Unlearning school: a journey from labels to liberation
When traditional education fails, a thirty-year journey to understanding learning differently
While education advocate Kate Robinson was reading her old school reports, I was discovering I was dyslexic—at age 30. Both moments revealed how profoundly school experiences shape our adult identities, often in ways we don't recognise until decades later. These formative experiences don't just influence how we learn; they fundamentally shape how we view ourselves and our capabilities.
My journey through education was marked by numbers that seemed to define me: 150 words per minute (half the average reading speed), 40-50 percent in most subjects, and more zeros on tests than I care to remember. Reading anything longer than a short article would leave me with splitting headaches—a symptom I now understand was linked to undiagnosed dyslexia. From age 7 to 17, each progress report and exam reinforced a singular message: I wasn't good enough.
I attended five different schools, including an alternative school, yet none could properly identify or address my learning differences. Instead of engaging with lessons I couldn't follow, I retreated to the back of the classroom, finding solace in chess or escaping altogether to play cricket. It was easier to be the rebel than the struggler.
Looking back, I recognise the invisible safety nets that prevented me from falling through the cracks entirely. My family could afford private tutors when I desperately needed to catch up for my board exams. My grandmother and grandaunt consistently emphasised the importance of education, their voices counterbalancing the negative feedback from school. My friend circle straddled two worlds—the high achievers and the back-of-class rebels—giving me a choice in which path to follow. These privileges, I now realise, were luxuries many students never receive.
The traditional education system had failed me, but life offered alternative paths to learning. During my gap year, my parents arranged apprenticeships with three family businesses. There, I discovered my affinity for technology—assembling computers, fixing telephones, and writing my first lines of code. While my grades weren't sufficient for computer science, these hands-on experiences showed me that my ability to learn wasn't the problem; the method of teaching was.
University became my turning point. Studying accounting and economics—subjects not taught in school—meant everyone started from zero. For the first time, I understood the power of proper foundational learning. I abandoned my chess set, moved to the front row, and discovered that with the right approach, I could not only learn but excel.
Last week's meeting with Stephen Simpson and Dr. Sam Taylor-Colls from Forest Schooling UK illuminated what education should be like for every child. Their approach cuts through the alphabet soup of educational labels—SEMH, SEN, ASD, ADHD, and countless others—to focus on something more fundamental: each child's individuality. They create spaces where children can explore their emotions and understand their place in the world, regardless of their diagnoses or labels.
As Adam Grant wisely notes, "It takes curiosity to learn. It takes courage to unlearn." My journey required both—curiosity to discover new ways of learning and courage to unlearn the limiting beliefs school had instilled in me. While I eventually found my path to success, it wasn't because of the education system but in spite of it. This realisation drives my passion for educational reform.
We need to reimagine education as a system that celebrates diversity in learning styles, acknowledges multiple paths to success, and recognises that every child's journey is unique. It's not just about learning new teaching methods; it's about unlearning our assumptions about what education should look like.
For educators, parents, and students struggling within traditional systems, remember: academic performance is just one measure of capability, and often a flawed one. The real measure of educational success should be how well we nurture curiosity, build confidence, and prepare learners for a lifetime of growth.
What experiences shaped your view of yourself as a learner? How many limiting beliefs about your capabilities might you need to unlearn? These are questions worth exploring as we work toward an educational system that truly serves all learners.
At ThriveNow, we are building a community focused, inclusive, and open-sourced model for education. Our team is growing and we welcome Luciana Alemanno and Wendy Morris. If you’re interested in what we’re doing, please hit reply.
With gratitude,
Arunjay.