Issues with our school system

It is no secret the immense number of flaws in our school system. Many of the previous methods of teaching do not hold up in our current society, and these outdated methods are slowing students down. 

The school system has not had any fluctuation in practices since its  inception, whereas the “real world” (which school prepares us for), is changing at an exponential rate. The following issues must be brought to light, as our students will be the beneficiaries.

   Roots of our system:

The sole intent of the education system was to prepare students for factory life, as it was derived during the Industrial Age and other career opportunities were rare to come by. The education system has not adapted to the current lifestyle and is still using practices from so long ago.

 It is evident based on how a factory operates: be quiet and do what you are told or suffer the consequences; do what you are told correctly and be rewarded. This completely devolves a student’s social skills, which are needed more than ever with the current career paths a student may follow. Being competent socially not only affects students’ job opportunities but their personal relationships and how they interact with other people. 

Disrupting a child’s social growth is very unhealthy. In the case of job performance, it is more valuable than ever for an employee who offers creative ideas, solutions, and is able to voice those ideas clearly. These Industrial Age values of the education system must be overridden by more creative and free-willed learning if we wish to keep our creative competency.    

 Lack of autonomy

Another restraint of students due to the education system is control. Mandatory subjects are in place for the students no matter their true aspirations or passions. Again, this is due to the Industrial Age, in which workers were not granted much control of their own time. 

Nowadays, you have an exorbitant amount of career paths you can choose, which require certain talents and mindset. In school, kids with very different attributes, talents and passions are placed in the same room and forced to complete the same assignments at the same time. This once again deteriorates creativity and motivation, which is not good for their mental health. 

If students were allowed more autonomy in their endeavors, the overall morale the students hold regarding schools will be significantly boosted and there would be far more motivation to perform well.