Does the US education system need change?

The school system has been around ever since 1635, but does it need change? Students today seem more miserable than ever, and there are many reasons why that is. A factor people seem to ignore is how the school system treats students and how it can affect their success later in life. Today, I will be giving you some reasons why the system schools have in place now—all around the country, not just here at Riley—needs to change.

First of all, sometimes it feels as if schools do not prepare people for proper jobs, but only to follow orders. “It really seems like I just follow orders instead of doing what I want to,” says sophomore Nathaniel Amaya.

Although we here at Riley have opportunities like CTE (Career and Technical Education), this is only currently offered to juniors and seniors who are further along in their education journey. Sophomores like Amaya feel crave this kind of schooling in which they are able to be in a class that prepares them for their future careers.

However, there is also the problem that schools were originally built around a system of obedience, which can be limiting students’ creativity. Additionally, teachers are seen as figures above all else, and you must follow their every order or be punished. Although there are many teachers who are there to help facilitate learning and help us grow, those that do not can really affect students creativity and self-esteem.

Additionally, it is important to note that everyone learns differently, and sometimes the current system in which school is carried out does not support that. Anybody who learns differently will have to adapt themselves to the class, not the other way around, as it should be. Students are forced to think in a black and white process instead of learning their own way. A lot of times students are asked to learn by worksheets and lectures, but some students may not learn this way which can severely hurt their education.

Lastly, repetitive behavior such as sitting down for 8 hours straight every day and following the exact same schedule every day can be confining to some students. This schedule was originally created to prepare people for jobs where adults are working similarly. However, the type of jobs that would require following a strict schedule are decreasing every year (Forbes). Nowadays, more types of jobs are opening up that don’t require a strict schedule, so this is just training students for a job that they might not even have.

However, there are some benefits to the current education system. Even though the current school system does not do a lot to support students who aspire to go into jobs without a strict 9-5 (or in this case, 8:30-3:30 schedule), for those who want to get a more streamlined job, like an office or factory job, are going to get great preparation at school. Additionally, some students do actually learn through the means that the education system seems to push (lecturing and paperwork), which can help them succeed in their classes better than the alternative of working with their hands or problem-based learning—which is making a rise in schools today.

All in all, these are some of the reasons why the national education system as a whole is somewhat flawed and could use some change. If you have any questions or ways in which you think the national education system could be improved, please feel free to email me!