This is my second favorite spoken word! From a teacher

Couldn't agree more. More people have to see this; not just students, but parents, teachers, and any other human being. School should be more than this. It should inspire kids/students.

the thing is, many teachers actually want you to learn, not just for the grade. the problem is the society that we live in not caring about education, but caring about test scores. in order to get into a good college, you must attain good grades through a painful process full of 4 years of stress. colleges look at your scores many times, because there is no way to test true talent, unless it is through a trade that you are majoring in, that you most likely werent taught in school because you were too busy learning that the mitochondria is the power house of the cell

Attention kids. Don't go to school because you "have to". Do it with purpose, learn something, and stay true to yourself.

As a teacher, this has a great impact on me. I keep telling my kids that the numbers on their report cards do not define them. And in a way, you have mentioned it here. Meaningful real-life experiences are what we, teachers, should prepare the kids for, and most importantly, values. It saddens me how little some institutions give emphasis on that.

And the people said AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-a-Meeeeeeeeeeen, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa-a-Men! AAaa-a-men, amen, Amen, AMEN! PREACH IT!

If only schools taught students how to pay taxes and how to find their own passion. With this passion, there will be interest and with interest there will be determination and the effort to keep going. Don't get me wrong, I love learning but going to schools for 6-7 hours memorizing 10 pages of notes for the test or quiz next week. Sure it's a great way to test your knowledge but if you have a great memory, you'll get 100% in school but you won't succeed in life if all you can do is memorize pages and pages. Where did all the creativity go? Where is all the interest? Where is all the passion to be successful in life? Right... because grades are the reason why we push ourselves and the only way to get good grades is through memorization, not creativity.

i hate comparison but Jon's poetry always excels at wordplay, Clayton Jennings' excels at rhyming, while Joe Solomon's excels at story telling and wordplay altogether. All in all these three are the reason i appreciate poetry as much as i do now. So good, Jon!

yeah, im a sophomore in hs and i take one ap class and the rest are pap and i have 7 hours of school and 7 hours of homework and soccer and violin and i feel like i don't have time for jesus anymore which scares me

I've found that the difficulties and deadlines of school, better prepared me for the difficulties and deadlines of life and work. While the process of learning lists if facts, then spewing them out on a test is near purposeless, reading what I most likely would have not read on my own, writing papers about a variety topics, and engaging with teachers that care, still benefits me today. I thank God for the gift of education.

I get this completely, I'm a sophomore in high school and the farther I go into school the more I feel it's about the grades than the education or knowledge. I hate it, there are teachers who don't care what knowledge you gain just that you pass the class. For to many teachers that's all they care about is if you pass that next test. It makes me question what I need to do. I see education as an important part in the body of Christ. And school is where you go to get that knowledge, but it feels like I'm just dragging threw a class than gaining knowledge. I don't wanna complain cause it's not like that with every teacher but I see it in some. Kinda all over the place but I hope you see this, God bless.

I was told I was doing 'well enough' when I had two Fs. I was told to drop my metalworking class because it 'isn't necessary to graduate, but you'll need maths and science.'. Now, I kept that class, since I dislike the ways math/maths and science are taught, along with all the stress they brought. But I kept that metalworking class because it's a family there, I felt wanted, it wasn't about grades, it was about skill, it was the ONLY thing keeping me in that building. Yet they (my counselor and many other adults) told me to drop it. So school, ever heard of mental health? LOOK IT UP AND WRITE A PAPER FOR ME THIS TIME. Then, tell me how exactly you think you are helping the issue of anxiety, depression, and teen suicide. As far as I am concerned, schools are one of the main factors and leading causes. Try that on for size.

YAASSSSSS JON!!!!! Can someone please make this video go viral?!?! I'm begging you........ #theworldshouldknowthis

Watching and listening to the message in "spoken-words" ....Indeed .... .***It is essential..that we get intentional to make school more experiential ***.. message resonates with the "Game Based Approach" I have been propagating....Hope education system get's to wake-up and attend the SCHOOL you invited ..

"Let the teacher be there for more than simply telling you if you're right. Let's bring in the light" damn

"children are not numbers"thankyou so much for saying that :')

In my opinion Jon is the most best when it comes to spolen word. I have watched this like for 10 times as well as the million peices and never go tired of touching the replay button

So true we are not numbers we are humans.

