Extra Credit

One topic we studied and discussed in class is the evolution of education.  We talked about how education has changed over the years; from the beginning of the colonial period to modern time. We have seen education at is most primitive in American history to its most advanced state of our time.  Many of you made interesting points about how we can improve the education system in general and how it can be mprove in our own school. 

What do you think we need to change about our education system? What suggestions or ideas do you have or would like to make to help improve our school?

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64 Responses

  1. As time has progressed our expectations towards our students have severely declined. We seemed to have lost the ideal concept of trying to help each individual student reach their full potential, and focused more on trying to get everyone on the same level.

    As this response has progressed you have learned that I’ve written one paragraph. Some examples of changes that would improve the atmosphere of education would be as followed:

    -Finding motivation for students
    -Changing the curriculum

    Having teachers that want and love doing their job. Connecting with students and understanding from their point of view. Having harder classes and changing the education process to give more of a thorough teaching.

  2. The topic of education is a very volatile subject. There is not one magic formula that applies to all countries and all people. When it comes to education in the U.S., one of the main hindrances is the No Child Left Behind Act. Because of this legislation, public education is not only guaranteed, but forced upon everyone. As a result, children take this for granted and do not appreciate it’s value. It also does not help that the curriculum is dumbed down to cater to those students that lack motivation to excel.
    Much emphasis is now being placed on motivating students to do well by studying for tests and completing assignments. The problem with this is that they are trying to achieve this goal through extrinsic factors such as money and other rewards. Why should students be rewarded for what they’re supposed to do anyway? Students need to employ intrinsic motivation seeking for themselves self-confidence, self-appreciation, and self-worth.
    Many bright students choose not to do work simply because they find the level of work degrading and beneath them. By raising the bar either to weed out student’s that cannot achieve or challenging other students to push themselves further, we can have a great education system. In addition, we can abolish the NCLBA and encourage students to do the work because it benefits them internally and not externally with money and other material gains that can’t last. When the money’s gone, what will those students do?

  3. In my opinion, well of course our education has changed. Well first of all, right now some students don’t take education as serious. Some think that they are gonna be able to succeed in their future and maybe some will. Some students may end up still livin with their parents. Education is important for our future. Also we need to start taking it more serious, its going to be worth it.
    I think that in our school they should change a couple of things. Especially like the absenses situation. We come and do our work the whole semester and only beacuase we miss 5 days we dont get credit. I understand if it is someone who screws up a lot. But like me im having family problems and i need to help my mom with my brother and a lot of things my mom and stepdad and getting seperated and beacause i miss 6 days im not gonna get credit. Well this is my opinion.

  4. Back when there was a one room school house children were more excited to go to school. But now kids have to go every day and it’s not exciting. I think students would have more fun at school if our classes was not the same ever day. If are classes was 1-6 on Monday then 2-1 the next day it would be more exciting. Also if we had more pep rallys and school spirit students would want to come to school and more students would come to school sport events because they would want to show there spirt. If we had more spirit then more students would come to school and have fun there.

  5. I believe the people are to focused on motivating kids to stay in school and don’t focus enough on teaching the kids who actually want to be in school and learn. I don’t get the point of the no child left behind thing because why would anyone want to keep someone in school who doesn’t even want to be there in the first place. They just interrupt the teaching proccess and don’t appreciate the opportunities that they are given to them.

  6. School is being left behind for the simple reason the students don’t care anymore. Before the students would be motivated to come to school and make something for themselves. Education is very important because it takes you places you have ever been before. Now, so many students have dropped out of school because they don’t have someone to look up to, maybe they would want to be just like them. Before we used to have lots of guess speakers but now we don’t.
    In the system that we have right now it affects everyone because you only have five absents to make up…….what if you had like eleven to make up for! Does that mean yuo won’t get credit for the class after you been there for almost a year.Many students are absent for the simple reason that maybe someone closed died or had a cold!! But yet we need to bring something so they can believe us. I think they should allow parent phone calls.
    I also think its stupid the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND. It just doesn’t make sense!! I think we should focus on the ones who do want to learn because the other people just come and disturb the class!! I mean its okay to be a jerk but don’t make a fool out of yourself.

  7. In my opinion the school system has many flaws. Many of these flaws are evident in the after school activites our school and many other schools across the nation do not have available. There is no variety. Students need a way to interact with other students and have a postive feel about school. If students create a common ground with school they will stay in the school system. And if they don’t create a common ground with school many will drop out and join the workforce. The workforce seems appealing to many because it offers instant money but in the long run this money will dwindle.

  8. I think that our education system needs to be changed quite a bit. First of all I think that they need to get rid of that no child left behind thing because it is just focusing more on the students that don’t want to learn or be helped instead of spending time with the students that do want to learn and be helped. Students have lost interest in school because they don’t have to work to be able to go to school. Education is just handed to them. So as they lose interest in school teacher’s expectations get lowered. Which, I think, makes them not want to learn even more.
    I think the teachers also need to change. I have had so many “teachers” that never taught one thing during the whole year. I mean sometimes it is nice to just have a free period everyday but when you have more than one a day it gets to be ridiculous.
    Teachers should also be aloud to teach how they want to. I realize that you do need to follow the curriculum but they should be allowed to teach the class the way they want to.
    Another thing is teachers need better technology in the class room. Like having their own projector so they don’t have to share.
    Teachers should also be better motivators. I realize that they can’t motivate everyone but if they know someone can do better and is just down in a slump shouldn’t they help that student get back up to the level that they know they can be at?
    The tardy situation here at Kofa should be changed to. Now I realize that when a student walks in late it distracts the class but isn’t it more beneficial to the student to come late than to not be in class at all? Then if they are late 2 times they get detention. Now that I understand but to get that they were out of class the whole period because of the “tardy sweep” which means they missed another day of class. Now if they are late 3 or more times you get suspended for a day. Which means you are missing a whole day of class because you woke up late 3 times or just got caught up talking to your friends. Is that really right? I mean for some kids it is a vacation. They don’t like going to class so they walk slow then when they do it 3 times they get suspended which means that don’t even have to come at all. It is kinda like a reward to them. And for those that are good students we are punishing them because they were late by 1 min 3 times.
    These are just all my opinions. I kinda think that the people in charge are trying to do their best but I still think they can do better to help everyone.

