Education Reform

Well, this is a hot button issue. Yes, we need education reform. I do not have all the answers on how it should be reformed. However, Sir Ken Robinson does point out an interesting fact. He states that students are "systematically prevented from finding their true talents". I have to agree with this statement. I come from an educational system that was very misguided. The reason I agree with this statement is that from the time I was in the 7th grade through my high school career I was set on a systematic track. In my county, teachers decided in 7th grade what kind of math and English you were capable of taking in the 8th grade. The math is very crucial. You took either 8th grade math or algebra 1. And if you were told to take 8th grade math instead of algebra 1, the next year your teacher then chose whether or not you took algebra 1 in parts (like algebra 1 part 1 in 9th grade, algebra 1 part 2 in 10th grade). I was considered "smart" so I took algebra 1 in the 8th grade and was able to take AP calculus my senior year of high school to help prepare me for college. But to the kids who weren't considered smart took 8th grade math, algebra 1 in parts and geometry in parts. That meant they graduated high school without ever taking algebra 2, trigonometry, or calculus. Unfortunately, I had a cousin graduate with these minimal math skills, and he was told by the guidance counselor that he wouldn't be able to go to college. Well, I convinced him otherwise and he is now attending community college. It took him 3 years (due to having to take extra English and math classes to catch up to the college level) but he will graduate this spring with an associates degree. He plans on attending either longwood or jmu in the fall.

It broke my heart to hear the guidance counselor told someone that they couldn't go on to college. But, from where I am from, it is very common to graduate high school and not go on to college. People in the area were never really taught how valuable an education is. I saw so many kids fall through the cracks at my high school because teachers did not want to take the extra time to help the student excel in the classroom. They just told the student that they should take the subjects in parts and not try as hard. It bothers me so bad that there are teachers out there like that. Teachers who do not care what happens to the student; they just want the student to pass and move on.

So I guess the education reform that I think needs to happen is that there need to be teachers who care about their students and how well their students are succeeding in the classroom, and not just how well they are succeeding on the standardized tests. I'm not saying that all teachers are heartless beings. They aren't. I know that everyone in this program is becoming a teacher because they love the profession and want to make a difference in the world. The whole reason I became a teacher was to help motivate students and show them that they can do anything. I just wish more teachers were like that. Students should be told that they can go to college. Students should be told that they can be anything they want to be. Students should be taught that the future lies in their hands. Students should know that they are the future doctors, nurses, lawyers, policemen, teachers, congressmen, engineers, scientists, etc. of the world. And if they aren't educated enough to take care of this planet, then who will?