From the moment a baby is born they take in their surroundings. They learn how to speak a whole entire language, they learn how to walk, eat, and act like a functioning human. As children grow up their brains work like sponges, absorbing information left and right. They are extremely curious to the point where it gets annoying (I can't count how many times a child has bombarded me with questions). It is genuinely beautiful to see a little child learning about life - and enjoying it. It is even more heartbreaking though, to see teenagers, who were once children excited to learn, start to despise it. This hatred towards learning started for me in second grade, (when school started to become more like school) and it just got worse from there. So many people have suffered during the formative years of their life because of school, but the general style of teaching hasn't changed at all. It needs to change.
The school system we currently have in the U.S. was originally put in place by Horace Mann. He actually had some really good philosophies on education. He really just wanted America to be a country full of well-rounded, educated people. I strongly agree will all of his principles of education: 1) "a republic cannot remain ignorant and free" 2) "education should be controlled and sustained by an interested public" 3) "Education is best provided in schools embracing children of all religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds" 4) "Education must be free of religious influence" 5) "education must be permeated throughout by the spirit, methods, and discipline of a free society, which prelude harsh pedagogy in the classroom", (that's my favorite one). These were all very progressive back in 1838. But the one thing I would add to this is that education should make children, and their happiness, the priority.
When schools first started following Mann's ideals, they taught kids how to be good members of society, and also other basic knowledge. They learned Math, Science, English, and History. After graduating high school they could get a job, make a family, and live a pretty average life. Today, children have to take standardized tests as early as 6 years old (ex: FAFSA). Students cry over school work in elementary school and worry about getting into college in middle school. They take classes that are too hard for them because they feel that they need to fit the expectations that the school has constructed. I know too many high school students that are worried about making a living in the future, so they are drowning themselves in AP classes that they are not even interested in. They are expected to do work for classes that they are FORCED to take and punished when they don't do well enough. The only reason students try to do good in these classes is that they believe that their future wellbeing relies on it, and frankly, it does. Instead of fixing the root of the problem, schools hire guidance counselors to fix the kids that they broke in the first place, just to break them again. No wonder students cry themselves to sleep, hurt themselves, and have anxiety and depression; The future of their whole entire life is in the hands of a number on a report card.
The list above is not even close to everything that I have to say about the school system, and I'm sure that you are thinking of more reasons at this very moment. But let me present to you ✰ my perfect school ✰. Kids are allowed to come to school every day at whatever time they want to (because sleep is important!) the teachers are more like experienced mentors that help the students with problems but don't actively give information unless the kids want it. The school would be like one big maker space, where kids could talk to each other, build things, do projects, or just have fun if they aren't in the mood to do anything. There would then be optional classes taking place at different times, a lot like the classes that we have now, but everyone would be there of their own free will. If there is a class that students want to be available, then they just sign a petition and bring it to the administration to see if they can get a teacher for it. Some people would say that this wouldn't work, that the students would choose to not learn every day because teens just don't want to learn. But ask yourself why they don't want to learn. It is because they are not learning for the sake of learning, but learning because their life depends on it.
where I got my info about Horace Mann:
Hi Eden, I agree with you on a lot of the things you said. I think the fact that teachers are seen as "authoritarian" figures and school is just the child version of a job are some of the main factors that affect why children don't like to learn. They see it as a burden and immediately don't like the person who is trying to teach them about whatever specific subject.
ReplyDeleteHi Eden. I agree with you in many ways. It's really sad how school has become a large source of anxiety, depression, stress, etc for so many people. A flaw in the school system that I think about is the fact that school doesn't actually teach a lot of the important information we need to know in life. For instance, we never learn how to properly sign checks, pay taxes, set up banking accounts, defend ourselves, cook, find jobs, and probably many other skills I am missing. I think it’s also hard forcing kids and teenagers to learn so much information early in the morning, as you mentioned. I feel like if school started even just an hour or two later than it does now, it would make a big difference in both energy level and mood. The whole standardized testing system seems outdated too. Intelligence and readiness for college should not be at all dependent on one exam that tests random verbal and mathematical skills. There are so many other types of intelligence people have, whether artistically, musically, or academically, and everyone learns in different ways. Hopefully one day there will be more changes in the education system. Thanks for writing this informative post!
ReplyDeleteHi Eden, I loved this post. I feel so strongly about this and relate to it on a personal level. I love to learn. But I hate school. I also love to read, but school made me hate reading.
ReplyDeleteI willingly read books, watch documentaries, and research things that I am interested in because I genuinely love learning new things that interest me and have an impact in this world.
School is just about completing assignments and taking tests without retaining any information. I wish schools prioritized actually learning instead of graded assignments. I study and cram and then forget. Everyone does. The system clearly needs to change. It's not normal for children to become depressed and even suicidal over SCHOOL. Teach kids to love learning, not feel like they are worthless.
Hi Eden. I agree with some things you said like how kids are learning for the sake of standardized tests in school and not for the sake of learning which makes them uninterested, but I don't think that so many kids really hate to learn. This being said, I do think that at least up to middle school, the schooling system should stay the same. Some children in middle school may have a specific passion for something, but the ones that don't will just be stuck in a school system where they are choosing their potential career path too early in life and mess up the rest of their life. They should learn all of the basic stuff before your "perfect school system" would be enacted in place if enacted at all.
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