  9. Judging from the current status of the education system, there is much that can be done to improve it. A good start would be to remove the NCLBA. The act was designed to assure all students who may need additional assistance receive an equal learning opportunity as those who do well. However, not all students would like to take advantage of this opportunity and that is where the system fails. The system was designed to encourage students, but does not take into consideration that not all students can be motivated by having teachers constantly telling them what to do. If anything, students who truly care about their education are motivated to do well in school simply to better themselves. By removing the NCLBA from not only this school, but every school in the country, the education system would be left with only students who are interested in learning.

  10. When comparing the “standard” education requirements of colonial times to the standards that are expected of us today, one may find that much greater expectations are needed to be reached from a much greater spectrum of people. For example, in colonial times, only a minority of white men were truly considered to be “educated”. In modern times, all types of individuals from women, men, whites, blacks, and everyone in between is expected to attend school. Besides the fact that more people are attending school, they are required to start attending at a much younger age than was expected in the past, and for substantially longer. Also, it is required to learn a vaster aray of material than was needed in previous times in order to be considered “educated”.

    Another key difference, is the fact that education is now considered to be a standard, whereas in colonial times, it was only an option to those who could afford it and that that took great feats to succeed in. The motivation of students, in my opinion, is the key element that is lacking from modern school systems. It wouldn’t matter how difficult getting an education would be if students truly had the drive to succeed (which was required in order to be educated in earlier times).

  11. In my opinion the education standard of the United States has decline over the past years. If there is something that could be responsible is the goverment idea of forming the NO Child Left Behind act. Such act has been beneficial to the percentage of students who struggle at school. However the other percentage of student with full potential are to stay at the same rate as other students.I believe that such act should be remove to allow students to advance at there own rate.
    Today there is a shortage on motivation toward school. The school district should form new more motivational forms of teaching. Students need to see a change in the education pattern and policies. Another thing to be enforce is to motivation that should come from parents and teachers. Having teachers and school faculty that really care and motivate the students is something the students need.

  12. Our states education is ranked 50 in the nation and I think that is because we don’t really put too much emphasis on getting all the students to put all of their efforts and hard work. I think that our state still tries every hard but they need to find a better way to communicate with the parents and the students. I believe that by working hard and everyone working as one we can get a lot done. We would not be ranked so low if we make harder to improve our schools.

  13. On the subject of education, I think there is room for a lot of improvement. School systems waste so much of the money on stupid things and that really do nothing for the students. We need to use our money better, so we can use it on the students, and supplies. Many teachers can not do certain experiment and projects, that would better the learning, simply because they do not have the supplies or equiptment to do it.
    I think another major thing is the students need more motivation. Many teachers don’t prepare their students and don’t really push them or make them work harder, so for a lot of students school is boring which I have to agree, most of the time it is, but when your working hard and into it, learning actually becomes fun. We need to give kids the want to learn, the desire to get an education. If we can do that well then education would improve it’s self.

  14. Well…

    There’s a lot of things we could change about or school system.We can change late start, we can change course classes, we can change the level of difficulty. There are so many things that we could change, but our admin is too afraid that they’ll lose students because of the drop-out rate, but what they don’t realize is that there will be so many more students attracted to our school because of the level of difficulty!
    Why don’t we, the student body, do something about how our system is set up? We can change how our school board thinks. We can change how we learn, all we need is the motivation to learn, school shouldn’t be about friends, it shouldn’t be about all the clubs and extracurricular activities. It should be about learning and getting somewhere in our lives.

    One of the things that I personally want to see succeed is the English and science departments thrive! We need more doctors, now than ever and there’s only ONE class that teaches anatomy! No wonder our country is in such dire need for people in the medical field. Another thing that I wouldn’t mind is a debate team. When I lived in Kansas, I was on the debate team and it was one of the most useful things that any high school teenager could do if he or she was wanting to go into law.
    There’s so many things that we can change in our school system, it’s horrible. We just need to enlighten our school board of the things that we can do.

  15. In my opinion the education system was never in good shape, and it’s continually getting worse. nNw the government is taking away funding and teachers are quitting… there is also a lack of wanting to come to school and because of the No Child Left Behind act the schools are focusing on the kids who don’t even want to be here and who don’t pay attention or do their work. That’s not very fair to the kids who actually want to be here and do something with their lives, but because those kids actually want to come to school and learn the teachers forget about them while they are worrying about the kids who don’t want to be here so now everyone is suffering…

    Many of the teachers tell their kids that if you don’t want to learn and you’re not going to pay attention in school then don’t come at all, but then, when the kids don’t come, they get suspended or in trouble with the cops.
    A Major issue in school is the fact that by the time kids hit high school they have already lost interest. Kids need motivation to come to school;that may not be a very good thing but it’s true nowadays. I think that the teachers just need to make classes more interesting or at least change it up everyday. I for one hate coming into class everyday just to take notes. iI the class is interesting then the kids will want to come even if they don’t like the teacher.
    That’s just what I think if you don’t agree, that’s fine if you do that’s great!

  16. One of the most important idea for students now days to learn is motivations. Sometimes the teachers can make a big difference on how students learn in their class. Most teachers on campus just teach the lesson. Making the class so boring and demanding. Most kids will just give up and stop trying. Then when they get home their parents don’t really care about their school work. So the kids can just do whatever they want. I guess if teachers and parents try harder to connect with the kids about school. Kids will do much better at school.

  17. I believe that the education system can be changed in many ways. Well kids believe that they don’t have to do as much in order to graduate. I really think that the qualifications to graduate should be higher.

  18. It’s true our education has changed drastically since colonial times, but of course this is to be expected. With each passing decade comes more advances in technology, medicine, and just society overall which we must be educated about in order to function in this fast paced world. However, there are a huge variety of subjects and topics that are either seen as to “touchy” or too intellectual for high school students. This is obviously censorship and a large majority of these subjects need to be discussed if we really want to know what’s going on in foreign countries as well as in our own. So what can the school board do in order to improve our education? They can wake up and smell the coffee and realize they can’t hide us from the rest of the world forever. We are no longer kids, we are now young adults. Trust me, we can handle the truth.

