Education is the cornerstone of any society, but there seems to be no argument that today’s education system is largely flawed. From overworked students to mindless conformity, the evidence is overpowering and crystal clear. People often focus more heavily on foreign problems, such as terrorism, but our society is falling apart internally with our overlooked education system. Teachers, board members, and students all have to study the bigger picture inside our nation to pinpoint the problems and consequent solutions in order to reform America’s education system. Here are the three top pressing problems with U.S. public schools from a student’s point of view:
1. Mental and emotional health is ignored.
Among older students, the number one culprit of unhealthy competition, all nighters, and unbelievable stress is school. It is no secret that mental and emotional health drag at the bottom of the list when it comes to priorities. All aspects of education, the social anxiety, the dropping grades, and demanding extracurriculars, are problems layered on top of each other, which force students to immediately cope and make irreversible choices. Students have such high expectations from teachers, parents, and society. These expectations reflect the way success is defined, and they are demonstrated in the choices students make.
2. Students are often forced to choose between their passions and resumes.
The college application process continues to turn students away from their passions and towards the frantic resume building that consumes young minds. In hopes of getting into a top college, students trade hanging out with family for volunteering at the hospital. Colleges expect diverse students to change themselves to fit in the mold of an ideal applicant. Admission officers force them to conform to their idea of “intelligence” and “well-rounded”.
3. Quality education, especially post-secondary, is limited to only those who can afford it.
The quality of education between a high school in rural Louisiana and one next to Duke University differs drastically. We have to ensure that lower-income families receive the same education as others. This issue is more explicitly shown in the college application process. The majority of America does not have the financial flexibility to spend $90 for every one-hour tutoring session or the $300 program for professional essay revisions, which hinders them from many opportunities.
Despite all these flaws, we have to keep in mind that education is a privilege. Most children in developing countries desperately want a safe environment to learn and are willing to walk miles for it. People rely on education to defeat the cycle of poverty and succeed in life. So why do students in the US complain so frequently about going to school? Why do they fake sick or skip their classes instead? Has our education system become so flawed that most students would rather be at home in bed than sitting at a desk? Yes, school is hard, stressful, unfair, and sometimes blatantly boring, but we still have to check our privilege and be thankful for our access education. One can remain aware of this privilege, and yet never be satisfied and always strive for more. As citizens, it is our job to reseal the cracks of the system in order to produce more generations of curious, intelligent, and incredibly driven youth of America.
