newsroom, or leadership positions do not consider secondary school streams when assigning responsibility or authority, as what matters is competence, passion, discipline, and character.

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Many former Arts students have risen to become successful lawyers, chartered accountants, diplomats, journalists, economists, entrepreneurs, doctors, and engineers, not in spite of their Arts background, but because they owned their path, while some labeled Science elite struggle quietly, having been pushed into paths they never chose.

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Life dismantles the hierarchies we build in adolescence, and the system was wrong, not the individuals, and this system still exists, with alphabet hierarchies, quiet rankings, and illusions that separation equals excellence.

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We continue to sort children into boxes and call it order, and our educational system must find a way to carry every student along without building invisible walls, as excellence should inspire, not intimidate, and organization should guide, not oppress.

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Across the country, children are still sorted by exam scores and parental prestige, with guidance counseling reduced to classification, aptitude mapping being rare, and career exposure and mentorship being inconsistent, resulting in destinies being assigned like uniforms.

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The consequences of this system are national, with misplaced talent weakening the workforce, and glorifying certain paths while stigmatizing others distorts economic development, as a nation that convinces its brightest writers to belong in laboratories and its analytical thinkers to avoid humanities misallocates human capital.

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Youth unemployment is not only an economic issue but also an alignment issue, with many graduates disengaged due to pursuing prestige over purpose, and innovative minds dulled by comparison instead of being nurtured by curiosity.

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Intelligence is multidimensional, as Howard Gardner described it as multiple intelligences, including linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic, but our schools rarely acknowledge this richness.

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Intelligence is not a straight line, but a constellation, with some minds shining through numbers, others through words, and some through empathy, strategy, movement, persuasion, or insight, and reducing brilliance to a single academic stream confuses organization with hierarchy.

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Guidance counseling should begin with conversation, not categorization, exploring strengths, interests, temperaments, and long-term aspirations, and students should be exposed to diverse careers without attaching moral value to them, as a grade reflects performance in a moment, not the limits of one's destiny.

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Imagine a classroom where a student is told it is okay to be brilliant in Arts, and another is told it is okay to pursue Science even if they are not the highest scorer, building confidence on authenticity rather than comparison.

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Our children deserve guidance, not gatekeeping, and mentorship, not hierarchy, as they deserve to discover who they are before being told who they should be, and letters, exams, and rankings eventually fade, but the impact of being labeled "average" can last long after the report card is forgotten.

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The guidance counselor apologized, but the system never has, and it is time for a change, one that acknowledges the multidimensionality of intelligence and promotes a more inclusive and supportive educational environment.