  19. Education, to improve education we must first identify the problems in the system. Every person is different and every person requires special needs when it comes to learning. I believe that in order to increase our education levels or to improve the system we must redesign our method of teaching. Changing things never has a long lasting effect on anything, but making new is what brings results. Teachers must forcus on investing time into every individual on a personal level, but not only teacher can be certified to teach. There should be student teachers and groups assigned to students based on their personal needs. If a teacher can teach a student to teach then that student can teach other students. I honestly believe that by working together we will see a dramatic increase in learning, and will see the long term effects of it.

  20. The school education system was actually being discussed last night on the news. They were talking about No Child Left Behind, and how they are letting kids, no matter whether or not they retained their education, pass into the next grade because they aged a year. I don’t think that this system is benefiting anyone other than the people that are paying for school. These kids are going in and they know that they can’t get held back, so they just breeze on by. Its NOT working! NCLB is one of the dumbest ideas ever, and really, what on earth was President Bush thinking. I think that our campus is being made better as we speak. One, we have all of this construction so our environment is being improved. We have all of these AP classes and accelerated classes so we have the opportunity to be the best, but no one really takes the chance of taking the classes and working harder. We really have nothing to argue about with what we have to make our campus better. We have opportunity, we just have to take it.

  21. As an AP student, I have realized that there are many things wrong with the education system and curriculum. First of all, I did not take AP classes to just sit there and not do much. I thought it would be a challenge, but there have been times where I do nothing but sleep, and I still pass my classes. How does that work? I remember a time when over half the class was asleep. Is that what an AP class is supposed to be like? If that was the case, I would have just taken on level classes. There are times that I am grateful that we don’t get much work, because then I can relax when I am extremely tired or I can hang out with my friends. I think that a lot of us are going to have a major wake up call when we leave to college, especially those of us that want to go to more prestigious universities.

    Many students complain that we do not have many elective classes, yet, when these resources are provided for us, no one takes advantage of them. For instance, AWC was going to bring an actual college class to our school, and students would receive college credit for it. They are no longer going to bring that class because no one was signing up for it…ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? There were some students that actually wanted to do it, and now nobody can do it because everyone is too busy complaining instead of taking action when it is put in front of our faces. Real smart. If you’re not going to put your money where your mouth is and be part of the solution, just shut up and deal with it.
    There are a number of things that we as students can do. Everyone says that we have no opinions as “kids”, but we do. First of all, STOP COMPLAINING!! Make your opinions known in a mature way to somebody who will listen. If you have to tell 100 people about your suggestions, then so be it. Somebody will listen and take into account what you have said. Be careful how you approach people, make a lasting (and good) impression, because the person that takes the time to listen may be the one to make a change for you.

    AP classes should be taught, well, like an AP class. Students took ADVANCED PLACEMENT classes for a reason, and believe it or not, many students are ready to take on a challenge. Although it may seem like the work piles on, it will pay off in the end. If there are students that don’t want to work, there is a simple solution to that too….they don’t have to take AP classes, they have on level classes for a reason.

    Schools should have more electives that are directed to certain careers. Too many students are graduating not knowing what they want to do or not knowing the basics for their career. That is something that can be easily fixed. We shouldn’t graduate not having a clue as to what we are supposed to do at that point. If the school is going to push us to get ahead and get a career, the least they can do is give us the resources to accomplish this. Don’t take away the resources from the students that actually want to take advantage of it.

    We all know that our school is over crowded, but give the builders a break. They are trying their hardest to make more room. We can’t do anything about it, so we should all just leave it alone and focus on other things. I do give our school credit for trying, that’s the least they deserve. If you want our school to look nice, for heavens sake, STOP DESTROYING OUR CAMPUS!!! Trash cans are there, and it doesn’t hurt to throw the trash away. It really is the little things that count.

  22. People all over the country can complain about how bad we’ve allowed our education systems to become, but what good does that do? The value of school and education has depreciated so much that it is hard to create solutions that will benefit all education systems. In my opinion, as a nation we should focus more on motivating students to appreciate their education more and try harder in school. We need to focus on the base of the education system which are the students. What good does it do to fix a school and create a better learning environment when the drop out rate is only increasing? There are so many programs for students to fall back on if they don’t do well in school that most of them don’t even try. The desire to learn seems to be fading and that’s what needs to be changed. Rewards can be given to students who actually try and do well in school, but rewards are not always beneficial. Students need to realize that hard work should be a reward in itself because doing well in school is a great accomplishment. Overall, the “want” for an education needs to be raised more by students before any noticeable education system changes can occur.

  23. Education has obviously change dramatically…as well as everything else..i think that teachers need to keep up with new ways of teaching methods.As students we get boared easly and we always need new stuff. Making the class more interesting and fun..could really help. Motivation is also really important more than teachers they should become closer to students and motivate them to reach all their goals. Somthing that i think should be changed is the way some teachers pay more attention to the smarter kids & in a way i would understand there the once that are listening and the once they get along better because there smarter….but instead on focousing with the smart kids who learn FAST they should focus on the once who take longer..the once who have to try harder to get to where they supposed to be!!

  24. Education has changed so much over the years, that it simply not the same anymore. Before when education first began not everyone the opportunity to go to school. The people who had the chance to go to school took advangate of it because they did have the opportunity not like the others. Now in day everyone has the opportunity to go to school. There’s even that law that requires students to attend to school. The things is the many of the kids simply don’t care about their education. Things are given to us without actually working for it. I believe people who don’t want to go to school should just let them no go because schools and teacher are just wasting their time on someone who doesn’t care and doesn’t even try. That person will just no go anywhere in life so why try? In my opinion, I see that teacher sometime focus on students who don’t care and have low grades. Instead they should focus more on student that are actually trying and want to be someone in life. There are alot of students that are trying the best they can but they are not being helped by teachers and counselors. Giving them less hope to actually try. Other just have the easy way out, because they get away with getting good grade without even trying, by cheating or lying. I just think alot of things could be done starting with taking the no child left behind law.

  25. Well personally I believe that we need to somehow create an interest boost in our education departments. Students are just not going to school because they want to anymore. Student used to beg and beg to go to school, but not many did because of the money. Getting students more hands on is really important. If our students are just sitting around school and not learning what good is it doing us? If that was the case it would be better off just sending them in to the military or to jobs. Some teachers can really inspirer a student to do their best, but the majority of others are just like the students. Their lazy, they don’t like their job, and they have no interest is the child succeeds or not. We need teachers who want to be teachers. Otherwise our education level is going to drop. Teachers should ant every student to be able to comprehend a basic novel, or solve a basic word problem. Students do not realize that learn math does help with calculating figures but solving problems in life as well. This is why we need qualified teachers. And not those who are “taught” to be qualified, But those who are instilled with the joys of passing down knowledge even to those who are unappreciative to its value. Our whole government is bases on giving the people the power. Power comes from knowledge and if the people don’t have it then the government is still in control.

