If You Could Change ONE Thing? – Education in America w/ Neil DeGrasse Tyson (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:00) give us one that you you're pretty (00:00:02) confident about give us one that you (00:00:04) would say if I were to change one thing (00:00:06) about our educational system this is the (00:00:07) one that I can confidently speak on (00:00:09) broadly and the way I would change the (00:00:12) science is another thing but let me say (00:00:14) broadly (00:00:15) I would say (00:00:16) that I would de-emphasize (00:00:21) the value the educational system places (00:00:25) on what grade you got yeah (00:00:28) and figure out ways to assess or rather (00:00:31) to promote or to nurture (00:00:35) your (00:00:37) enthusiasm for learning (00:00:40) and because of this what happened you (00:00:43) know what happens there are people who (00:00:44) get high grades these are the people who (00:00:46) pay attention in class and all their (00:00:48) homeworks are handed in on time and they (00:00:51) might become valedictorian and (00:00:53) however if you look at the biggest (00:00:56) shakers and movers in society in (00:00:59) practically any field none of them were (00:01:02) valedictorians the most if you've read a (00:01:05) lot of business so you know CEOs were (00:01:07) never the top of their class or (00:01:08) entrepreneurs whenever the top of their (00:01:10) class they were too distracted by other (00:01:12) thoughts and ideas and and look at (00:01:14) Richard Branson who his Headmaster said (00:01:17) you'll either be in prison or be a (00:01:19) millionaire that's right the end of a (00:01:20) billionaire that's right because he was (00:01:23) not following these educational rules (00:01:25) about what would enable a teacher to (00:01:29) judge that you will go far and my grades (00:01:32) in school were pretty average (00:01:35) pause they were average no teacher at (00:01:38) any time in my life K through 12 16 and (00:01:42) 20. okay (00:01:44) would have ever said see that guy Tyson (00:01:46) watch him he'll go far (00:01:49) none of them even though I was all into (00:01:53) the universe no one said that no one (00:01:55) would have said that had you asked had (00:01:58) you walked into the classroom and I'm in (00:02:00) the class and asked the teacher who's (00:02:01) going to go far in this class I would (00:02:03) have never shown up on their beloved Any (00:02:05) teacher yet it's not like I was a late (00:02:08) bloomer I've known I was interested in (00:02:10) the universe since I was nine and at age (00:02:12) 11 you asked me what I want to be when I (00:02:14) grow up that annoying question adults (00:02:16) always asking I said I want to be an (00:02:18) astrophysicist and I was in the (00:02:19) astronomy club and I walked dogs and (00:02:21) used that money walked other people's (00:02:23) dogs use that money to buy my first (00:02:25) telescope at age my first at age 14 and (00:02:29) I had cameras I had a dark room who (00:02:31) knows what a dark room is anymore but (00:02:33) that's why uh produced all my (00:02:35) photography all of this was going on and (00:02:37) it doesn't show up on a grade in my (00:02:40) school and so the teacher doesn't see (00:02:42) that they don't know it they don't even (00:02:44) care they just care what grade you've (00:02:46) got yep and so here I am growing myself (00:02:49) and had this whole library of books my (00:02:52) parents would buy remaindered books they (00:02:54) cost 50 cents they just they didn't know (00:02:55) any science but they saw a science book (00:02:57) or a math book they bought it for I had (00:02:59) the biggest library of any middle (00:03:00) schooler there ever was okay so all of (00:03:03) this is going on and in high school I (00:03:05) went on an expedition to to to Scotland (00:03:08) to view the stone monuments that are (00:03:10) similar to Stonehenge but many are not (00:03:12) charted and I was on expedition to chart (00:03:14) them I was the localist I was the (00:03:16) astronomer brought in with (00:03:18) archaeologists and anthropologists all (00:03:21) this is happening (00:03:22) I spent a summer in an astronomy Camp (00:03:24) living nocturnally in the desert in the (00:03:27) Mojave Desert while I was in high school (00:03:29) none of that shows up as a grade and (00:03:32) what I'm all I'm saying is (00:03:35) a person is so much more than the (00:03:37) numerics of their GPA (00:03:40) that if you only focus on a GPA you will (00:03:43) lose people (00:03:45) there'll be people who will go (00:03:46) unrecognized unsupported (00:03:50) unidentified in the school system how do (00:03:53) we grade the other part though how do we (00:03:55) great like that's that's the challenge (00:03:57) yeah I don't know how you would now try (00:04:00) to encode ambition or drive these are (00:04:04) have more passion especially these are a (00:04:06) little more abstract and maybe the (00:04:09) school rather than judging you whether (00:04:11) you have passion yeah they should find (00:04:13) ways to instill passion within you and (00:04:17) then you're graded by how much more (00:04:18) passion you had after the class than you (00:04:20) did before rather than how much you (00:04:22) walked in there with well let me ask you (00:04:24) this so here's the other question so for (00:04:27) me having ran a sales organization for (00:04:29) 20 some years I'll see somebody come in (00:04:32) and I used to say man that guy's a great (00:04:34) talker he's going to do great in sales (00:04:36) one month