The Trouble With School

Problem

        I'll start off by apologizing for being late on this post, but with school and all the homework I've been getting from my classes my mind has been focusing more on the five traits of a civilization or how to explain rhetoric rather than posting a blog. For those who read my last post and got the "preview" of a surprise, well education was my surprise mainly because, as I stated before, I've recently begun my schooling once more in my junior year of high school. In any case, I felt that this was the best time for a blog about the education system of America.
       My charter school is a very small school and even though behind other high schools in my area I feel as though, for the most part, our education is of much higher quality and we retain it more; this being based on the fact that the other teenagers from the other high schools barely know what a pencil is let alone who to graph the function f(x)=2x in a transition form let alone the normal form or even how to spell 'specific'. The reason why is because my school is a charter school and has the ability to fire teachers whereas the other schools are public schools ruled by the "union fascists". Which brings me to my point about the main problems within the school system: 1) the teacher's unions 2) outdated curriculum 3) lack of motivation and reason.

Unions

      The unions (specifically the teacher's unions) are a great power of the day, but they no longer have any purpose other than obstructing the learning of students and sucking money out of everything they touch. the key to getting rid of them is not to make more laws against them or regulating them because we have far too much of that anyway, but rather giving incentives to teachers to not join the union. I'm not going to act like I know what those incentives or how to enact them because I, unfortunately, am sixteen and sadly not equipped to do such things; however, there could be higher raises, benefits, etc. that could disband the unions for good. The key to defeating a great power is to "divide and conquer" (so to speak) if you divide the people of the union than the union will crumble much like during the American Civil War would've been had the north not won and reunited the south with them. Of course, even though this is a grand problem, it is nearly impossible for any political or otherwise to even discuss the unions otherwise the likelihood they'd get elected is lowered significantly (such is the strength of such a union). Now, I realize the unions had a purpose in getting teachers better pay and working conditions back in the days of yore, but that is not now. They have served their purpose and it's time for them to step aside.

Curriculum

        Over the summer, for my AP Language and Composition class, I had to read an acclaimed book called  The Grapes of Wrath which I could discuss my views on at another junction. The book, for one thing is outdated in the way that whaling (in most countries) is outdated. I found the material boring and most of the kids in my class not only struggled with the language as I did, but also felt unconnected with the characters. Why can our schools not teach something more modern? Why must we read Hemingway, and Shakespeare when the wording is so difficult to understand that we barely understand it? I realize that a few can be considered classics, but why not pick one of the modern spins or versions of the book? The general idea remains the same and you can discuss the other subtleties in class, besides there are nearly a million versions from all of the world of a Shakespeare story or two so it cannot be that hard to find others similar to the various assorted classics as well.
         It's not just books either, but it's also with history. In American history we learn and relearn about the Great Depression, why not more thoroughly go through other moments in history? Also, on another note, most of the history taught is tainted with little hints about how America is evil and made all these huge mistakes and blah, blah, blah. I don't think any other country, but America actually has teachers teach children their country sucks, so why do we? Why can't we teach children all the good America has done like in the Middle East, in World War I & II? Why can't we teach children the real reasons for the Revolutionary War or perhaps the real story of the Indians (Native Americans/Amerindians whatever you want to call them.)?
       The outdated, aged, and horrifically biased curriculum makes the learning less quality and more quantity. It has become "How much can we stuff into this one year?" Instead we should have longer school days with longer classes so the quality becomes better and we should also choose more connectable and modern texts from which to study so the students (like me) can actually get the most from the reading.

Lack of Motivation and Reason

        I spoke about laziness in my last blog post and the lethargy of this laziness has even begun to spread into school. Not too long ago, school (in America) was a place where one could raise their status and live the American dream of giving your children something better than you had to grow up with. School was a place where students wanted to go an get an education (a great book to show this is The Outsiders) or could go to change their lives unless they chose otherwise. Students nowadays, however, think of school differently. They think of school as something to sit through, something that will get them nowhere in life, something that has unnecessary classes they don't know why they have to learn.
       This lack of motivation stemmed from the laziness of teachers teaching children the importance of things, it stems from a lack of showing them real-world applications. Why should we learn how to graph f(x)=2x or why should we learn how to spell 'specific'? There is no one there in the school, even mine, that tells you how you'll need these things in real life and there is no one telling you that you don't know what you're going to do in life and that you shouldn't plan on being a veterinarian when you could go on to be an engineer or a manager at a McDonald's. There's no one there to give any teenager or child perspective in real life because, as I believe I stated previously in a post, parents have become lazy and no longer teach their children these things. Without a reason behind the madness and without anyone giving these kids motivation for the lives they want or should earn the school system collapses because the people it's there for don't want to be in school or (in their eyes) have no reason to go to school. Without all three of these things being fixed: unions, curriculum, and motivation; our children will continue to get stupider and stupider and our society will continue to fall, fall, fall.