North American Education

From the early years of childhood school is the place that children spend the majority of their days. They are told to make the most of their school experience and soak everything up because they’ve been blessed with an amazing opportunity. Unfortunately, students often explain school as being torturous. A boring place, filled with boring teachers and long boring classes. Well, school is supposed to be the place where students learn and develop the skill set needed as they blossom into adulthood. It’s a place where you get educated because as Sir Francis Bacon once said “knowledge is power” and education is one of the key ways you become knowledgeable. Sadly, the education system doesn’t do all its hyped up to do. Today’s North American education …show more content…
The actual meaning of education, according to purpose of school.com, is for students to develop their citizenship, grow as individuals and to prepare for their future career. They are supposed to learn skills and acquire useful knowledge to help them contribute to their societies. While doing this, and interacting with others, volunteering, and getting involved in extracurricular activities, they are doing much more than just preparing for their future, they are creating an identity. In addition, how people say that the journey in life is more important than the actual destination applies in the same way to education. The actual job or lifestyle that someone will live would not even be possible without a well-rounded journey throughout the education system, starting from kindergarten to graduation day from University. This journey needs to be composed of several things, such as extracurricular activities, creative learning, physical education and more. The entirety of the purpose of education should be being fulfilled, not …show more content…
As much as individuality and being your own person is emphasized in today’s society, the opposite, is encouraged in school. A high and at times unattainable standard has been set, which has some students striving for something they will never be. The truth is everyone is different and no one learns the same way, and no one should be expected to. In one of Sir Ken Robinsons Ted talks he explains a serious issue, the issue of students being educated out of creativity. Creativity is a key part in the development of a child. He even explains how the importance of creativity can be compared to the importance of literacy. Schools are setting specific guidelines and rules for homework assignments, projects, essays, in class work and more, which completely inhibit students from having any type of creative control. To continue, students are told to sit still, be quiet, listen to the teacher and follow rules in sixty-minute intervals at least five times a day. No wonder students are falling asleep or exhibiting inappropriate behaviour. The harsh reality is that these are identical to some school days for the majority of the population of students in North America. In addition, the thing that seems to catch most people off guard is that as a student you’re both told that it’s okay to make mistakes because this is a learning process, but yet at the same