When will our educational institutions begin to prepare our young people for fulfilling lives rather than trying to stuff them full of facts that will be of little use to them once the institution’s doors are shut behind them?
That so many students will drop out because they are unable to read and struggle with basic math is bad enough. Those aren’t even the ones who didn’t attend to school more than once a week because they didn’t like it!
It’s the governments that control these systems (and I use “these systems” because it doesn’t matter much what country you live in) who respond with knee-jerk reactions. When a new report on school results or a’social problem’ is highlighted, they add new content to the curriculum to fill in the gaps. (And let’s be honest – politics is what drives the education machine.)
Now, we’re expecting our educators to:
to serve as a cure-all for social ills
o only cover the material that will be tested
Many of the schools where I work are in disrepair and have little resources.
Classes with no means of disciplining members
should acknowledge that there is a potential for contempt, aggressiveness, and even violence in the workplace.
it is not necessary to put much effort into originality in order to attain the aforementioned
It’s true that many young “education drop-outs” do learn stuff THEY desire to learn despite the “system” not helping them. As well, many of them achieve success in all aspects of their lives — health, wealth, relationships… Is that a reflection on the quality of our educational institutions?
What percentage of math-challenged students are able to work out the odds on a horse in a “blink of an eye” or count backwards when playing darts and calculate immediately, not just how many they still have to get, but also which combination is best?
In order for the government to ‘show’ that its programmes are effective, our children and young people are subjected to an excessive amount of testing. This means that they are only given information relevant to their exams and assessments, rather than information that will be valuable to them in their everyday lives.
When they witness the enormous disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” it’s little wonder so many young people feel alienated (and I do not condone some of their behaviour). There is little doubt that our educational systems have done little to improve this.
It’s time to start educating students about the real world applications of what they’re learning in school, not just what they’re being taught they ‘need to know,’ like the laws of physics and how they can be applied by anyone. (particularly during examinations!)
There are many lessons that may be “bolted on” when a new social issue like obesity, drugs, or HIV/AIDS comes to light, but what I’m referring to here is continuous, comprehensive instruction that serves as both a reflection of and an example for what is being taught.
Why should young people respect each other when they are not respected, comprehend acceptable behaviour when it is not upheld, understand about excellent communication when they are not experiencing it, and tolerate one other if we don’t allow for it? Our education systems should be guided by the principle of leading by example and teaching by example.
Education must undergo fundamental changes if young people are to experience complete and intriguing lives, doing their own thing. In order for the courses taught to be relevant to their lives and for them to be encouraged to look for opportunities to work for themselves, it must be prepared for their futures in the outside world.
For every single person, a successful life is within their reach, but I don’t believe state institutions are even close to accomplishing that goal!