I'm doing research for a new article I'm writing, and I'd like to know your opinion on America's educational structure. Should there be more freedom for teenagers? Should there be more pathways of study? Should days be longer/shorter? Should there be more life skills taught? Or just any praise/complaint you have when dealing with public school systems.
Interesting. I don't know the answer to your question, and there likely isn't one good answer. A lot of people can go through the public education system in America and come out just fine, with critical thinking abilities, options, and plenty of time to learn more skills if they need to. Then again, a lot of people graduate without being able to read, compose a functional thought, think for themselves, etc. I can you the trend though--it is towards longer days with less breaks, less life skill teaching (except in special education or perhaps some electives), college prep strictly, less freedom...it's a very one-sided approach. Some kids aren't interested in college, and some just aren't cut out for it, which is fine, but still they are left with few options. There is a lot of work to be done.
My answers are meaningless because I don't have kids, but here they are: Should there be more freedom for teenagers? Definitely! Teenagers are very touchy individuals. I think though the more you restrict them the farther they push you away. So yes. Should there be more pathways of study? I think this is a budget question, because YES absolutely more pathways of study would be great for teens. I couldn't figure out what I should have been doing in high school, probably because the learning was very generalized. I still can't use my math skills to this day! Should days be longer/shorter? In my honest opinion, and I have ADD, days should be shorter. This could mean a short day with a break and then school again at night or something like that. Should there be more life skills taught? Definitely. Like I was saying before, I can hardly use my math skills. This is partially because there aren't so many shining practical examples of where to use math. It all seems so inconvenient... Anyway. Even in college, after my teens, I noticed that there weren't that many job skills being covered. The closest I got to job skills in college was typing and Microsoft Office, which isn't bad, but it isn't QuickBooks (accounting software) either.
No. Today's teenagers have more than enough freedom, what they need is more discipline. I don't know what you mean by pathways of study. Students should have a good background in reading comprehension and be encouraged to develop a love of reading, sound mathematics, history and civics, the arts, physical education and health, science, research, technology (all technology not just computers), and critical thinking skills. Hours of instruction should be broken down into units that allow for maximum learning time without reaching the point of boredom. The length of the school day is probably fine as it is. Yes, including critical thinking, home management, an allowance for occupational awareness/exposure training, and civics. Public schools are underfunded (money siphoned off for charter and private schools or simply not funded), structured from the top down, have little to no input from teachers, over crowed in many cases, lacking in discipline, swayed by local religious factions, administrators often are hired from outside the district or area as "experts" instead of promoted from the ranks based on teaching expertise, open to too many merit-less lawsuits, and tasked not only with education but with moral instruction, feeding of the undernourished poor, physiological and physical aid, parenting, racial and emigrate integration, and correction of delinquent behavior. As well as seeing to the health and well being of the students, the prevention of vandalism, inter-school strife and fighting, the prevention and repulsion of armed attacks from within and without and bomb and similar threats. Considering the above and due to the fact that no student is ever turned away, or could be turned away by law, and considering the strife in our currant society I think the public schools do a pretty good job. Statistics and research consistently point out that the public schools preform as well as or better than most private schools which are not subject to the same budgetary restraints, and can pick and choose their students.
My response is "yes and no" to all the questions. There should not be one answer to any of those questions for "schools in America". The answers should be tailored to the individual student or school (depending on which question). The tailoring should be done primarily by the teacher, guided by the local school board and each student's parents. Any one size fits all answer to those questions is wrong. Any statement that starts "all schools should" is probably wrong.
