There are multiple reasons why the school system is failing future generations, particularly by not being responsive to the needs of their students.
The school system has not always worked the way it does today, but the issue is that American education is evolving slower than the world around it.
Students are struggling day in and day out within American school systems. The satisfaction rates of students due to the system have reached a great decline when compared to how school was thought of decades ago. According to “Yale Study: Vast Majority of High Schoolers Unhappy at School,” written by Kerry McDonald on February 10, 2020, most high school students are not happy at school. “A new study by Yale researchers finds that nearly three-quarters of high schoolers report negative feelings toward school. The study surveyed more than 20,000 high school students in all 50 US states and found widespread dissatisfaction at school.” In the open-ended responses on the Yale survey, students reported being tired, stressed and bored at school, (YaleNews news.yale.edu). America’s education system needs improvement in order to fix the rapid detachment being taken by not only our generation, but also future generations.
One of the first issues that schools need to address to better prepare the next generation is emphasis on more practical courses. These are the people that will be making real life decisions about the world and their government. How can you expect a student to do what they need to as a good citizen if they aren’t getting taught real life criteria? Students should be required to learn lessons such as in-depth all year round personal finance, all four years of government classes, and current events of the world around them.
School and its staff has been a huge part of our lives for 13 years. Although it is not the school’s job to raise us, it is their job to realize so many kids don’t have a good home or parents to correctly teach them, the only good they come by is from school itself.
People learn in so many different ways and it’s crucial to understand their learning style. Sometimes, through this standardized system, students get the message that if you don’t reach a certain standard you aren’t as smart, or you won’t be going anywhere. The problem is not so much what is being taught, but making sure the material is really being understood. I think schools have the ability to help students individually and should be required to do so.
In some cases it truly is on the student, but there are so many people that degrade students. Students go through so much everyday mentally and physically. The world we live in is mean and hard with so much judgement and high expectations, and it’s the responsibility of our elders to help as much as they can and to understand the difficulties we go through.
Some people may state that it’s the parents job to prepare them for the world, and it is, but there are so many kids that don’t have caring parents or parents at all. There are so many mental health issues today due to school alone that nobody seriously takes them into consideration. It makes it difficult to learn, or to even go to school.
We should offer a class that assists with students who are dealing with anything emotionally or physically such as depression, anxiety, etc. not just say “go to the link I attached in the email” or “ if you need help go to a counselor.” Teachers are not child psychologists nor is it their job to be one, but it should be required to supply one.
The school system needs to catch up to the world around it or it will continue to fail students. Schools need to pay attention to mental disorders, learning styles, and the evolution of the present world we live in. It would be difficult for staff, but it is much more difficult for the students that have to deal with this everyday.