Is 12 years of school really worth it? Why does it exist? Are there any risks?

06 Mar 2021 — Written by Carlos D



Est. Reading Time: 3 min

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The Arguement

Students are exhausted of school and want to go out and pursue a career? Many students and studies present both sides of an arguement - 12 years of schooling. According to the, it states that having a 12 year school is better for life long skills. It all started in the 1920's when the Smith-Towner bill was passed. This is a bill that made education mandatory but it also started to provide funding for public schools. One of the main reasons that this happened was due to the point that immigrants could have a right to education and get an education without having to pay. Education did not become compusory until the Civil War era. Massachusetts was the first state to implement it in 1852. If it wasn't for people such as Booker T. Washington then the current system would not be as enforced.

From the user Lee Ballentine in a quora post, he states:

"The 12 grade system was created by the 1892 Committee of Ten of the National Education Association (the NEA). This committee was formed to evaluate methods of teaching that were being used around the country and develop a standardized model. By the 1890s, the now-mandatory schools often divided college-bound students from trade school-bound students when they started school, sometimes using explicit categories of race and class to make the division. There were schools that used a system of studying classical Greek and Latin writers. There were schools that mandated rote memorization for learning."

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There is also a debate to if students should attend school for longer periods of time. According to Walden University, they state that students should have longer school days because it allows for students to receive more instruction, it will allow students to be more in touch with the modern world and is easier on parents. Many parents have to leave students on after school programs just because they are working for long hours in order to put food in the table. It also allows students to ask better questions since they are with teachers longer. But apart from these pro's there are cons such as the cost, the mental health of a child, and it limits the other activities children need to have to not over-burn their brain.

Mental Health

Long school days and school years can lead to many problems as well as the school environment can impact a child's mental health. According to the website, they state that when students enter a school and are on a singular focus, they start to worry or start getting depression. This is more frequent in girls especially in the social media world. It is something that has not been explored but a school's enviroment can impact how a student performs and acts which affects the mental health. You can learn more about it here.

One thing that also can affect the mental health or emotions is the overdoing of homework. According to the source, they state that students that do too much schoolwork / homework suffer from depression and stress more than other students that don't do much homework. Many students agree with this due to the fact that it keeps adding on to the amount that students need to focus to school. Some students get so much homework, that they don't have free time.

Reasons why schools should not exist / have longer hours

Many students argue as well that teachers are not teaching them things that are career related. They also say that school doesn’t actually offer everything that education entails. Another argument that supports the fact that school is not worth it and it should not exist is the reason that students can learn things in a less amount of time. Another reason is that students can learn self-paced. Each student is different and waiting for one student can hold back the entire class which comes at the cost at fast paced students who have an advanced class and get to the topics they actually need. Finally, the long hours makes it hard to focus. As a result, a student cannot show mastery on a standard.

On the other hand, like mentioned in this article is it "teaches" you basic skills about life. It helps you decide what career you want to pursue in the future. It also increases your social life.

Benifits & Limitations

Schools have its benefits and its downfalls. But it is all integrated in a way that we all have a choice to have a successful life in our personal life, school life, and workforce life. While 12 years of school may seem a lot, it may impact you by teaching some pretty valuable things even though you have to learn how to do long division with polynomials that you won't actually use in careers such as computer engineering. It all depends on how a school thinks about the worth of schooling. The amount of education that schools provide is worth it. It just depends how you apply what they teach you. And while yes, there may be effects like mental health issues or other circumstances, there are teachers, staff, and other members of your school, that are ready to help you.

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