I'm just in juior high but i look around me and notice all these stuff, this video for me means of lot, because just this young i feel pressured so much just because of numbers. Its time for us to stand up🙋

God continue too bless you

Someone once told me school was to teach us time management. Then, I heard it was an easier way to teach us how to deal with others in the real world and in a "business causal" environment. I believe they fail to realize that they are implying that it's simpler to make us find out what the value of an imaginary number is at its third power, rather than teach of to listen and understand the world around us, or even ourselves. I'm here to say that the logic behind both of those "explanations" for school's purpose so greatly ignores the amount of stress dealt with in the actual content of what we're expected to "learn". I do think this poem encompasses everything. Thanks and great job!

Thank you, I am a teacher and today showed this to my teenagers about to start their GCSE's. They loved it as at first thought it is you are slating the education system but then we unpicked it and realised how they should approach education with wonder... I will be sharing this!

This is amazing. I always get discouraged in school. Now believe me, I'm a very "gifted" student. All high A's, all TAG classes, accelerated in math and language arts, yet I still don't feel challenged. I want to be a filmmaker when I grow up (I'm in 7th grade). I know that's what I want to do. Yet school takes away from the time I have to do anything with that dream. My dad has spent over $1000 to help me with this dream I have, but I have no time to pursue it. I want to use it for God, but I'm too busy writing papers on the Mercury City Tower and solving what x^5/x^2 is. This stuff is easy for me, and it has nothing to do with what I want. That's why I'm so discouraged. School takes away from me pursuing my dream. And ever since school started on fricking August 7th, I've barely any time to read my Bible. And after being in school for 7 hours and 15 minutes, I have 1 or 2 hours of homework (sometimes 4 or 5). So for anyone like me, I get how you feel. I actually might go to homeschool after finishing middle school. But anyways, great job Jon. You really put this topic into perspective.

Homeschooling family here, almost unschooling, likes this because it's all true and then some

PREACH, TEACH, AND CUT THE LEASH!

One of the many reasons we are homeschooling :)

wauw how beautiful what a guy nice praise and glory be to our lord and savior thank you god for my blessings may blessing be to all of us in this world full of pain the only right way is the christian one !

Love you unconditionally our wonderful human 🙌

i love this guy!😍....preach it!

i love this but, how can we change all this broken education

Absolutely awesome, I recently left school during year 12 so knowing I'm not alone in my thoughts is sensational. Love your work mate :)

I love you Jon. You always bring wise insights. God bless you.

great spoken word! I can relate to the feeling like a number just hopeing to pass the class I am going to try to make school more about an enlightened experiment💕

This is was published on my 11th birthday, I had homework that night.

THIS MUST GO VIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAL, make the freakin' American government needs to see this

Great video Jon! Thanks so much for putting this out in the world. This perfectly illustrates the problem we're trying to solve for students.

This seriously needs more views

An group of people just came to my school to talk about how stress can harm you and then shove work in our faces.

you have expressed what I was not able to express.

My mom has been a teacher for about 35years. In our school we have this bible sharing session where the get to reflect on a certain bible verse and share it to our members and teachers also gets to visit houses of their students and give their feedback regarding their grades and behavior. My mom tells me that whenever they visit a house they always end up crying because they got to see the hardships of each parents and I believe this was a way for the parents and teachers to guide the kids to be a better person.

This makes me cry. I'm still in school and i hate it.

This video is good everyone that wants a change in Education respect. School could be improved instead of being worse. let's respect all the videos that gives us something we didn't know about in our life

Amazing and I feel like this all the time

I completely agree, my favorite teachers, the ones I felt I actually learned from, were the ones who were in discussion with the class not just telling the class what to discuss amongst ourselves. The ones who related their lessons to the real world and not just something out of an old textbook that is not even up to date with current society. These teachers were engaging and helped get me ready for what was to come after graduation. By teaching skills I would need as an adult in the real world and not building skills of being a student. I am not going to be a student for the rest of my life.

