High School
At 3/8/07 10:09 PM, mynamewontfitin wrote:
Rant
Though I agree that high school could use improvements I generally don't agree with most of what you say some how.
The biggest problem with the school system is a lack of caring among students. This really a cultural problem and when you think about there are two major reasons that I associate with this. One is that most parents don't seem to give a shit what their kids do, they would rather blame someone else than take responsibility for their children's behavior. The other problem is children don't value education because we come from a generation where all of our parents went to college, or at least high school, it depends on your geographical location, but we both come from Jersey so I can assume thats the case with you. If we came from a low income family with uneducated parents we would strive to learn to achieve a better life. Instead we are forced into a school system that we have no interest in, this is hardly the best way to educate people, you must have an interest.
Now, the actual subject matter of high school would not be so bad if anyone actually learned it. Students cram for tests and quickly forget the information. Even so, this tests are further made worthless by things like class participation, homework, attendance, in class assignments all being averaged into your grade(primarily to help students who don't test well). This is really tragic, students don't need to learn and can get through high school just by scribble some shit on a few homework papers and handing it in for a grade. Tests by definition something used to asses knowledge, and the current system completely undermines this.
Another problem to add to the mix is even though students are made to take a variety of classes to give them a broad feel for various subject matters few take advantage of this to find an interest in something. Most people then move on to college(mostly either out of obligation as it has become the social norm, or the disillusion that college leads to high paying jobs, or jobs in general). When they get there few have a decent idea of what they want to do, the average student changes majors at least 3 times. From there a large percentage of students drop out or transfer to another school because after putting months or years into a education program they realize something they'd much rather do.
The problem with the education system is the students, or maybe American culture in a broader sense. If kids could just sit down, shut up, and do what they are told, maybe they would learn something. Is it so fucking hard to pay attention in class, take a few notes if necessary, and absorb that informations for a few years? No one values knowledge, its all this association of knowledge and jobs, the two are unrelated for the most part. For example, you want to be an artist of sorts? No where is it written that you even need to go to college. Yet, as a society we feel to get a job we need an education, yet even when we spend thousands of dollars to get it we don't absorb the knowledge.
Its a bunch of bullshit. I don't know why I bother writing long shit like this. No one reads it...
