Kelly Gallagher states very clearly the dirty little secret of schools in America in chapter 1 of his 2011 book, Write Like This. He declares, “In other words, seven out of ten students are leaving schools without the necessary skills to actively participate in either civic life or in the global economy” (Wiens). These startling statistics should disturb you, and, if nothing is done, there’s only room for future generations’ stats to get worse. If you’re a parent put in the position of telling your teenager exactly why they should spend a whole thirteen years of their life getting an education when they’ve already learned, how to read, write, and do simple math, basic skills, and they throw this statistic at you, what do you do? My father…
Attaining an education is not merely about learning how to read, write, and answer basic math questions, nor is it about getting enough of an education to find employment later in life. Instead, improving the health and wellness of society is and should always be the main concern. A student, at any age, is taught certain principles that are hopefully carried over into their adult lives. Concepts like honesty, determination, and a solid work ethic help the child through school, and incorporate into a better society after the education is…
Have you ever felt like you or your child is not getting a proper education? Are you a student who has below average grades and yet still manages to pass your class? Have you ever wondered why the U.S has gone from 18th in math to 31st? The answer to these questions, and many more that people have been posing is quite simple. Our education has just simply gotten worse. Many people today in society believe our education has gotten worse, though some believe that it is up to standards. I believe that our education has actually gotten worse, because the quality of our education has been going down, our performance has been going down, and our standardized tests are a mess.…
In the article “Against School,” Gatto, compares school to the concept of boredom. Of course, almost anyone who has gone to school would obviously agree with that statement; boredom is the common condition to everyone who spends time in school. Gatto also, breaks down the purposes in placing Inglis’ “six basic functions” of school by trying to overemphasize the reason for public education. Yet the truth is that we all go to school to better our selves and our family. We all want one thing in life and that is to live the “dream life.” Just like how Mabry stated in, “living in two worlds” said not to feel guilty because success drives us away from those who we want to help by getting an education. Even though education is power, our social class…
In America, a child normally goes through at least twelve years of public school to be prepared and knowledgeable for college and the real world. However, a question about the schools is being raised –– are students truly learning in the education system? The system seems to be straying from its purpose. Nowadays, students aren’t enjoying the journey to learn and only goes through the motions of being a student. This takes away from them by not having in-depth learning, making them not as prepared and not as ready to master new challenges as they should be. To allow students to have true, deep learning, schools should grant students time to explore passions, lessen competition between peers, and give opportunities to experiment to find best…
Schooling is seen as a necessary part of life in America for generations, needed to transform the children of the nation into happy and productive individuals. Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with overall performance. According to the Program for International Student Assessment survey administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2012, the United States ranks 27th in math, 17th in reading, and 20th in science. According to the OECD the US spends more on education than most countries with an average of $115,000 per student (PISA, 1). Unfortunately, that level of spending has not equaled an improvement in education. We have tried to improve our schools with more money, better teachers, and legislation such as No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. What if the true problem with schooling is not the components of the system, but the system itself? In the article “Against School” John Taylor Gatto present several causes for the failing of the American public school system. One of the main causes he puts forth is the institution of compulsory schooling in a system designed to repress the working class, keeping the classes…
Our educational system in America is highly inefficient. It focuses more on standardized testing than it does on helping the students understand the curriculum. I have seen teachers that care more about their paycheck than the well-being of their own students. On top of all this, once you're out of high school, there is college. Of course, it is not required for you to attend. But it's almost impossible to get a well paying job without a degree. To make matters worse, college is unbelievably expensive, making it nearly impossible to go without putting yourself in debt, because the average cost for tuition for a public college in America is $9,139. For example, my own mother almost didn’t pass high school, because her government teacher always put her down and how she was going to fail. My mom was never able to get a college level education because her parents could not afford to give her that privilege.…
Education is a fundamental principle of The United States of America: a building block of this country. All American children are required to attend school beginning at a young age and continue until they reach early adulthood. In today’s society it is even stressed to the younger generation that continuing their education to a higher level is critical to their ability to be successful in the world. Current issues in the education system have become a primary social and political problem in this country. It has been a main topic of discussion for political leaders, and a main concern for U.S. citizens. Unequal access to education, violence in schools, high dropout rates, and standardized testing are just some of the weaknesses in the system…
Being a student is my job, part of my lifestyle, and is truly what composes ten out of the twelve months of every year, for the last ten years of my life. Many hours of quality sleep have gone out the window to devote my life to memorizing the exact steps of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, or remembering the effect of the industrialization of America on the Native American population. Too much of the time a plethora of students find themselves contemplating the same narrative “why do I have to learn this, what’s it going to do for me in X amount of years?” Although millions of Americans are granted free education without discrimination, the education system that allows us so many opportunities has its blemishes and has come up short in providing the means to…
As I sit in my classroom and look around to each of my peers I hear them talk about how “This is too much work!”, “I hate being in school.”, “I'm dropping out and never coming back!”. I realize how fortunate we are unlike the kids in other countries who don’t even get the opportunity to go to school. For the ones who do get the chance they have to go through great lengths such as walking long distances or they don't have the appliances to handed to them like we do in America. I've decided that my responsibility to America is to ensure that I'm taking advantage of all of my education opportunities to the best of my ability, in anyway that I can.…
My father always told me, the two most important things in life are “education and health.” So growing up, my only focus was on school. In the United States, private school is generally a privilege of the rich. Even though I hated it at the time, I attended a private school, grades first through third, and I never really understood how beneficial it was until I was forced to public school, then realizing I was quite a precocious individual. Martin Jischke notes “I believe the American dream is the opportunity to pursue knowledge freely, through a lifetime of learning, growing, changing and evolving” (76) which too I agree.…
Education is a luxury that many cannot afford. If you want to study, you have to pay for it. Once the poor knew their place and it wasn't in the classroom. Today that no longer applies. We are told we have a choice and that education is freely available.…
How many teenagers know life skills when they graduate? Do they know how to cook or clean? Most schools offer health or home ec classes, but hardly any high schooler will take them. Parents teach their kids to clean house or take out the garbage. Some parents don’t want to instruct them. Having them waste time on gaming or watching tv and when they could be learning about being an adult. The world won’t just give them everything. Teachers try to help with real world problems, but teens never take their stories seriously. Schools should require students to take life skill classes because it will help them become better citizens, be social, and help with their daily lives.…
There are many reasons they have sending their children to school. The greatest offering point for education in our general public is the way that it people groups realize "how" to learn. It is not about the information they gather, it is the way a child is instructed how to "learn" things. A youngster may leave far from school not knowing a ton of the course, but rather if that child has been instructed how to learn, then that child may turn into a grown-up that learns all that he or she needs in life. Something else, that child may grow up to be a man that can't see the conspicuous in light of the fact that he or she can't reason and deliberately learn new things. (Castle,…
Elementary curriculum needs to prepare students for high school and college. Elementary schools should teach students the basics so when students get to high school, their classes can focus on college preparatory or vocational schools. Most high schools do not teach students how to get jobs, balance a checkbook, or vote. If elementary schools taught students more of the basic skills such as typing and algebra, high schools can emphasize financial and government classes. According to Chester Finn and Diane Ravitch, well-known school critics, “The liberal arts make us “competitive” in the ways that matter most.” (qtd. In Berliner, 292). High schools need to focus on government classes to instill a sense of belonging and democracy. Civic classes teach students how to become model citizens who spend time helping others and not just focusing on themselves.…