I agree 100%, I've actually had this talk something like yours with a few people in my life. I'm homeschooled and honestly homeschool is truly the best thing to ever happen to me. I don't even want to care what anyone has to say okay. I love this. I'm truly happy with myself now, yes flaws and all. If I learnt something from public school, one important thing is that it doesn't work for me. See, I've grown to be the best me I could be. Don't get me wrong, school can be fairly important but what's most important is learning to love yourself and except yourself just enough to love and except others. That's truly what many have lacked. If public school works for you I'm telling you do it. But I've learned that it is far from what I deserve. It doesn't work for me at all, I couldn't hardly ever work with the school wether it's actually learning or just making some friends. I wasn't stable emotionally, I was fighting myself instead of finding myself. I rejected many people who tried to befriend/or help me because again, I wasn't emotionally stable. Like a saying goes, hurt people often hurt people, and I can't do that no more. I hate hurting people and I refuse to as far as I can help it. I won't stick around if there's ever a chance I could hurt someone feeling wise. I'm not perfect but I do try my best. In time I've found that fitting in with everyone else isn't important to me. I'm learning to fit in with myself enough to decide wether or not others are good for me and I chose myself who I let fit in with me. Call me selfish if you will but that's self-love dear, without self-love and respect friends I believe you just might be missing something very special.. And we must remember that if we truly want love and respect we must give love and respect to others. You're loveable if you let yourself be. If you let the thoughts and opinions of others define you then it just might, only if YOU let it.. Disagree if you will but I believe instead of teaching kids all this complicated nonsense and making them feel stupid half the time for flunking that no good test, I truly believe that kids should be taught self love and respect for not just themselves but for others. In classes you shall be able to chose which direction you wish to take and many classes of your choice, whether it's photography/singing/dancing ect. Anyone who is cought bulling another shall be sent to a class where there given real talk. Something more like if they don't grow up an change that their most likely going nowhere with their attitude. It's not a good look nore feel so best change it. They can change for the better or leave that school, it'll be their move hah!! Now this indeed is a school I wouldn't mind showing up to. Your thoughts?

Stay hungry, don't drift away, abide in Christ and bear fruit, in the Spirit of God. Shine for Him #branches #vineoflife #treeoflife #Jesus #Christ #Yahshua #Messiah #haMashiach #Yeshua #GoodShepherd #GoodFather #YHWH #BodyofChrist #grace #mercy #Hisglory #God #love #salvation #christian #gospel #praiseGod #worthyistheLamb #scripture #fruition #harvest #endtimes #faith #stayfaithful

dude you rock you just changed my thinking in minutes

My school is very different from usual schools. (I'm Canadian), in my school, they talk to you about all the things you could do. You can play music, do art, do sports, you can act in the theatre, you can help the principal, you can do your passion. AFTERWARDS, they talk about the grades and subjects. I love how my school's number 1 priority is the passions of the students. I am greatful of having that school.

They should play this video in every school in the world. This poem could save so many people from feeling they're not good enough...this is the future!

Because of schools and their standards I struggle with depression as well as panic and stress because the things I thrive in "doesn't follow school plan" I'm tired of being told I'm not good enough I wish they would help me instead of saying "the student refuses to listen" on paper

This is now one of my favorite spoken words! And very true.

This is so encouraging. Preach it Jon!👐👏

Your spoken word gives me chills every time. Thanks so much for sharing what's on your heart through this art form!

All of my thoughts summed up in this spoken word.

Am I the only person who fails EVERYTHING (AND WHEN I MEAN EVERYTHING IT MEANS EVERYTHING EVEN THOUGH I STUDY AND I TRY) but are so much smarter than most of the average people?

Today was the exact day I needed to hear this! Thank. You. God. !!!

HELLLLL YESSS I love the definition of 'an enlightening experience'. I hate it when the teachers don't care about the students. My teachers mainly care, but it makes me sad anyway.

Thank you for this. I cried so much. This is an inspiration for my 'The School System' argumentative essay. Thank you so much.

This is amazing. I seriously want to send this to my local school board because i have tried to tell them this and they have ignored me every time. Very moving video, thank you Jon.

Thank you. We need more 'humans' like you to guide us, to wake us. Never stop, keep inspiring 🔥

Blessed! Finding our own voice...where education really starts!

