Schools In America

[CroSpartacus 0]

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I think there are lots of problems with the school system.



My Biology teacher was going to school for his masters, and a lot of what they did in some of his classes involved tweaking and bettering schools. One of the best ideas I'd heard was groupind high school students into areas of interest. Every student would take the normal required classes, with the same choice of electives, but they would be grouped into classrooms with other kids who shared similar interests; whether they be in science, math, philosophy, etc.

Seemed to me a much more effective way of harboring and nurturing an interest in learning.

Changing the time that we go to school would almost certainly help keep kids attentive, as it's known for a fact that the adolescent sleep schedule dictates later sleeping and waking times that we're all forced out of by school. Some people adapt fine, others not well at all.

Another thing I've thought of on my own is that we should change the idea of high school. So many people have so little desire to be in the schools, I feel it shouldn't be compulsory. Instead, some sort of daily activity should be required of everyone of high school age. It could be studying/working on a special job skill, like you would at a Tech school, or it could be working on art projects if that's what you're going to do. The same methods of ensuring school attendance could be utilized to ensure that students were completing an activity each day, maybe by submitting reports to schools on a weekly basis. That way everyone would be somewhere they wanted, putting out a strong effort because they truly wanted to be there. Those who chose to go to school would have a much better time as a result of smaller student:teacher ratios and better funding.

[pixieloo 0]

Grouping students in similar interest groups would be a cool idea, but I think they should be able to hear different opinions. Not that people who share the same opinions have exactly the same opinions, but they should be able to hear opposing opinions.I think the time is ok. As long as you get your homework done first, you should have plenty of time to have fun, and sleep earlier.

[Shadow Knight 0]

This seems like it would be a bad idea, if this was the case everyone would be learning what they want to learn not what they need to learn. Which in americas case needs to learn all they can, the fact that the US's smartest scientists are outsmarted by many other scientists from other countrys. The USA needs to pick up the pace when it comes to education cause where really lacking it and i for one do live in the USA and i feel dumb knowing that anyone from any other country knows a lot more then i could ever learn which is why im forced to teach myself.

On top of that because everyone shares the same intrests then

[neuspadrin 0]

Yeh, I currently hate the system we are in now. I'm heavily into computers and technology, but our school doesnt even offer me any courses for the kind of advanced knowledge i seek. I cant wait till I get to college just because I want classes that i can actually consider a challenge and enjoy. Im tired of easy classes in everything I love, i want some challenges. Currently I'm taking some classes through governors school (which is an hour drive away), which allows me some more advanced programming classes. I love them beyond belieft, but really wish i had more options still. The problem I see with schools today is the fact they think we cant make some choices of what we want to do with our lives at all. Thing is, most kids generally know what they are good at and what they suck at by the time they are 15 or so, so why not let us start to specialize towards that? Colleges these days demand all these AP courses pretty much in order to be accepted, but all your doing is taking advanced courses you dont care for, and wont ever use in your true career.Ive wanted to do computer related job since i was 11. Ive known this, and sure, its not specific job, but thats because I enjoy anything with computers. I'm great at math (730 Math SAT) but i get bored in class because im rarely ever challenged in it... its always busy work. However, I HATE with a passion english, languages, history, and science. Im great at science (bio, chem, physics), but i dont enjoy it. Computer science i love of course :)Anyways, I believe the problem lies in the fact we are forced to take these accelerated classes in areas we have no intrest in and dont see influencing our lives. By now I think i know what i want to do, and should be able to specialize into areas we like and take less courses of something we wont need. even if it makes us a "better balanced" person n such. My sister is in college, she going to unc chapel hill, outa state (hard to get in.. shes quite smart) and hasnt taken a math class since freashmen year. she once told me she forgot how to multiply one time since she hasnt taken any math, but managed to remember after a bit. Learning mandarin doesnt really require a lot of math (and right now shes in china for the summer, and shes going to spend senior year there too)Anyways, also at my actual school, its a great school... we just lack good teachers in certain fields. theres only one physics teacher, I do not enjoy her, shes confusing and not that great of a teacher (but at least she knows her stuff). the chemistry teacher i had sucked, and i knew more then her, and often had to correct her after she marked me wrong on tests (once got a 65, went through it with a friend of mine in the class, we corrected her mistakes, and both ended up with high 90s, and whole class had major bump up in points). also one of the tech teachers (havnt had her, i skipped the class cause i thought it was too low level) for computer science sucks, and she uses a compilier thats old like woah, and uses old syntax that no longer works on a present day compiler. and she has some pretty retarded exercises for learning programming.So why learn what we will never remeber or use in our lives? let us start taking some more intresting classes. With good teachers...

