10 Things Wrong With Education

Below is a list of ten areas in education that needs improvement. I am personally against the system but have hope that if these ten areas are thoroughly address, then schools might actually be worth something.

Apathy

"Why do I need to know about..."

When students are intrinsically motivated to learn a new topic, they will absorb the information like a sponge. On the other hand if students aren't motivated to learn they have the retention capability of a brick. Most schools/teachers do not offer and valid reason for the learning that needs to take place. They much rather systematically disseminate the information without rhyme or reason.

Test

This test will determine you future success in the field of...

Tests or exams cannot measure the intelligence of an individual. The only thing a test tests is a persons ability to take the test. The SAT is supposed to be an indicator of how good the person will do in college. The first time I took the SATs I didn't score over 1,000 points, four years later I earned a full scholarship to graduate school at Georgia Tech. Go figure...

Grades

Me: What does 'F' mean?


Teacher: It means that you are a failure.

Grades do nothing but give teachers a way to label students in categories (e.g. smart, average, dumb, slow). Of course, the only way that a student can be graded is by taking tests and as I mentioned earlier, a test or exam cannot measure the intelligence of an individual. Grades are also used as a form of control. For example, have you ever heard a teacher say, "If Johnny doesn't "behave" himself he will be marked down a letter grade." In that example Johnny can't be Johnny, he can't express himself the way that he would like to. The more obedient a child is, the better grades s/he will get.

Competition

You are dumb because you didn't make the honor roll

Students compete against each other for highest grades and teachers encourage this competition by praising some condemning others. The condemned children get labeled as dumb, stupid, or slow and this label will follow them for the rest of their lives unless they conscientiously make efforts to improve there self esteem. This competition creates a few excellent students and a mass of average students. Which grow up to be the few "experts" and a mass of retards. Every child has the potential to be excellent, but if we don't let every child know this early on, they'll never know.

Bad Teachers

The rules of the class are...

Parent put their children in the hands of teachers 6 to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 12 years hoping that the teachers will encourage the children to learn. In reality, the teachers' main priority is to enforce rules and restrictions on students to keep order in the class room. Just think of the number of times you have heard teachers say, "You can't do that", "It's not time for that now", "Your too [young, old, dumb, smart, small, big, etc] for that." I'm not saying all teachers are bad, but many of them limit a child's potential, regardless if they know it or not.

Not Enough Good Teachers

Teacher: Why aren't you finished your assignment?


Me: I was waiting for you to finish with John so I could ask you a question.


[bell rings]


Teacher: Save your question for tomorrow


Me: Um... OK.

In most public schools there is 1 teacher for every 30 students. It is extremely difficult for that teacher to tend to 30 different students effectively. The result is a lot of students getting left behind in the lessons, without the teachers ever noticing. There needs to be an increase in the amount of teachers per student. In prisons the guard to inmate ratio is on average 1:6. Why can't there be a similar ratio for schools?

The Focus

I can't wait 'till I am out of school so I could get a job.

Most educational systems make the students focus on getting a job and being dependent on that job for income. The focus of schools should be to show students how to think for themselves and ask good questions so that they can get a better understanding of the world around them.

Cost

Damn, I have to take out another loan before they kick me out

You can get your first 12 years of school for free, but higher learning will cost you and it's a gamble. The average cost for a public university is 13,000 a year and 30,000 for a private university. The average graduate spend 5.7 years in college. So the average person would spend anywhere between 74,100 and 171,000 on a college education. The average person doesn't have that type of money so the only option is to get a loan. It seems that the college system is built to either keep certain people out or keep people in debt.

Class Levels

You are too young to be in this class

As a child, being the youngest of four allowed me to observe and learn from my siblings before I even began school. I can honestly say that I learned a lot from them early on in life. It has been proven that one of the best ways to learn is to observe and then do. In schools students are separated in different class levels so younger children can't learn from the older ones. If you are in a class full of novices, the only person you have is the teacher to instruct you. The problem with that is they're too many bad teachers and not enough good ones, as I stated earlier.

Restrictions

I don't see any course I want to take in your catalog

Students are restricted to the topics that they can learn. You are rarely allowed to decide what you want to learn. Even in college, when you do choose your curriculum, you still have to take the required courses even if it has nothing to do with what your interests are. Some people say, "It's to make you well rounded" and I say that's bull. Would I be a less "round" person if I didn't know how to evaluate and integral in calculus?