  26. There are so many ways we can improve the education system, especially where we live. I think we spend too much money on special programs such as ESL. There is a lot of money alloted to aids and such that help with that area instead of for example more teachers to reduce class sizes and increase attention on individual help. Government regulations such as the NCLBA make teachers focus on useless things such as vocab walls and displaying student work. They have to focus on doing seemingly stupid things that take up their time and they teach what they are suppossed to teach. sometimes this is good because it keeps them focused on the ciruculum but other times it doesnt let us the students learn all that we can.

    Students need to want to learn. We have people who don’t want to go to school and feel compelled to go because of graduation. They disrupt class and prevent those who want to learn from learning. If we immediately weed out those kids who do not want to be here we can achieve better classroom order and will be able to accomplish more out of each class session.
    Overall, the education system is going to remain the way it is because it is so hard to change due to repercusions…

  27. I think we need to improve the quality of teaching. Many teachers hardly ever teach, in my case some just have us read for more than half the period. At the end he just assigns homework, which is easy but doesn’t really teach us anything. Some teachers do not like to give homework. I think homework should be given, but it has to help us learn. It should not be used to simply put a grade in the grade book. Teachers should be evaluated, some teachers honestly SUCK. The way of evaluation we use today does not help. Teachers are warned and told what to do during their evaluations. Thats stupid, a teacher could suck but on the day of his evaluation act like hes a great teacher. Some classes should be made more challenging. Arizona is ranked last place in the nation for education. If the classes were more challenging then the students would have to do their best to stay up. That would bring us up in the ranking.

  28. Well, in my opinion, I think that our education now days is really good but it can be way better. To improve our education, teachers should be more patient to their students and also very strict so that they can know who’s who, and that way students will give thier teacher that respect and position that they deserve. Another solution would be that students get recognize for their good job and improvement. Teaching has alot to do too, the way that teachers teach to their students should be easy to understand and not too long for students to get lost half way to their work, not having tests is more than good, with out tests students dont stress out and learn more, because when they have a test they just memorize their lesson and not learn it how they’re suppose to. For tachers to get to the main point is also very smart, they dont have to make a big show out of a little lesson, as long as they find the way to teach everithing would be fine. Other than these sugestions everithing is fine………….. and the tests can wait till college to get us to where we want! :)

  29. Education has imporved over the years. it’s not the same as it was when the first colonist arrived here. It first began to help the religious movement they had back then. Now we use it to try and better ourselves to become what we want. Without schools we would be nothing, and nothing would have ever hapended. We would still be living in caves and trying to survive harsh and cold winters. I honestsly can’t think of anything we can change aobout our educaiton system. Maybe the quality time the students put into their work. If we try and help the students be motivated about school that might really help, and we wouldn’t be worrying about no one being left behind. If the students have something to strive for at the end of every school year then we might have a improvement in their work. Also another suggestion I have is that the time nd effort the teachers put into their teaching. Some teaachers need to be more energetic into the effeort they put into their work. Those teachers make all the other great teachers land the system of education look like a joke.

  30. i really think that we have “dumbed” our aystem to be able to get everyone. the reguylar classes in this school are ridiculasly easy, i believe that we should advance to the next grade by the knowledge you know not just because we are a year older!!!!!!! Its not that we have to make kofa better its that we have to make the curriculum harder and more advance. Also spending so much money in thing that supposably help us when in reality most of us dont want to to do it. for example the AP exam, i took this class because regular classes were WAY TOO EASY, but most of us the exam was a waste of time and expensive, i mean 40,000 dollars that OMG!!!!!

    The United States itself is dumb compared to Japan or China. I mean have you seen how many orientals are around here making their own business dang those asians haha just kidding Mrs. Aragon, but yea they are taking the jobs that americans are too dumb for. OUR CURRICULUM NEEDS TO BE HARDER!!!!!!!!!!

  31. Over time our education system has changed dramtically. When education first became popular to put it plainly, it was charished and valued. It was an honor to have gone to school and it was looked highly upon to the people around you. In present days, it is s burdon to the students to be forced to go to school and recieve the education we all need to help our society thrive. Without education our leaders of America would have no common skills or traits to insure our country’s safety. Because the students of today do not value the education system, the school’s atmosphere is almost suffocating. Right and left students are trying to skip out on the education system and to ensure our whole generation does not give up on education, they have made more restrictions toward our students. I believe the teachers should try harder to make school a little bit more fun or to make interations more often. In these days school systems are actually thinking of paying kids to get good grades. An incentive for something that would initially help us in the future. Giving an incentive for grades is diminishing the value of our education even further than it has already. Our school in itself has a power struggle problem. It seems that if they feel they’ve lost and ounce of control in a certain area they go on a power trip and make us all suffer for something one person did. For an example, almost five years ago a toilet was stolen from the 400 building and since, the doors have remained locked. The students who attended the school at that time in order to steal that toilet are not even at Kofa anymore and we are still being punished for it. So in all I believe we should simply allow whoever does not wish to be here to leave and if they wish to screw up their lives so be it because they are holding the rest of us back.

  32. Our education system is rated good in my opinion but can go above that. Students are not modivated anymore, either by their parents or influential peers, to get an education and that is where the downfall of education begins. This generation does not value school anymore, they see it as a time to socialize. The No Child Left Behind Act contributes to the “poor” education students get. I understand why President Bush wanted this but it does have its imperfections. Because of this, students who are beyond their required knowledge for that certain grade are being forced to stay there and go over subjects they already know. Its kind of saying to me that students who are more advance are not allowed to be given the opportunity to challange themselves.
    Listed below are some simple solutions that we can start with to improve a students education:
    -Kofa High School needs to get honor classes back.

    -We need teachers that will motivate students and not look down on them just because they are not capable of understanding what they are teaching.

    -Teacher’s salary should increase because they play an important part in a student’s life.

    -Parents should care about their sons and daughters and show it by encouraging them.

