Good citizens and personal fulfillment. These are the two main things that schools want to bring to their children throughout their years as students. Often times, there are many expectations for students that are meant to help schools meet their goals and bring students success. As a high school student, I know that to graduate I must have a high enough GPA. I have several classes that I am required to take, and after those are taken, I have only some options for my other classes. I have to be at school by 8:00 every weekday. I’m not allowed to wear certain clothing. When I want to speak in class, I must raise my hand and wait to be called on, but when called on, there are particular things I can not say. All schools have varying expectations
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Many of these expectations conform the student body into one big group, instead of individual students. Although these expectations are meant to make students better people, schools are corrupting students’ individual learning experience by taking away their choices and teaching them that only success matters.
Every school has a student handbook, and within that handbook is a set of rules that a student must follow. These rules cover certain areas from dress to respect, but according to “Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why,” an essay by John Gatto, our schools “too often resemble prisons” (Gatto). These prisons, as Gatto calls them, are stifling children’s creativity. In his TED talk, “How Schools Kill Creativity,” Ken Robinson says that creativity should be held at the same standard as education (Robinson). Every child is born with a talent of his or her own. This talent can range anywhere from music or dancing, drawing or drama. If practiced regularly many children with these natural talents could grow to become skilled artists. I have a close friend who is a very talented dancer. She practices for hours each week. She loves dancing so much that she wants to teach it …show more content…
In his book, The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School, Neil Postman writes, “... individuals must learn in a setting in which individual needs are subordinated to group interests” (Postman). This is problematic for children trying to learn in this setting; another quote from from Postman’s book says, “... groups do not learn; individuals do” (Postman).. Being in high school now, I know that many teachers only teach the group. Most do not take into account that some individuals can not learn as fast as they are teaching, or that others can learn faster than they are teaching. So why is it that students are taught as groups rather than as individuals? Some schools want all students to learn the same curriculum at the same pace. On the other hand, I also know that sometimes the schools try to separate a grade into classes that are more advanced and less advanced. This can help students because their classmates also learn at a similar pace. Although this is a fine idea and can help students because their classmates learn at a similar pace, it also has a downfall. It can prevent some students from being able to take certain classes they would like to. This can also lead to the more advanced group to really be learning more in the long run. Because these students can learn it more quickly, they get further into the curriculum.
Many of these expectations conform the student body into one big group, instead of individual students. Although these expectations are meant to make students better people, schools are corrupting students’ individual learning experience by taking away their choices and teaching them that only success matters.
Every school has a student handbook, and within that handbook is a set of rules that a student must follow. These rules cover certain areas from dress to respect, but according to “Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why,” an essay by John Gatto, our schools “too often resemble prisons” (Gatto). These prisons, as Gatto calls them, are stifling children’s creativity. In his TED talk, “How Schools Kill Creativity,” Ken Robinson says that creativity should be held at the same standard as education (Robinson). Every child is born with a talent of his or her own. This talent can range anywhere from music or dancing, drawing or drama. If practiced regularly many children with these natural talents could grow to become skilled artists. I have a close friend who is a very talented dancer. She practices for hours each week. She loves dancing so much that she wants to teach it …show more content…
In his book, The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School, Neil Postman writes, “... individuals must learn in a setting in which individual needs are subordinated to group interests” (Postman). This is problematic for children trying to learn in this setting; another quote from from Postman’s book says, “... groups do not learn; individuals do” (Postman).. Being in high school now, I know that many teachers only teach the group. Most do not take into account that some individuals can not learn as fast as they are teaching, or that others can learn faster than they are teaching. So why is it that students are taught as groups rather than as individuals? Some schools want all students to learn the same curriculum at the same pace. On the other hand, I also know that sometimes the schools try to separate a grade into classes that are more advanced and less advanced. This can help students because their classmates also learn at a similar pace. Although this is a fine idea and can help students because their classmates learn at a similar pace, it also has a downfall. It can prevent some students from being able to take certain classes they would like to. This can also lead to the more advanced group to really be learning more in the long run. Because these students can learn it more quickly, they get further into the curriculum.