later he quits and he goes to (00:04:38) the next and the next and you'll see (00:04:39) another guy like well it just means you (00:04:42) suck at evaluating but but I did you're (00:04:44) right but but you're right no I'm just (00:04:46) no no but you but but he's trying to (00:04:48) clown you but he's like no you're right (00:04:50) I agree with you as as a newer sales (00:04:52) leader I did then when I learned we (00:04:55) build a forty thousand Insurance Agency (00:04:57) company Nationwide and I'm the founder (00:04:59) of it so I learned how to lock onto the (00:05:01) right people here's a question for you (00:05:02) so what should be the key indicator (00:05:05) maybe two or three indicators to say (00:05:08) this 16 year old kid this 14 year old (00:05:10) kid this 17 year old kid could one day (00:05:13) do something very big in their lives or (00:05:14) is it too early to tell you it could (00:05:17) surely be too early to tell which is why (00:05:19) you always want to (00:05:21) present opportunities to people (00:05:23) throughout their lives to see if they'll (00:05:25) jump on them modify them make them fit (00:05:27) their lives all I will say is when (00:05:30) assessing the promise and performance (00:05:33) of a student (00:05:34) you need to look at more than their GPA (00:05:36) I don't mind standardized exams I don't (00:05:39) mind you want to give somebody an IQ (00:05:41) test I don't have a problem with any (00:05:43) test but the moment you administer a (00:05:45) test (00:05:46) and then use that against the person (00:05:48) because they didn't score high enough on (00:05:50) this test above some threshold that you (00:05:53) have cut off and only then do you give (00:05:54) them opportunities this is using (00:05:57) Educational Systems and tools against (00:05:59) the progress of students rather than for (00:06:01) them when I was in sixth grade that was (00:06:04) still contained in an elementary school (00:06:05) I was not in what they called the (00:06:07) smartest class because they they they (00:06:09) were identified by the system and and (00:06:12) they took French (00:06:15) they took a foreign language and I said (00:06:17) well why can't I take a form well you're (00:06:18) not you're you you don't belong in that (00:06:21) class okay you got to go in the second (00:06:23) class and they would given opportunities (00:06:26) that I really wanted to have (00:06:29) and I was denied it because some (00:06:32) educational construct declared that I (00:06:35) was Unworthy of it (00:06:38) and so uh that I've been thinking about (00:06:41) that ever since because I was already (00:06:42) ambitious as a kid (00:06:44) I I I I don't this isn't a pushback but (00:06:47) it's like (00:06:48) Pat was a 1.8 GPA student (00:06:52) but and your your subject was math right (00:06:54) like if you could have just dedicated (00:06:56) all your time to math I would do math (00:06:57) with you made me do it or not I don't (00:06:59) know what kind of grades you got (00:07:00) sometimes somebody tells me you did okay (00:07:01) but I got a mixture of A's B's and C's (00:07:04) which average to B I guess my point is (00:07:06) like but it all worked out okay meaning (00:07:08) like you're the most famous (00:07:09) astrophysicist in the world it worked (00:07:11) out so that was horrible at everything (00:07:13) else he's amazing at business math it (00:07:15) worked out I was always like an actor (00:07:17) thespian here I am so it worked out no (00:07:19) no no no no no no no it's not just it (00:07:22) worked out no (00:07:23) somewhere in there you are standing up (00:07:28) after you've been knocked down multiple (00:07:30) times that's not just it worked out (00:07:33) that's where your drive is your grit (00:07:36) your ambition Your Capacity to recover (00:07:40) from any forces operating against your (00:07:43) your all of this so it's not just it (00:07:46) worked out I'm where I am not because of (00:07:49) my educational past but in spite of it (00:07:51) God is my point so you're saying the (00:07:54) school system should have done should do (00:07:56) a better job identifying what you're (00:07:57) super super passionate about or let you (00:08:00) double down on that versus useless no no (00:08:02) that's being more specific that I'm (00:08:04) prepared to land at this moment yeah but (00:08:07) what a school should say is (00:08:10) don't Reserve all your highest Praises (00:08:13) for the people who get the highest (00:08:14) grades do some other searching in the (00:08:17) total life of the person suppose there's (00:08:19) someone who who is who in in middle (00:08:23) school or high school is taking care of (00:08:24) the younger kid babysitting walking dogs (00:08:26) doing this uh shopping do it and figured (00:08:29) out a way to make that efficient and (00:08:31) I've created a budget for the family (00:08:33) because they couldn't figure that look (00:08:35) what that is oh my gosh the person is (00:08:38) figuring out life and no one was there (00:08:40) to train them that's ambition that's (00:08:42) some of it is the the necess the what do (00:08:45) you call it the um Necessities the (00:08:47) mother of invention or or in order to (00:08:50) survive you got to be get clever okay (00:08:53) but these are tests of us throughout our (00:08:56) lives if you're a deadbeat sitting at (00:08:57) home watching TV and and you don't have (00:09:00) good grades I got nothing for you at (00:09:02) that point (00:09:03) but take a look at the total package (00:09:05) because