The nation’s school system did not suddenly decline. Imagine a golden age of schooling, perhaps the 1950s. The highest test scores of that period would be inadequate for the present.
Arthur Levine
I’ve always argued our school systems grading system. I would constantly get in trouble for bringing home C’s and D’s. I would explain to my dad that this only meant that I was average. Also meaning just as smart as most of the people we come in contact with, so what’s wrong with that?
Our school systems here in America are seriously behind. It’s sad that we have been teaching children the same industrial way since the 1950s. We do not encourage free thinking, or creativeness. We create factory workers, and we ship children from schools to prisons.
It is well known in the education community that some schools are targeting minorities, and children with disabilities, instead of preparing them for their success they are preparing them for prison. With policies aimed toward discrimination. They use it as a tool to further oppress low income communities.
Phones update more than schools
It’s 2020 and the sad thing is our phones, computers, and even tvs have all evolved faster than our school systems. We have been teaching kids the same way for hundreds of years. Once I was on my own as a young adult I realized all of the things school didn’t prepare me for. I realized my school never taught financial responsibility, they didn’t show me the connections of how the current lessons they were teaching would relate to my everyday life. I mean outside of math teachers. They constantly remind you that you’re going to need math in order to survive. I get that, but what I’m talking about is really preparing kids for their future. Everyone is not the same. Science has taught us many things over the years, and I believe it is time to start to recognize the patterns in people. We are all different but in a weird way we are all the same. Some of us need attention some don’t. Some people thrive under pressure and some can not. When it comes to people there is no one way to skin a cat. In my 35 years of life I have come across men who are financially wealthy, who went to college, got good career jobs, and are living the dream. I also know men who have bachelor’s degrees and work at Dollar general. I know women with art degrees working in shoe stores. I have also met men who have never attended middle school, but yet are successful owning multiple houses and properties. I know farmers who only went to school to learn to read and write and now have millions. So what does school really do for you now a days? Will it teach you how to be ready for the current world we live in? I don’t think so. Our school system was built and molded during a time where people lived simple lives. During those times, we trained women to stay home and make babies. Men were expected to work in factories or farm. This was the american way of life, at that time. Now we do not farm in the way they did. We do not manufacture the way they did. We have robots which can do the work it took 10 men to do. We are living in a time where brain power and innovation is worth millions. Instead of teaching children how to sit still for four hours and raise hands when spoken to. Why not teach children to think freely. To be inquisitive, and then once a child finds himself mold that child and tailor him for his future. For instance, If you see as a teacher a child who excels in working with his hands and is very creative. Gear that child’s education to his specific needs.
The factory model of education shows that schools were originally built to train future factory workers during the industrial revolution. The belief at the time was “the back door of the school lead to the front door of the factory”, and students should only be taught the essential skills required to become a successful factory worker.
From Factory to Personalized Learning
Educators are now realizing several barriers that once stood in the way of an individual’s ability to learn. One simply overlooked barrier is dialect. Most textbooks in school are written in a very standard form of english that many inner city people simply do not speak. It is quite common in low income neighborhoods to hear words and terms used in ways typical english does not. For instance now a days the children say. “No Cap”, as a way of saying “I’m telling the truth, or not lying”. If someone calls you an “Opp or Opps”, that means you are looked at as an enemy or opposition.
In my opinion we need to change the way textbooks are written. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel just alter it a little bit to tailor the needs of our children. I wouldn’t create ebonics textbooks, but what I would do is teach children correct sentences and verbiage through music. Music is something that every child engages with. I know two year old children that kow whole Cardi B songs. Sad, but true. We could use music and lyrical education to totally change the way our children communicate.
We need to give children choices and teach them consequences. Action and reaction. That’s the real way the world works anyway. For every action there is a reaction. If you commit a crime, you go to jail. If you don’t pay your bills your car’s gone. This is the way of our lives. I believe too many children are mislead into life thinking the old models of life will apply for them today. Many of our children are suffering with PTSD like symptoms from ACES they have suffered with since birth. We know what that type of trauma does to the brain and it’s decision making abilities. We now can ask what happened to this child? Instead of asking what’s wrong with it.
We need to teach our children programming and coding. Computers and robots are the future. A young man who can program CNC machines fresh out of high school would be very valuable to a company for 40 years! Instead of teaching outdated history filled with lies and misleading information. We could fill that with time where we teach children to create things with their minds. Teach them to innovate. I feel like America doesn’t invent anything anymore. India has now blown us away when it comes to technology and education. We can change that by teaching our children technology early.
Personalized learning catering a child’s education based upon their ability to learn it is going to be key to success. We can accurately measure where a child is and give them the extra learning in the areas where they need it. This way no child is left behind, and it will show children that teachers and educators really care and are not trying to shove this cookie cutter way of things at you. Every child is not the same and we cannot continue to treat their education as if they are all going to be the same. In other country I hear they learn multiple methods to solve a problem. In america we teach one so as not to confuse the children. Even math is wrong sometimes, depending on where you go in the world.
Changing the way we educate and tailoring it to the world we live in today is going to be crucial to really making a difference in our children’s education. Today’s high school student should be ready and prepared for today’s workforce. Some schools are starting to understand this and are offering career skills with classes that offer job skills tailored for specific companies needs. How we could do this in Jackson is by creating a cnc class. Teach young men to run and program these machines. Doing this will almost guarantee a better start for these children then we had. Imagine a four year class during high school and once you graduate you can apply for TAC or MACI. In my opinion this would be amazing. What are your thoughts on this? What change would you make in our school systems? Should career development be more of a focus in high school or college? Leave me a comment with your response!
Like alway Jackson, be careful out there during this crisis. Guard your family with care. Don’t forget about the underprivileged ones. Before we buy things we don’t need just think about the one person who may need those items. Survival does not have to include selfishness. The way we react during times like this defines who we are as people! Love you always Jackson.
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Community Soldier 