A New Outlook | Teen Ink

A New Outlook

January 16, 2011
By a.medeiros4210 BRONZE, Newmarket, Other
a.medeiros4210 BRONZE, Newmarket, Other
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what others say you cannot."


Ever since the beginning of education, there has been basic rules to follow; work hard, go to college, do well and it will result in a job. These mindsets were based on the well known “American Dream,” having a beautiful, big, cozy home surrounded by a white picket fence, nice shiny cars, and a happy family. Very quickly the things we were most passionate about got sent to the back of our minds because it didn’t result in a bi-monthly pay check. The issue with this is that it marginalizes the aspects of us that we think are most important. Why is it that this world has become wrapped around money and not obsessing over being truly happy with the gifts we’ve got? The problem is that the current education system was designed, and conceived for a different age. They’re trying to meet the future by doing what they did in the past, and while doing so, alienating students who don’t see the purpose in going to school.

The school system has separated us into groups, into categories by age and academic abilities in order for us to learn to our advantage and stay in-line, which isn’t a negative impact on us for the most part, but it can degrade students who feel as though they can advance forward but are stuck behind. With that being said, teachers have begun to penalize students who are off track and aren’t paying attention to what’s being said in class because they simply have no interest in the subject being taught.

Everyone has got their own talents which differs us from every other person, but why is it that we’re getting disciplined for being out of line, when really were only doing ourselves justice. As if there were a gene pool of academics; academics and non academics, smart people and “non” smart people. The issue with that is there are numerous people who are absolutely brilliant, but because they didn’t follow the education system or it didn’t fit their lifestyles, they’re left feeling like they’re not worth as much because they’ve been judged against this particular view of the mind.

As a current student, we’ve living in the most intensely stimulating period in the history of the earth. We’ve got plenty of things we’re caught up in, whether it is the outside world, televisions, cell phones, magazines, and we’re being corrected for this.
My point is that when we’re really putting students to sleep with things they’ve got no interest in, why aren’t we waking them up? Why aren’t we encouraging them to do better rather than setting them up to fail? Why do the education system and our parents, for the most part, push us to succeed in things that we’ve got no interest in, other than the fact that it will make us money in the end?

By choosing what we have passion for, we’re keeping ourselves alive and creating a better experience for all of us, whether it is high school or even the jobs we’re most interested in. With that being said, less students would be dropping out of schools and getting the education they know they deserve.


The author's comments:
I watched a youtube video not to long ago and felt very inspired to write about this topic. I hope this opens up some eyes and changes the paradigm.

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