in life the total package is (00:09:07) what's going to matter okay so let me (00:09:09) let me ask you a question I'm going to (00:09:10) teach I teach a couple this is going to (00:09:11) show up in this education book I have (00:09:12) teacher comment I still have my report (00:09:14) cards uh Neil is um should (00:09:18) um (00:09:20) less social involvement and more (00:09:21) academic diligence is in order (00:09:24) what they're saying is my social energy (00:09:26) my social energy was a negative in that (00:09:30) classroom by the way I wasn't purposely (00:09:32) disruptive it was more a gurgling of (00:09:34) energy just you know okay that was a (00:09:36) negative (00:09:37) and meaning you would socialize with our (00:09:40) students you were talkative you were (00:09:41) energetic I passed notes and things yeah (00:09:43) that was bad rather than saying there (00:09:46) could be some value to this later on he (00:09:49) might become a communicator because he's (00:09:50) communicating with all these people at (00:09:52) all these different times no one is (00:09:53) thinking that all they can see is the (00:09:55) grade in their class that's why none of (00:09:56) the teachers would have said look at him (00:09:59) he'll go far Neil in your class by the (00:10:02) way I asked this question about two (00:10:03) months ago and it was incredible hearing (00:10:05) the answer what does the valedictorian (00:10:07) of your high school do for work today (00:10:09) did they meet and exceed the expectation (00:10:11) if I tell you 95 percent of the (00:10:13) responses was no yeah of course it was (00:10:15) oh no no no but but going back by the (00:10:18) way that's not true for my valedictorian (00:10:20) but who was yours what did he do what (00:10:22) did he or she do he was co-founded (00:10:24) regeneron (00:10:25) um (00:10:27) the biomed company yeah he was my (00:10:31) valedictorian my Year from the Bronx (00:10:32) High School that's insane what number (00:10:35) did you finish the Bronx High School of (00:10:38) Science (00:10:38) um there were about 700 graduates I they (00:10:41) don't number it below 10 but I was (00:10:43) probably 300 350th got it who else was (00:10:47) very successful in your school outside (00:10:49) of him (00:10:50) uh he and I have our names on the school (00:10:54) wall (00:10:55) um I have to think about okay so then (00:10:57) that means you we don't so did you did (00:10:59) you see any signs of genius or something (00:11:02) different about him where you said this (00:11:03) guy could do something in his life or no (00:11:04) at the time yeah (00:11:06) um he was very ambitious I mean he did (00:11:09) science fair projects which again are (00:11:11) extra curricular additional on top on (00:11:14) top of the grade for the thing and uh (00:11:16) here's something interesting he did (00:11:18) because he competed I think if I (00:11:20) remember correctly competed in the (00:11:21) famous Westinghouse science challenge (00:11:23) search and did very well in that when he (00:11:25) became regeneron that (00:11:28) that science Talent shirt has changed (00:11:31) quote ownerships over the years and now (00:11:33) there's the regeneron prize out of the (00:11:36) monies that they have invested in it so (00:11:38) so uh that I so I'm just saying if (00:11:42) you're just looking at grades that's the (00:11:44) person who is trying to impress you (00:11:47) here's here's the measure I got it for (00:11:49) you ready (00:11:50) uh if you got a 97 on your exam (00:11:54) instead of a hundred (00:11:57) are you gonna complain to your teacher (00:12:01) are you going to complain if it's like (00:12:02) hand graded and are you gonna complain (00:12:04) we don't okay it's 97's just as good as (00:12:06) 100 I don't care if you're going to (00:12:08) complain that means you're after the (00:12:11) grade more than you're after learning (00:12:14) and at some level valedictorians are (00:12:16) after the grades (00:12:18) and that (00:12:19) ask anyone who's 30 and older in this (00:12:22) world when was the last time someone (00:12:25) wanted to know your GPA they won't even (00:12:27) be able to remember (00:12:28) it never comes up at work it's are you (00:12:31) honest are you moral are you a hard (00:12:33) worker do you solve problems whole sets (00:12:36) of qualifications that are not encoded (00:12:39) in your GPA (00:12:41) or SAT score or AC same difference or (00:12:43) anything like that same difference so (00:12:45) how important are extracurricular (00:12:47) activities meaning like you might have (00:12:49) gotten been a b student but your captain (00:12:51) of the debate team or you're on the (00:12:53) football team or the wrestling team (00:12:54) captain of my wrestling oh were you (00:12:56) really yeah okay so I'm defeated by the (00:12:58) way in high school but but that's very (00:13:00) high news right it's not in Iowa okay (00:13:02) just to be clear there are places where (00:13:05) people were wrestling as a religion and (00:13:08) I was undefeated in a place where (00:13:10) wrestling is not a religion so so so (00:13:12) going back so I had these extra things (00:13:14) that was my rest of my life I did fun (00:13:16) thing I did things that that not only (00:13:19) were activities there were activities (00:13:21) that further grew my knowledge and (00:13:23) awareness of fields so if you like this (00:13:26) clip and you want to watch another one (00:13:27) click right here and if you want to (00:13:29) watch the entire podcast click right (00:13:31) here