  33. I think we need to rethink our education system. One thing we need is motivation for the students who don’t like to do homework.Some teachers just read to us and don’t really teach us anything. There are others that teach excellent! It alsoo depends if you like the subject. I really learned alot this year from my physics class because he teached it good and I was interested on how stuff works. The evaluation day also don’t help. Teachers are warned and act really good and tell us to behave good and if we don’t, we get in trouble. Where I work, we aren’t warned when our boss will come so that means we have to be on our toes. I think we should adjust our education system maybe something like Japan’s educational system.

  34. We should really change our school system. Students need to get back into the motivation of being successful in life. Teachers need to tell them that they can do anything if they put their minds to it. I personally think that teachers have a big job as being a teacher. Yes I know it is not about the money, but teachers should be given a higher income because they teach the kids that are our future. But students also need to put a part in this as well. It is not just the teachers, it’s the students as well. The parents should also play a big role in their child’s education. They are the ones who should really get involved and encourage their kids to do better than they did.

  35. Since this is the end of the year and my brain has left me…I shan’t read other peoples’ views and just say my own

    I think that just about everything needs to change in the education…it should be more interesting…keep the young distractable minds captivated…and entertained…people will say…that if they are forced to go to school, and learn something dull and monotonous for twelve years or more…than what is the point?

    Also…teachers should be paid more….they have to deal with people’s dragonshite everday all day for a very long time…and nowadays they are not respected or treated nicely…back in the olden days of the hippies, people rebelled the ‘man’…so respect was chucked out of many windows…when they had kids, the kids were not taught respect to teachers and elders…and so they don’t teach their children that either…and so the cycle goes….thankfully my parents were brought up to respect and passed it on to at least me….my brother doesn’t respect much….

    So…in light of my dreary research paper for Ms. Foley…I think we need to take on what the Japanese education system uses…the children at a early age were taught to respect and do as they are asked…the teachers cared about the children’s welfare and taught them proper hygiene, proper manners, and the like…which our country lacks quite a bit…or at least our school does…I would say watching ‘Taking the Lead’ is a good inspiration on what should be done with the youth of today

    Now that I am done ranting…you can go ahead and bash my head in because of my opinion…

  36. I agree with alot of what the people above me said. Today our school system is to leaniant when it comes to the curriculum, teachers, and the general school systems. Many say it is because school is boring, so they don’t pay attention. Students today, not all but many, are just lazy and use any excuses available. There are suggestions that we should follow education systems from other countries. It is easy to see why, with kids learning at earlier ages and succeeding at more advanced work. This would be a possible idea but it would be challenging to do so and would have it’s flaws. Then there’s the issue of the “no child left behind act.” This is controversial subject because it lowers the standards for all students, so some won’t be challenged, there creating a loss of interest in school. There are proposals of creating test that determine whether or not you can move on to the next level or take remedial classes to learn the basic skills. This could clear up some of the problems but also create some, such as not wanting to take classes to move on or just wanting to quit. Nowadays, to quit schooling, it is a long and difficult process but many would rather do this than continue in their education. To correct America’s school systems, there is no one remedy that will do so, but would take many efforts and ideas to create a better education.

  37. To start off, I would like agree with the fact that our education system has advanced tremendously from colonial days, but I believe that advancement has only been in the environment in which school is being taught. In other words, the facilities, the materials used, the number of teachers teaching, the number of students per class, the seperation of grades, are the only things that i think have changed and that itself doesn’t make for a good educational system today.
    I say this because yes, the conditions under which students learned years and years ago weren’t of the best quality, but still yet the learning process itself was amazing. The students of those times were eager to learn. They were eager to get an education so that they could be someone in life. Teachers also seemed eager to educate the students and they actually put effort into their job.
    Compare this to the educational systerm of today. Like earlier stated, the conditions under which students learn and teachers educate are a whole lot better but the actual quality of education is worse. Today it, you walk into a classroom and you see teachers doing the bare minimun to educate their students. They dont even make the attempt to go beyond that so their students can be trully well-educated. Some just even give the material to their students and expect them to learn and do it themselves. In some cases it is so bad that the teacher isnt even certified to teach the subjejct. The student are just as bad. If it wasnt for the law that states that we are required to attend school atleast up until the age of 16, i trully think that the majority of the students wouldn’t even go. Students of these days are just not motivated to go to school. The only reason they go is to hang out with their friends of play the sports offered.
    Now of course their are exception to everythingl. There are teachers who take their jobs seriously and want to educate. They do their best to get students ready for the next level, for their future. There are also students who trully want to learn and want do something with their lives. They take their classes seriously as well as their grades.
    Unfortunately, for this small minority, the educational system is falling behind. The only way that i can say that our educational system is going to improve is by hiring adequate teachers, teachers that will motivate their students and that will do all that is in their power to prepare these students. Yes, I do understand that the students themselves have to me self-motivated, but with adequate teachers, the educational system will run more smoothly. Those students who are not willing to learn should just all be put into the same classes so that they will not hinder the learning process of those who do. The administrators of the school also need to be of high quality. A good educational system without good administration will not fuction. The administratos need to show that they care for the well-being of their students, of their teachers, of the school itself.
    This idea might sound a bit crazy or maybe even irrational, but that is trully what is needed. An educational system without adequate instructors, self-motivated students, and an appropriate administration department is not a proper educational system at all.

  38. Although education is a high priority topic, there is not a cure-all solution for it. With that said I believe if we were to motivate a larger number of students at a much younger age it produce a much larger success rate then present day. Crucial devolpmental years occur from 0-5 years, then from the ages of 5-10 we are still easily molded and persuaded. If we were to impose a much more difficult curriculum on elementary students the outcome would be tremedous. Socially, one generation would be able to outsmart their children, then the next generation, children would walk around with more knowlegde then their parents. For example, we are Generation 1 who is learning calculus at the age of 16. In ten years, Generation 1 will have Generation 2. The catch, Generation 2 is going to learn calculus at the age of 8 instead of 16. Therefore doubling the amount of information he/she learns by 16 years of age, allowing him to look much smarter than his parents. Also, in a matter of approximately ten years, we would have to pull algebra, geometry, pre-calculus and calculus teachers out of high schools to teach elementary. This would then raise the standards for teachers. Which I do not know if they are ready for. I see too often teachers’ lack of motivation to teach to the best of their ability and feed us knowledge. Keep in mind this is not only applicable to math, but english, science, and history.

