As a high schooler, I have noticed that the majority of the assignments given have very strict guidelines that leave little room for the freedom of the student. The guidelines set out what the student is supposed to do almost exactly, making it difficult for a student to put in their own creative thoughts and to express themselves and their interests through the work that they do. Also, high schoolers in America are constantly being taught the same, worn down material. To Kill A Mockingbird, the subject of the American Revolution, and countless other novels and stories are being mechanically taught to students, who most likely have a predetermined opinion of the lesson or story from what they’ve heard from people who have already learned about the subject (Prose). This mechanical teaching of worn down material takes away the students ability to be creative, to think critically and develop their own ideas about the text. Emerson supports this idea and states how “in education our common sense fails us,” that we are constantly trying “machinery against nature” (Emerson …show more content…
Overall, giving the student practical and real life purposes for the education given to them can fulfil the missing aspects of the ideal