Find your niche: There are plenty of opportunities in the sea of education

Imagine waking up genuinely excited to go to school and to learn about new and different subjects: art, zoology, botany, even marketing. At Ohioan Lima Senior High School of Multiple Intelligences, classes are tailored to meet student needs. In fact, as its name suggests, Lima Senior High School helps students with various abilities and capacities become engaged in the material.

At Peninsula, curricular choices often overshadow these other valuable types of intelligence. Instead of developing particular interests in accordance with one’s strengths, Panthers worry about how heavy a workload they can take on. Students are labeled “smart.” Intelligence is defined by numbers: namely, GPAs and SAT scores.

This norm is outdated; intelligence does not have a single, all-encompassing definition. Not everyone should be expected to have a 5.0 GPA or a 2400 SAT score, so why do we compare ourselves with those who are more “advanced” on paper?

Graham Edwards, a counselor, explains why students need to accept and embrace differences.

“We all have strengths and weaknesses in our personal lives and personal make-up. We all have areas where we achieve success and areas where we can improve,” Edwards said. “I believe this is simply part of the human condition.”

Truth be told, most public school curricula address verbal and logical capabilities over interpersonal and musical strengths. Because it harbors high-achieving students, Peninsula should create an environment in which kids are encouraged to understand and sharpen their own unique skills.

Academics, unfortunately, hold higher prestige over other equally important aspects of life. Though academics are undoubtedly important, it is necessary to recognize other important aspects of life.

Even though Peninsula is a high-achieving school, students’ narrow perception of intelligence must be changed. After all, academics do not define one’s capacities.