  39. I believe that the United States educational system has many flaws and in order for a true educated society to blossom we must educate those who want to blossom. The educational system teaches those who either want or don’t want to be taught. Here’s the problem, there are many students here [at Kofa] and abroad that don’t care or don’t worry about their education. For example, in the past the number of Kofa graduates was about 200-350. Clearly showing Kofa students dropped out in dramatic numbers. Now, the number reaches about 550-650! A drastic difference that’s uncommon in the history of Kofa. The reality is that these numbers are growing, due to the fact that Kofa began to worry about its students and the drop out rate at Kofa. KOFA had to worry, not its parents and certainly not its students. This is my main message, if you want to learn, if you want to be educated, if you want a future you have to study. Money shouldn’t be wasted on those who don’t care about their education or on those how continue to ‘mess up’. Meaning, that those who are continuously suspended or those who don’t maintain a certain GPA should be reviewed and disciplined.

  40. It is hard to deny the fact that the present educational system is slowly becoming a failure. It forces kids into school who arent willing to learn which lowers the standards in order to cope with the less intelligent students. Its inevitable that change is soon to come in our country and personally thats all I look forward too. I find it necassary that schools get more funds, i believe that a higher and equal amount of money should be given to all schools in order to surround the school enviroment with qualified teachers, motivational figures, and the best technology America has to offer. Students are the future hence the importance to nurture education. If we do not provide schools with the highest quilities we are limiting students which inevitably limits Americas future.

  41. Because human brains function in several diverse ways, it is impossible to set a universal level for all students. Our progression has obviously improved a great scale. Unfortunately for Americans we are at the bottom of the totem pole in world education. Our universities are the most prestigious in the world but our primary and secondary education is falling far below. It is unfortunate that students from all over the world come to our universities but our own students typically are undereducated in comparison the foreigners. I believe standardized testing is a set back to many students in America. The NCLB act is to many an easy way to put looks before performance. This act ironically opens the door to more ill education because states can set their own standards. If states do not meet these standards they do not receive federal funds. Obviously states are some what forced to lower their standards and stay on the safe side. Who can blame them?
    Our educational system clearly needs improvement. I believe it starts with funding and it is certainly absent. Like Mrs. Fernandez stated, “How can we be standardized if our fundings are not?”

  42. I believe the biggest problem with America and American education in general is that we are not culturally diverse. There is not just America anymore, this generation wants something more. Do not see me wrong, my is a great country to live, be in, but there are flaws, I might be going off topic for a moment , but to imagine a country without flaws it becomes a utopia, and ideally perfect place. Other countries become envious of us, this is what causes it, and the world goes through mental, moral unstableness, we need flaws in everything, including education. I believe other countries no matter how great education think this way also, as well others . Back on topic, mainly focused as before. I have noticed that we are not motivated I see ourselves as too arrogant, maybe a little too much American pride, in the colonial period as well. America is not all that great, I suppose because we are looked to, other countires have become westernized. We will have to be more open.

  43. There are several key problems with the education system of today, all of which must be solved in order to repair and reestablish not only our district’s education system, but America’s as well. Excuses have been made about the different issues, but they still constantly come up. It would seem that government and state officials who continue to deny the failure of the education system would rather ignore the problem than face it, as repairing the system could possibly cost money.

    At the forefront of the problems with the education system is student effort. The state of Arizona loves to boast its “No Child Left Behind Law”, which is used to basically herd all students through to graduation from the 12th grade. What this law was meant to do and what is has become are very different, this I do not deny. It is however officials’ fault that they are not willing to admit it. Originally, the law was instated to help students who might have fallen behind other students. What it has become is an anchor to those who really wish to learn. Most students who fall behind in school do so because they have to desire to learn. There are still students who wish to learn and are falling behind, but even they suffer from this law because administrators and teachers must drag along those who do not wish to learn. Instead of helping those who actually need the help teachers must spend learning time disciplining unruly students. If something is not done about this, the students who are REALLY falling behind and are not just goofing off will be lost.

    The next issue on the list is teacher salaries. Though it may not seem like it, teacher salaries are among the worst paying careers. This is strange to me, since education is funded by the government, and government employees have a minimum wage of almost $20.00 an hour I believe. This has lead to many qualified and excellent educators to find employment elsewhere.

    To me it’s a no brainer why the education system is failing, if you have students who don’t want to learn and teachers who can’t teach even if the kids wanted to do so, can it really succeed?

  44. There are countless different ways for America to improve its education system. One approach could be making student s know the information they need to before they are able to pass to another class and not move kids to the next grade when they didn’t earn it; this means the government needs to get rid of that No Child Left behind Act because numerous students who didn’t learning the things they needed to know from the previous grade will just learning it in the grade they move up to. An example would be a kid who technically failed eighth grade, but stilled moved on to ninth grade and is leaning the same stuff over from eighth grade; this of course takes away from other students that need to know the new information from the ninth grade and it’s also brings up the question why did that kid even move on to the next grade when they were not ready for it? In additional way to make American schools better can be teaching hard classes and offering more classes. For example schools in America should offer more AP classes, more language classes and classes that will help in real world situations. America could also pull a Japan and make the United States have the same education system, that way everyone is teaching the same thing. This is actually a good idea because it will help kids who move around a lot; such as students who have parents in the military and this way they wouldn’t have to worry about how many credits they need to make up or if they will get to graduate since they didn’t Texas history, but took Louisiana history. Another good idea might be offering cram schools that way if there are any students who want to learn more or just get ahead they can by going to a cram school after regular school is over. Last, the America government should make class room sizes smaller, so teacher can help more students and students have a chance to learn more.

  45. I agree with the fact that America’s education is currently not at it’s peak. But that does not mean it is a failure, or that we need a new on at all. It could do with a few positive changes like: higher goals, tougher mandates, and attaining a larger budget. These areas could greatly improve the system, but they are not, I feel, the main problem. The problem is the students, and their lack of a yearning to learn. All through-out history, the greatest students have wanted to learn, and thats something toady’s generation lacks. We need to raise the bar, and then expect more out of them. We must demand that they reach for the goals. This would greatly benefit our schools.

