Blog Post #4: The System Isn't Broken...

 A Short History of Public Schooling

For my blog today, I used Marco's blog as the center of my own to reflect and share for this blog post. I chose his blog because I agree with a lot of the points he brought up and I have my own personal connections and thoughts to add on. 

Marco's blog post makes some really interesting points about how public schooling has changed. I agree that Horace Mann's idea of public education was groundbreaking, but I think part of the system could still use some work. For example, the focus on standardized testing and strict curriculums can really hold back creativity and the different ways kids learn. Personally, for me, I am not good with standardized testing at all. I get very anxious and nervous because I don't want to fail. I mean, who wants to fail at something they know deep down they are good at and have knowledge of? 

When we look at how education used to happen at home compared to today’s public schools, it shows a big change in how we learn. In the past, learning at home was often more personalized, with parents or tutors focusing on a child's individual interests and strengths. This one-on-one attention allowed for a more tailored approach, encouraging creativity and critical thinking. Public schools do provide benefits like social interaction and access to resources, which are crucial for developing social skills and teamwork. However, they can also create an environment where fitting in is more important than being creative. 

In many cases, students feel pressured to fulfill a set standard, which can limit their ability to express themselves and explore their unique ideas. I think a small part of this issue is the role of teachers. Many teachers want to inspire their students, but they often find themselves constrained by strict guidelines and the need to prepare students for standardized requirements. If teachers had more freedom to develop their own lesson plans and incorporate creative teaching methods, it could lead to a more engaging and beneficial learning experience. 

In my AP/Honors Senior English class last year, my teacher was given strict "guidelines" to what she had to teach for the year because the class was both an AP and an Honors course. However, she ended up ignoring the traditional curriculum they gave her, and she created her own curriculum, which was 10x more effective for us as students. Now, my brother, who is currently a senior this year, is not doing the best in his English class because his teacher teaches straight by the book. He has to read a certain book/article and then take a test based on what he remembers from the book. He has learned nothing from this class this year and feels like he is being set up to fail all because of the set curriculum the teacher is following instead of being creative and acknowledging that her teaching methods aren't working the best for my brother. 

So, is there a way to combine the best parts of both traditional and modern education? For example, using technology to boost creativity instead of just relying on it could help. We could encourage teamwork among students, let them work on hands-on projects, and focus on critical thinking skills. As we have said multiple times in our class discussions, working with others builds community and helps us learn. 

In the end, the goal should be to create a school environment that not only helps students do well on tests or requirements but also helps them discover their unique talents and think creatively. This way, we can prepare students to be knowledgeable and innovative thinkers for the future.