[garbage 0]

I also think the grouping idea is pretty cool..One thing That i laso would like to see is for all schools to have a technical dept.Here in Texas there are several schools that are called technical highschools.What they offer is just like a regular school. All your normal classes and youer electives, plus they offer technical vocational classes.Classes are like some you have heard. such as Auto Body, Mechanic, but here they alsooffer, photography, Print Shop, Eleectric Engineering, Computer Science, graphic Communications, and some other schools offer more specific like Med, schools. Also there is a school that has a program for TV/Radio Broadcasting.I think this are all great things .Why? Well for one, lots of students dont plan on going to school after graduationg from highschool! These Classes offer a foot inside these fields. most students that have taken some of the classes that i mentioned above, have done great. becasue exmaple. My best friend took a print shop course at the school, you select the class you want as a freshman, you can always select a new one every year, but he chose to saty in print shop all four years.As a senior, he was able to do a work study program, so his senior year instead of taking the print shop class at school he was working for a small print shop. They did everything from vynil stickers, banners, business cards letter heads, and all that good stuff. He then graduated, and that same company got him a job, in which he's been there quite some time now.Another is a guy a know who took some of the electrical engenieering classes, he then graduated, took a few courses so he can get an electrical license, and he now does pretty good o his own working on new build homes, wiring houses.. cake work for him, and he is making good money.So i think they should offer more programs such as these

[MaverickFang 0]

I also think the grouping idea is pretty cool..
One thing That i laso would like to see is for all schools to have a technical dept.

Here in Texas there are several schools that are called technical highschools.

What they offer is just like a regular school. All your normal classes and youer electives, plus they offer technical vocational classes.

Classes are like some you have heard. such as Auto Body, Mechanic, but here they alsooffer, photography, Print Shop, Eleectric Engineering, Computer Science, graphic Communications, and some other schools offer more specific like Med, schools. Also there is a school that has a program for TV/Radio Broadcasting.

I think this are all great things .

Why? Well for one, lots of students dont plan on going to school after graduationg from highschool!

These Classes offer a foot inside these fields. most students that have taken some of the classes that i mentioned above, have done great. becasue exmaple. My best friend took a print shop course at the school, you select the class you want as a freshman, you can always select a new one every year, but he chose to saty in print shop all four years.
As a senior, he was able to do a work study program, so his senior year instead of taking the print shop class at school he was working for a small print shop. They did everything from vynil stickers, banners, business cards letter heads, and all that good stuff. He then graduated, and that same company got him a job, in which he's been there quite some time now.

Another is a guy a know who took some of the electrical engenieering classes, he then graduated, took a few courses so he can get an electrical license, and he now does pretty good o his own working on new build homes, wiring houses.. cake work for him, and he is making good money.

So i think they should offer more programs such as these

While I admire your willingness to add this, more or less techniqual schools allow you to focus more on what your wanting to do, instead of having to take more of the same stuff you've already had to take. Not to mention getting into a place like Texas Tech is a pain in the **bottom**. Not dissing the school, because both of my parents, and many of their friends went to Tech, the standards are getting higher as the teachers are doing less.

I just see this as going down hill, really fast. But a major part of it, is a students willingness to learn. They have to want to learn whats being taught to them, and want to understand it, not sit there and do things half assed in order to say they attempted it. You dont see people who make A's sleep through most of the class, or constantly fight with the teacher do you?

[BooZker 0]

This is exactly why i left high school to go to college in the 10 th grade. High school is such *BLEEP* now. They don't even teach any of the skills you need for a real job. It is all a social game, which is fine to some extent, but it is school. No matter how hard you work at high school you can go to college and get a GED in a matter of weeks instead of 4 years of high school. Trust me, a 4 year degree is better the a 4 year high school diploma.

Edited July 26, 2006 by BooZker (see edit history)

[icemarle 0]

Yeah... I somehow agree with the groups of interest thing. They should definitely start doing this during 16 or so when the child already knows the basic things you need to teach him/her. Besides, what matters is what goes on in real life. When you're successful in school, but a failure in work, no one will care if you got straight A's or anything. Plus, if you're already studying your interest, school won't be such a chore. They did this in the old days too, if I recall correctly. They had schools for Art and Dance, etc. for young kids and you usually choose the one you like and you learn how to do either thing the whole day. Sure, you don't get to learn arithmetic and stuff there... but I was thinking they should start the whole interest thing when the child is old enough.

[Tanuki 0]

I don't really know if what I'm going to say about American school system is stupid or not, I've never went to one, but I watched documentaries and shows (like Made on MTV). I always thought American school sytem (**bottom**) wasn't stupid at all, much more interesting than the one we have in France (I can tell you that -_). I find the groups of interest very interesting, you know in France when you're a student, from 11 to 17 it's really "shut up and learn" you go to school at 8am and you leave at 5pm but the only things you do there is learning, learning learning. And everybody learns the same things, in public schools there are zero activities, few computers but only for searching infos, no dancing, choral or theaters groups. And nobody cares about you...Anyway I think the **bottom** is more concentrated to the future of the kids, in France if you don't care at all about Maths, Literature, History, he still has to work that until he can escape from the school (16years old) and start have a formation for start working. That really sucks and I see you don't have this in **bottom**. So yeah I think it's a good idea.

[Bkag 0]

In about a year im moving to denver colorado so in about a year and a half i will have a good idea of if the american school system is indeed, stupid (compared with the english school system) and i will have a good comparason between the american school system and english school system. That will be interesting.