Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Education


I don’t think that someone could of convinced me that after being in school for thirteen years of my life that I would come to college and decide that education is one of the hardest things to define and that the way education is headed is a nightmare and almost makes me scared.
 
To preface everyone on why I am making this statement, let me first begin that I am in the midst of taking philosophy in education and an education class where you go into the field for three hours at a public elementary school. Another fun fact you should know to understand my dilemma is the fact that I went to a private school for K-12. So I am not sure if the tests that I took, or the lack thereof, are due to my county or due to the fact that I went to a private school for elementary school.

Part of the main components to my education class that has a field component is to interview teachers, art instructors, principals, anyone really to observe as much as I possibly can about the school system from a perspective other than a student. I have to say that I am APPALLED by the fact that we put so much emphasis on all of these tests. 

I know that I don’t really use cursive anymore unless I am trying to be fancy, but what do you mean you don’t teach cursive anymore!?! At least I am capable of doing it if I have to, like how are you going to sign your name?? I also completely understand why half of the people in college don’t know how to write essays (something that I had drilled into me before I even entered high school). There are so many things that are being cut out of a school day because it doesn’t benefit the students in order to take tests, well that is all fine and dandy until they get to the part of schooling, particularly college, and you aren’t taught the same way anymore, you have to think for yourself, be creative and above all write ESSAYS!  

I may be in the minority or the majority when I say these things I am not really sure, but I can say with 100% confidence that I wouldn’t be the same student if I hadn’t been to private school for all those years. I feel that I am better-rounded and can think for myself better than some of my peers who only know how to regurgitate information. It saddens me that this country, one that prides itself on freedom and “Democracy” has such a poor educational system. Did you know that we are being outperformed by a ridiculous number of countries that I think is 44. 44 countries are BETTER than the United States, and how is the US deciding to fix this? Give more tests and make teacher salaries based off of these tests, one teacher I talked to said that Maryland is even trying to make a teacher only be guaranteed half of their salary, that’s right HALF of their salary until the results on the tests come in and then depending on performance may or may not get the rest of their salary. I am sorry but what kind of incentive are you giving teachers to TEACH your children, your pride and joy the FUTURE of this country. You want all of your children to grow up and be successful yet you don’t provide teachers the opportunity to do so, and whose fault is that if little Sally can’t do something or little Sally is doing badly? The teachers. The fact that majority of the public would say it is the TEACHERS fault just irritates me. Yes I know there are those teachers who don’t help the stereotype but it isn’t an “easy job” to do. Shoot I feel like if all of those people who say teachers are the problem had to teach for a year and saw what it takes and what goes into it to actually perform and have some kind of positive result they would be whistling a different tune. But in fact the people who decide what should happen to education are those who are ignorant to what it really needs, and these are the people that we put in charge to make decisions…

 

 

1 comment:

  1. This was a huge issue in an education class I took last year. The government is giving schools money incentives for high test scores so that we can prove we're as good as other countries, but this has resulted in entire schools and class being restructured to drill test taking skills and the basic skills that will be on it. When one test is done, they start preparing for the next one.

    I really don't like this either, personally. And I'd hate to be that kid who just just constantly on the road to standardized test after test after test.

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