Oh man, I just skipped a lecture this morning when this video popped out of nowhere in my recommendation. Thanks for reminding us Jon! I really needed that :D! And God bless you peeps~

Every time he speaks, i get goosebumps.. HAHHAAHHA

I failed my Math subject. No matter how I say grades are just numbers, we can't pry from the eyes of discrimination. Thank you for this. It gave me a motivation to start my own letters. May you inspire more people. God bless.

Jon you brought this message home! way to go! love your message

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'VE BEEN A TEACHER FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS AND THIS IS TOTALLY WHAT I WANT MY KIDS TO LEARN FROM ME. I WANT THEM TO FEEL FREE, AND NOT JUST BEING BARRICADED BY HIGH GRADES AND ACADEMIC GOALS. THANK YOU S MUCH!

knowledge is power, continue to teach us, what we fail to realize...

This was fantastic.

Thanks as always for sharing Jon, so good to be inspired by the spoken word. Hearing these pieces inspires me to keep uploading my own spoken word. Thank you and keep sharing!

This is my first video that I watched from you and all I have to say is that I am blown away. Everything you said in this video is right, you made it sound good and made good points. Keep it up ♡

Thank you Jon. This was really inspirational and refreshing to hear.

I'm taking the SAT tomorrow and I'm super stressed. Im taking a study break and I see this video- I click on the link and little did I know how much clarity it would bring! Thank you so much Jon!

I completely agree. I've learned more important things by experiencing life rather than sitting in a classroom. I've always been one of those students who really cared about grades, GPAs, & exams scores. I've maintained straight As & I'm finished the last school year in the top 10 in my class, but I've realized that none of that matters. It doesn't define me. It doesn't actually garantee that I'll get into college or have a good job. All it does is label me as "smart". As if that's all I am and all I'll ever be. But I'm more than just "smart". I'm beautifully and wonderfully made by the most high God. I'm a child of Jesus Christ. I am unique, and have been blessed with so much more than just intelligence. I hope that anyone reading this knows that you are more than a number, and what you have to say DOES matter, regardless of whether or not it's typed in a Times New Roman 12p font. God bless :)

I so many KZfaqrs are talking about school. Boyinaband, prince ea and you I wish more people to here this.

I was about use this as my school representation, but I think....nah never mind.

I love this one! Knowledge is one of my favorite things and this one really hit me! You're so good at this! I write poetry but nothing like this! Well done as always! Keep being awesome!

Wow. This is beautiful and incredibly true.

Dear Jon, You are my inspiration, and I want to be just like you

I love this so much.

THIS IS AMAZING!! everything about this is perfect and so true

he is completely right

I want to thank you for your videos. God is seriously using you as a vessel. your videos truly hit me in the heart. God had used these videos to lead me. thank you so much. I'm left in tears everytime.

AMEN!!!!!

'Is it about being gifted or finding your gifts' honestly couldn't have put it in a better way. I've been writing a spoken word poetry for months on this topic but every day I come from school feeling exhausted - not from learning, but from the ongoing competition to get the best grades. I got a 7 in a subject (equivalent to A) and was told it's not too bad, next time I may get an 8 (A*). I don't understand what's wrong with us humans.

Excellent, excellent!!!

This is honestly so true. My schools librarian said "school never gives us the opportunity to speak our voice and how they never let us get creative. Why do we need to learn about maths and reading when we need to learn creativity and how to speak out our voice not stand in with a number." Together her and a few of my friends are going to do a school assembly to teach everyone the importance of free speech and creativity in school

This is beautiful

You are a blessing 😭😭

Thanks Jon! I'm currently at university training to be a teacher. Loved your perspective (and all of your spoken word poems). Perhaps this failure in the education system has just widened the gap between high achievers (those who can just recite the facts) and those who struggled, as they didn't get to experience the learning. I'll share this with my fellow education university students

Love this and agree

I just graduated from high school and 2 years of college, looking back, i dont know how i did it, but i completely agree with everything he said.

yes .... Impressed ☺

WORD!

Have just started university and this was inspirational. Thank you!

Thank you Jon

This was awesome. Thank you!

Love it!

God bless you

Thanks for this Jon. I'm studying to become a teacher, and I want to be so much more than just someone who tells my students what to do and stamps a letter on them at the end of the year. Majoring in education is hard, though, and sometimes I forget why I started this. I think this will help me refocus. Thanks.

This was lit ...keep it up....u r awesome mahnn..!!