School is an institution that has been thrown at us, basically ever since we were taught how to say the words mommy and daddy. Since we are thrown in at such a young age by our parents, we do not have the choice but to attend school until we reach late adolescence. Once we graduate from high school, we have the choice to further our education by going to college, or pursuing other goals instead. I do believe that going to school can be a very enriching experience, however there are some major issues that must be addressed regarding the subjects that are taught and the way students are being evaluated for their effort.
The first flaw in education systems is the required subjects that are being taught to students. The general subjects taught at schools are: Mathematics, History, English, and Science. These classes are being required to take in order to graduate, and it becomes a very tedious process to constantly study subjects that some students are not particularly interested in. Think about it. How many times did you sit in a classroom and ask yourself: “What the hell am I doing here?”.
I know I have, especially when it comes to mathematics courses because it is a subject that I have struggled with my entire life, no matter how hard I try. An example of this is that I am being required to complete a math class by this summer. If I do not take it, then I will be suspended from my University. My entire standing is being based on one math class! So, all of my success and accomplishments in other subjects are not being taken into consideration.
When it comes to college, we are required to take “General Education” courses that most of the time, do not pertain to our majors. In order to prepare students for the “real world” and work force, then we should be required to take REAL classes. By “real” classes, I mean classes that teach us about self-defense, sexual awareness, mental health, cooking, mechanics, and even how to file and pay taxes efficiently. These classes would have much more value if they were required in college, rather than classes like geography and math. I am not saying that these classes are pointless. On the contrary, students should be allowed to choose their required courses whether it be geography, math, cooking, or self defense. It should all depend on personal interests. Students are being taught how to study and memorize chapters from textbooks, how to bubble in answers correctly on multiple choice exams, and how to get “good” grades. In the real world, however, there are no textbooks that are going to help you deal with difficult situations. There are no multiple choice exams for you to fill out and understand what kind of person you are. Lastly, there are no letter grades that determine how well you are doing in life.
We are expected to spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks, yet we are not being taught how to manage money efficiently. We hear about tragedies happening on college campuses: suicide, rape, shootings, etc. yet we are not being taught how to defend ourselves, or what to do when we have a mental illness. Young people are going out into the “real world” with no real foundation on how to prosper. It is because of this that so many graduates feel utterly lost and clueless when college comes to an end. So yes, unfortunately, we have been thrown into a flawed education system, but it is important to acknowledge when something does not seem right. It is easy to conform to college education systems because we are told that we are learning how to find success in the real world. Well, let's not wait for the real world to happen. The real world is now, and it is important to spread awareness on the flaws in the system. This may just be an article or rant, call it what you want, but at least it is a start.
