Introducing The Next Generation Of Leaders And Thinkers

The Class Divide: Why Schools Are Failing Our Youth

I have always known that my passions lied in the sciences. Whether it be gazing up at the night stars or building small robots, I fell deeply in love with it as a child. In elementary school, my parents and teachers had always been understanding and encouraging of my aspirations, never once telling me I wasn’t able to do what I set my mind to.

Then, high school came around. Suddenly, I was placed in a more competitive environment, with more students vying for the best grades, the best classes. In the blink of an eye, the words being told to me had gone from “follow your dreams” to “you better work harder for it!” When I would turn to my teachers for help, they would tell me to “figure it out on my own”. But how could I possibly hope to do that when I had no understanding of even the most basic concepts? Now, I could administer all the blame on the individual teachers and their reluctance to aid a struggling student. But, when I simply began looking around, a clear pattern began to form. It was not the fault of my personal teachers, but of the entire educational system.

While many classes cater to the so-called “high achievers”, there were few, if any classes, aimed to help the majority achieve. With so many schools creating competitive environments that cause undue stress on our youth, it seems that the entire institution we rely on for knowledge is no longer fulfilling its job. By ignoring a large part of the student population, schools have been neglecting the needs of countless possible physicist, lawyers and doctors, simply because they were unable to grasp certain concepts. Why is there no support system in place to help all students achieve?

In recent years, more and more “forward thinking” programs have emerged, hoping to promote learning over marks. Sites like Khan Academy aim at teaching their students lessons that would be infinitely more valuable in a modern, global context. Yet, it seems that the majority of high schools, especially in the public sector, have been lacking this ability to change. After all, the idea of modern day schooling was created during the Industrial Revolution, with the goal to train workers for factories. Why are students still expected to learn in a way that was standardized over a century ago?

While this seems to be the dark reality for many countries, there seems to be light at the tunnel after all. An increasing of countries have begun to realize that institutionalized multiple-choice tests are not the way of go. For example, Finland, the country whose youth is currently the world standard in math, reading and sciences, has a dramatically different educational system than the one in place in North America. Students spend less time in the classroom, have no homework and are nurtured from a young age. Nearly 30% of Finnish students are given special, individual help or tutoring in elementary school. These sort of programs leave children the time to stay children, while still paving the way for them to be world-leaders in all sectors of education.

While this new and improved education system may seem like a pipe-dream, it is clear that the outdated institution is capable of change, as was proven by Finish innovators. The youth that is currently stuck in a standardized establishment is our future, and if there is something that can be done to keep more motivated, it should be our priority. This is not a battle that should be watched on the sidelines. It is our duty to do what we can to make sure future generations of prospective scientists and scholars will not be neglected as we have been.

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