The education system could be improved greatly by making it more relevant and more interesting to students. The education system is dominated by a set of rules that are out of touch and out of date. Students are still expected to sit quietly in cramped, uncomfortable desk spaces, studying and absorbing teacher-directed materials for 6 hours a day. A typical school day is divided up into 50-60 minute periods eg. 9:00 a.m. Math; 10:00 a.m. Reading; etc. throughout the school day. And the next day will be same, and the next day, and the day after that. They’ll all be the same, all year. Homework will be assigned because it is, always. And the system sort of works for most students, but it’s boring and stifling to many bright and creative students. So they rebel, or just lose interest, and lose their place, and get poor or failing grades. And sometimes they act out, and get identified as “behavior problems”, and we lose them.
The system needs to be overhauled. The curriculum needs to be imbedded in real-life, relevant, hands-on learning projects. Most teachers are wonderfully dedicated and creative, and want to reach all their students, but the system stymies them as well. If you’re interested in how the system can be improved, how a classroom can function where all students can succeed, please write to me.
