There is an unambiguous flaw in today’s education system when high school seniors graduate without the common knowledge to perform necessary adult tasks. Schools need to place a higher priority on teaching life skills than on teaching useless facts. Budget cuts have taken the most beneficial information out of the school’s itinerary. When essential life lessons are left out of teacher handbooks, students are left to self teach the preeminent information that could have been taught otherwise. This results in young adults relying on trial and error; hopeful not to make a huge mistake while making potentially life altering decisions.
First of all, schools tend to prioritize ineffective information within each core subject. For example, memorizing the periodic table is a mandatory requirement in a high school science class. This skill will rarely ever be used within the lifetime of any of the students spending quality time to load this information into their brains. In history class, weeks are spent reciting specific qualities of the personal lives of ancient presidents. The uselessness of this knowledge is ridiculously appalling. Additionally, schools should allow students free reign to look into the history of the Wild West rather than the vital health signs of their body, for instance. The problem is, the mandatory curriculum is taught for the success in tertiary education; forgetting the importance of success in life in general. Within nearly all careers, the worthless
The function of the education system is to improve students education and prepare them for the real world. Students within that system should receive an “A” when they have mastered the information they are being taught. However, grades no longer accurately reflect how much students have learned. Since 1998 teachers have handed out more A-grades while the average SAT scores have actually fallen. In fact, as Greg Toppo states, an author for USA Today, the amount of A’s handed out actually went up close to ten percent (4). Students can manipulate their courses so that they can get good grades without actually learning much of anything. With grades not accurately representing what students have learned and charter schools failing to solve problehms, teachers need to change how they structure their class or grade assignments.
From my experience, as a student myself, I can relate to the impression of being unprepared for life after high school. During my high school years, many teachers do not clarify the lesson and expect students to understand the materials by a certain time. Learning only half a chapter and must learned two chapters by the next day. Some schools, however, only cover subjects
In society today, a college education is often seen as a “the next step” in a young adult’s life. Whether they actually know what they would like to earn a degree in, they feel the need to continue their education as almost everyone around them is pursuing post-secondary education of some sort. It is often argued that a college education is not necessary to get ahead because of the manufacture based workforce that is up and coming in America, however, there are many benefits to having a post-secondary education such as a higher rate of pay and more job opportunities.
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands- one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” – Audrey Hepburn.
What is one of the things that most people are accustomed to? Something that has been a part of their daily life. There are many things but what I am referring to is school. School has been around for hundreds of years. Whether it was to learn about religion or the mandatory classes we take now in the 21st century, many of us have been advised to go to school. It has changed a lot over the years and the system is still trying to improve how they could better educate their students in the future. Now, after going through many levels of school, people question themselves: why did I learn all of this? They question why they couldn’t learn more about taxes, buying a house or the important aspects when you get a car. School has become a
Imagine a store only sold two sizes of the new shirt you wanted. In today's society that is the perfectly painted picture on college education. College has become an option, a granted privilege, and no longer a necessity. Jobs such as small business owners, Web developers, and Wind Turbine Technician no longer require a college degree. College education is still worth it because college, ¨encourages students to think, ask questions, and explore new ideas, which allows for additional growth and development and provides college graduates with an edge in the job market over those who have not experienced a higher education¨ (McGuire). A college degree is an essential tool in an adult's life because of prominent health, labor market balance, and overall career success.
The main courses that we are taught throughout elementary and high school are English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. While those subjects are important, not everyone will use those studies throughout their lifetime, whereas if they taught subjects like balancing a checkbook, how to fill out job applications and write a resume, how to do an interview, first aid, and so many other skills, everyone would carry that with them and find that information useful after they get out of high school.
Mari-Jane Williams (2013) beautifully articulated the importance of teaching life skills to teenagers in an article written for the Washington Post titled “Life skills all teens should have before graduating from high school.” In the article Williams writes:
Over 7,500 animals are killed in zoos because they are deemed surplus, as stated by Liz Tyson an animals rights activist. This giraffe in particular sparked a huge controversy. HIs name was Marius, he was homed at the Copenhagen Zoo and was 2 years old when the staff killed him with a bolt gun. Marius was then dissected and fed to lions in front of ongoing zoo goers. What got people fuming is that he was a healthy, young giraffe. Therefore I believe the killing of Marius should not be justified.
Either curriculums need to change, or we need to rethink the whole system. Ultimately, kids and teachers are bored of the regurgitated information we have learned for decades and for that we do not need mandatory schooling when all the government is trying to achieve is for the system to spit out a brainwashed
Although many students feel that they are not being taught practical life skills, they have actually been learning them all of their life. For example, one of the main things a student is taught how to do is how to learn; how to manage information, how apply that information being taught, critical thinking, and if they don’t know something, how to seek out that information. Students also receive
After one graduates from high school, they are thrown in to adult life. Adult life is scary, uncharted territory for most young adults. When we are thrown straight in to life without the proper life skills to conquer it, life can quickly become overwhelmingly stressful. In a 2014 study conducted of recent high school graduates, 83% of students reported some gaps in their education when asked how their high school education prepared them for life and, or, college. (Kirst) If high school students are leaving high school without skills such as basic communication, financial literacy, and social skills, we are breeding a generation of young adults who cannot properly care for themselves.
In the world, we live in has many problems that need to be resolved but one that hits close to many students is free education. College isn't cheap and for those who have families who fall in the “middle class” or below it may be impossible to attend college. Families wonder how they’re going to be able to afford college for their kids. Many families save for years to be able to provide their kids with the best education but what about those who aren't able to save? Although there are federal programs that will assist with paying for college but in a lot of cases that just isn't enough. I feel offering free education will help with the raise in college admissions which then affects our economy.
In order to be successful in life students should be taught in high school topics concerning health care, personal finance, learning from failure, credit cards, relationships, finding a job, self defense, and many more, but these should be some of the top ones. Students should at least have an idea of how to do each and one of these topics. Some students don’t have that family support to teach them how to do any of these things, when other students may have all the support. During this time students should be motivated to move on and prepare for adult hood, instead they are brought down with information that will not be useful. For instance, history, yes its nice to know about American history, but when are we really going to put it to use? One reason would be if we were planning on having a career in history. School should be fun and interesting, where students can learn
And while it is important to pass a test in order to get into the career desired, and it is good at times to learn from experience and work your way through challenges you encounter them. However teens shouldnt go unprepared in what to face in the real world without at least the general education on these topics.In fact students are far more likely to get into trouble financially, socially, and politically with nowing this type of eduacation and will even improve on performing day-to-day tasks and making better