  46. Education in the United States seems to not be as popular as it was back in the day. Education for most people back in the 1920’s was a privilege and they were considered really lucky if they were able to go to school. Now, students seem to take education for granted. They also seem to not care about the fact that many of these students are getting an education for free. If some of these students come to school with no intention of learning, then you should just stop going to school. The fact is, many students have either lost interest in learning or are completely lazy. These students are the type who do not want to learn and take education for granted.

  47. There are plenty of problems in the education system,and of course we cant fix all of them but we can still fix some. First i think we need to gather all the students,parents,teachers,administartion, and others. And sit down and have diplomatic talks. Its almost like politics.First of all we need to pump money into our schools.The better the equipment and condition of the school most likely the better the students.Also it would help them take pride in their school.Also
    i think the schools should focus far more on the average student then the high or low grade students.Obviously there are way more average C students then the upper and lower achievers.So we must focus on the common student and build them up to higher standards before we try to help the others.Also with better students the teachers will be way more motivated to teach.This producing a far better learning enviroment.Also the teachers must relate to the students and find the click that gets the students intrested and involved.There needs to be harmony in the school system

  48. Well,education has really changed a lot over time.Before pople would want to go to school to be educted,that way they wouldn’t have to work as slaves as most did.People would want to be educated because,not being able to read or write was a huge problem back then.Us now don’t appricate our education because we all know how to read now.But,imagine if you didn’t know how to read or write.Right now most things are first written and then spoken.also the internet,most students conversate with other poeple online.You don’t even notice but,if we hadn’t gone to school,we wouldn’t be able to interact with people throw internet.

    Another thing I say would be the lask of motivation parents give to students.Once students enter high school it’s liek if they were on their own.Parents don’t even bother to ask their kids if they need help with their school work.I say techers should try to get parents a little most involved with their kids education.Say, parents come to class atleast once a year,for them to know how thier childs day at school is.

    Also,I think some teachers should get fired or should chnage the way they teach.They should have a little more patience with the students.The reason their techers is to tech us and help us when we have difficulties with our work.Most teachers say they stay after school to help students who need help in certain things.But,the truth is that they don’t.Most of the techers don’t care of their students understood they lesson or not.They just want to get the day over with,and that’s not what they shouold do.
    We, all need to change to make our education better.students,teschers and even parents.

  49. Back then people had two choices,either to work in the fields or go to school. so they had that insentive. but now it is way easier to get a job thats not in the field. For example, who is it that trys to exceed and not be nothing? the immigrants because they dont have the opportunities in their home land that they have here. Here in the US you can get an education even if you dont have money while in other places its very unlikely to get a high education. In other countried you either have alot of money or are very intelligent. But here you can get into a college with low grades and still get money from so many scholarschips that are just handed out, even the military gives you plenty of moeny for your studies.

    Another factor is that the teachers as well dont have incentive, they get paid the minimum and their hours are long because of all the grading and afterschool activities they must be involved with. Its not that they arent patient its that they see that the kids really dont care if they learn or not. They is no enthusiasm in the fact that kids are having a free education, that they arent taking advantage of all their opportunites that others dont have.

    so yes schooling has changes alot, back then it was easier i think because they didnt have much to learn,but now its a whole other world. Then it was just one classroom with a little of everysubject but now you have a whole class that speializes in a certain area,its probably not as intense because not many kids pass,but we do have a good education.

  50. To improve our education we need to raise expectations. Kids should should be pushed to the max and be expected to give everything there all. The school systems need to hire qualified teachers to give children the proper education. Compare ourselves to other countries. Our individual education are starting to decline. We are forced to learn certain material but when there is so much or it isn’t tought the correct way you can’t go in debth and fully learn the information. Our standards should rise from the lower levels so students are prepared for high school and college. Our government need to improve the education as well as our students making the effort!

  51. It is true that our eduction system in the United States needs a drastic improvement. With the No Child Left Behind Act legislation most kids are now forced into classrooms without the modivation. Without modivaton the school has to lower its standards, because of this the kids who do try lose the education that they need and WANT to go further on. So students with AP, Honors, and Accelerated classes then lose some of there potential.

    Another thing that i have noticed is a lack of modivation from not only parents but from teachers. Teachers of course is becasue there lack of pay only minimum wage for long hours. With some staying after form extracricular activities, sports, and grading work. Parents, once there shild gets to high school, sometimes let them fend for themselves. Im sure that if now and then a parent would ask if there child needs some help with work or how school was and enforce school as something will make them not only a better person but help them in the long run.

  52. When children were first allowed to attend school they couldn’t wait to learn and participate in all the activities the schooling system had to offer. Now days it is so difficult to see that in the students. They have lost all pride in being able to even attend school everyday. This is mainly because thy simply have lost interest because of many different reasons. Most students don’t have school spirit anymore. There is little participation in extracirricular activities causing these students to lose interest.

  53. America lacks in education compared to other countries in the world. I believe are education system needs to be harder and stricter. Kids need to be pushed harder each day till they reach there potential. Teachers need to think of the students as students and not try to be there friends. Teachers become to nice with kids and are no longer strict and follow rules. Schools need to push the students harder no matter if they want to learn or not. When this generation gets older they will lead this country. And we dont want america to be the dumbest.

  54. Heck Yes! Education has changed greatly in both its taught and the way students learn. Since the colonial times, teachings have changed in what people teach and how they learn it as well. The problem today is that kids are losing their lack of caring for their grades and how they are doing in school. Because it is required by the state to go to school, many kids dont want to try and make themselves better.
    Nowadays there are online classes and schools to where kids dont have to go to a formal school. Back then, and in other less fortunate countries, kids wanted to go to school and make a better life for themselves.

  55. Many things have happened during the years and many powerful people have risen out of almost no where but one thing that could be said is that noone has had a harder time then women and gaining their rights. Women have over come many obstacles and have earned their place in socity even now they are still fighting to climb the latter. They are in cnstant battles because they cant do “mans work” but they have proved that they can. One other struggle is Hilary Clinton and her current status in becoming the next president o f the united states. America once kept women in the dark but now its time that we have change we need to know if women can run a country. Women are no longer the stay at home wife but the ones that bring the meat to the table because these days it is easier for a woman to get a job than a man because sex appeal plays a big role these days. Women are hired due to their looks and not their potential these days. men focus on what they want tand not what they are looking for. It has become so bad that women have started to lower them selves and wear skimpy clothes just so they can get a job. Its been hard but women constantly lower and higher their status in America.

