In this school district alone, there seems to be a focus on preserving money, not giving students the best learning experience they can receive. It's like a domino effect; the district fails the teachers by not paying them a sufficient wage causing the teachers to fail the students by not properly executing their lessons. In the end, the students suffer because the mediocre attention given by the teachers can be detrimental to their own interest in the classroom. Students are influenced by their surroundings, and if the teacher is not able to provide a positive learning environment, then why should the students have to work on that themselves? I'm not implying that all teachers are basically lifeless at their jobs, but there is a good amount that seem to base their performance around their wage, which leads to students having a generally fluctuating level of classroom performance.
Speaking as a student, school is definitely not my favorite place to be. All I'm given are assignments that don't stimulate my brain but bores it to death. When I'm handed a list of book work to do, there is nothing I would love to do more than to push it off to the side and find something else to do that I have an actual interest in. All subjects have a fun and interesting aspects to them, but without an engaging lesson planned out, the intriguing part of the topic gets hidden behind a pile of "mumbo jumbo". There's nothing for me to look forward to when walking to each of my periods, and I usually just keep my eye on the clock just waiting for the euphoric sound of the bell signalling that class is over.
Another issue within the American education system is a lack of interest and consideration of the students' mental health and time they are given to work on themselves. Students are constantly flooded with homework, assignments, and other forms of work both in and out of the classroom that takes away their time to rest. The work done in classrooms is understandable, but the overwhelming amount of homework some students have on top of the responsibilities they have in their personal lives can be exhausting. Some only get about 4 hours of sleep because of the workload they have, and there is nothing healthy that comes out of an insufficient amount of sleep. We're constantly pushing ourselves over the limit, and more attention should be given to the well-being of the students.
America obviously has a flawed education system, and we should be taking the steps necessary in order to being about change within the system. From issues regarding to the classroom environment for the students to the students themselves, there is a lot to be worked on. I'm not trying to say that school should be made easy, but a little extra consideration would be ideal. Things like extending a deadline because of a big test coming up for another class, deciding not to give that extra work in the book, or offering assistance to a students that seems to be struggling a little more than usual can lift an enormous weight off of their shoulders, giving them support in their time of need.
-Joanne Marie Navarrete
-Joanne Marie Navarrete
Our education system is definitely not perfect and has many flaws such as the lack of interest from the school district. The district tends to put more funding into sports such as football, rather than academics and clubs. This often leaves students with mediocre textbooks and materials, which limits their ability to learn. For example, this past school year teachers went on strike for a higher pay leaving the students at a disadvantage. Many teachers stopped advising clubs, tutoring, and even closed their doors during lunch and after school. Although this was a last resort tactic for teachers, it hurt students because they couldn't 't get the help they needed.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue you touched upon is the mental health of students. Many students suffer from poor mental health because of the amount of stress and exhaustion they experience. We can only blame ourselves for the amount of rigorous courses we take, but the excessive homework load on a daily basis is out of our control. We have outside commitments that also take up our time, then we come home exhausted and have no interest in doing homework. I also think schools need to address the issues of mental health and truly see how much school takes a toll on students. Many teachers don't see the extent school has on their students' mental health, thus no complaints are made to the district for change. I agree that schools need to have more consideration for their students, especially when it comes to academics and how they can create a better learning environment.