The Benefits Of High School

Education is a key component of societal development and success. High school plays a vital role in the process of transforming the youth of a nation into knowledgeable adults and prolific citizens. The United States benefits from having quality, productive high schools that foster the best and brightest minds. The country gains an intelligent workforce that helps America remain an economic and financial world power. In addition, students can flourish in great high schools, and be better prepared for college and their own monetary success. Today, it appears that our high schools are not adequately fulfilling their purpose. America is currently falling behind, and students here are not learning the skills that they will need in their everyday, …show more content…
It was the draft of the 20th century that began to build up an intelligent workforce, rather than the manpower of the military. Unfortunately, it seems that this factory model of education still exists today. Turning out workers that are smart enough for their job, as quickly as possible, cannot be the goal of high school in the modern era. High school should not be completely “abolished” however. Instead high schools may be improved by redefining the primary objective of attending school. Ultimately, high schools today need to help students prepare for college. In the old days, it was sufficient to simply graduate high school and start working immediately. However, most jobs today require some college education and students need to earn a degree to make an adequate living. High school is a precursor for getting into college and, as a result, high schools today need to effectively lead students to college. This does not only pose benefits for the students themselves, but for American society as a whole. Students will acquire high paying jobs and the American economy will only improve with a well-educated citizenry. A more intellectual workforce will be able to solve complex problems on a global scale. According to Horace Mann’s philosophy, a proper high school and college education will allow the population to become wealthy equally. The wealth in the economy …show more content…
It is not beneficial for students to slave through classes that they are not interested in. In order to improve a student’s overall experience, guidance counselors should spend time creating a high school schedule that will meet an individual student’s needs. Also, schools need to offer a full range of classes, perhaps “each dedicated to one activity,” that will intrigue students as Botstein proposed. Schools may need to invest in new teachers and technologies to fulfill this requirement. However, students will be able to pursue their interests while in high school, and they will find a passion that they can explore in college. In high schools today, this type of individuality is generally “discouraged” according to Leon Botstein. I was lucky enough to have a positive experience choosing classes, but this is not the case in all high schools. As I built my class schedule for senior year, I tried to incorporate classes that pertained to my post high school goals. I wanted to choose classes that related to engineering and marine sciences so I could have a better idea of what I want to study in college. Fortunately, my high school offers online course options when specific classes are not offered as in a classroom setting. I took an oceanography course and a rigorous environmental science course. I had a great experience