  56. America is said to be the wealthiest but when it comes to education we lacks it compared to other countries in the world. We have programs that cost alot of money but where is that money coming from and why dont they use it on our education. School need more funds and they need to have more “worthless” classes like art and choir so that students can broaden their minds because it is proven that with music and art a student can focus and learn how to use the other part of their minds. Teacher on the other hand can be changed a little too. They need to look for teachers that are dedicated to their job and arent just there to fill in a position that teacher need s to be an influence no a HERO so that a student can say hey i did learn something and i remember who taught me it. The school riles need to be changed not completrely but tweeked so that students dont look for the loop holes so that they can no go to school and still pass. They need to come up with an Inschool susprnsion where a susspended student has to attend rather than sit at home and not do anything. Our education is very important and who ever is in charge of yuma education should be ashamed to say ” Thank God For Mississippi”.

  57. In my opinion i believe that there is a few things we can improve in our modern education system. I will start off with the most clear one i have. This is the one is the No Child Left Behind Act. I mean this the main thing thats is making the students that do want to learn stay behind with the ones who dont. At times a feel like most of my classes are way too easy. Lets take my english class for example, everything there is just notes, and everytime we get to use in our tests. I mean we be challenged more, like in this class. In this class. i have actually taken the time to analyze facts and think more clearly. Another thing that can help our education system to petition our Board of Education to manage the schools money more efficiently, and use it in programs that help make the learning experiece more appealing to our generation. This can be done by letting the students take part in dicussions, like we do in this class. Well i just want to leave off with this comment, this has been my first AP class that i have ever taken, and thanks to you I have really enjoyed been mentally stimulated, for that i thank you :-)

  58. I believe the main thing that our country needs to change about our education system is the lack of involvement. In order for change to be made educators and administration need to make learning appealing to the students. When our country was first founded, our founding fathers believed that education was the key to a successful country. Students were eager to learn during that time because it wasn’t required and it was a PRIVILEGE. Today, students could care less about education.

    The reason? HELLO!! Schools today are boring and things are taught out of context. Students want to learn the truth about our country; not some censored version. Students want to impact their schools and be able to showcase their idividuality not be condemed from doing so. Students want schools to be fun again, full of activities and learning opportunities.

    So, when the question is asked pertaining to the failure of our education system, just look at the people running the school system and there you will find your answer.

  59. Well, personally I think that there are a lot of things that need to be done to change our education system. First of all, not enough students are interested in school, which makes it harder for teachers to be able to teach other students. If they don’t want to do well in school, there shouldn’t be a lot of time wasted on them. I think that the students who actually want to learn should be given this opportunity. Also, there aren’t a lot of activities going on. For example, the time we had the spring fair no one liked it because there was just food available,there weren’t any games to play and it was divided in two sessions. If there were a lot of these kind of activities, everybody would be interested in coming to school. I also think that the whole aims thing should be changed because some students are not good test takers and they don’t pass them. Even if they have all their credits they can’t graduate because they haven’t passed the aims. This just makes the drop out rates go higher. In their last year they end up stressing about this and the stop trying. We don’t have enough time to go over everything during class time and this puts pressure not just on teachers but students also. Teachers are always in a hurry to teach something and when we as students don’t understand the topic, we ask for helo, but sometimes we don’t get any because there just isn’t enough time. Because of this, we end up not getting credit in that class because we get behind on our work. Classes should be longer so we can have a lot of time available. There are a lot of teachers that just don’t care about our education. These teachers should be fired because if they don’t care, they won’t teach the way they should. Students get to know the teacher and they know that if the teacher doesn’t care why should the students care. These kind of messages are noticeable.

  60. Even though the school system before was primitive compared to now, the students back then were more willing to learn then they are now. This is because only a select few had that privilige. Now students are forced to go to school and graduate. Anyone with a high school diploma aspires to have a good job. This causes a shortage of workers in jobs that some consider “not for americans.” This people are the same that complain about illegal immigrants taking these jobs. They say that they are not xenophobes, that they should just come to the country legally. These people must realize that a legal immigrant is not going to go through a long immigration process to work low earning jobs. They are going to want decent jobs. Even though it sounds mean not everyone should go to high school. Someone must take these jobs and the only way americans will take it is if they are uneducated. This is a solution because a lot of students are willing to do it, many students hate school. Not everyone should graduate from high school much less go to college. If so then don’t complain about illegals because when you think about it, no one but them will take those jobs necessary in a first world country.

  61. I believe the principle flaws in the education of today’s youth lie in the youth themselves. We lack motivation, the drive to succeed. We live in a technology driven environment where we are accustomed to things happening with the touch of a button, and we’ve forgotten how to work hard.

    However, our less-than-desirable education is not the sole fault of the students. Curriculum has been dumbed-down, or redirected to teach students material presented on standardized tests. The No Child Left Behind Act, in particular, contributes to the problem. It lowers the bar to excel, it brings every one to the same level, and while this does allow sub-par students to reach their potential, it also prevents above-par students from fulfilling their own.

    I believe the answer lies in a compromise between students and government regulation. First, get rid of No Child Left Behind. Treat each student as an individual. Offer students what they need: whether that be a more challenging course or more guidance.

    With these changes, students will fall into place, and their motivation will return.

  62. I really belive the education system can be amplified by gettin the teachers to motivate the students. And i also believe that troubled students should stay after shcool to better there grades. To try to understand the topic more and even maybe get extra credit.

  63. I believe our education needs many improvements. First off we need to bring in more qualifed teachers. From my high school experience some people are not meant to be teachers. If we have HQT we will re-ignite that spark in the classroom. Also i believe we need to have more postive learning enviroments. It is hard to want to learn when your paying attention to the graffitti on you desk while you trying to learn Algerbra. If can make changes like these i believe our education can rise from the slump it has been put in. Eventually we can be ranked with countries like Japan.

  64. in my opinion i believe the education now a days has changed over the years. i believe studens have focused more on after school activities then what they want to accomplish. many people dont really care of having a proper education but they dont really realize how bad we need it. i think that if we push students to there hih standards we can get as good of an education for example in china that there main priority and i think we should be at there level. making our reputaion good and up on a stable where no one can reach us. i think that because of the low confidence we get from people or our parents is why students do not manage to keep in there heads that education is what is needed the most. maybe more study time would be the solution to our success.

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