5 reasons why i don’t like the secondary school system
#1 LACK OF INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY
One of the most obvious ways in which students lack independence and autonomy in school is the fact that they are required to raise their hand to use the toilet whilst in class, and teachers can deny their request! How crazy is that! Most students are asked why they didn’t go at break or lunch, but in what other situation would you ask someone why they didn’t use the toilet over an hour ago? It’s very bizarre that teachers expect students to anticipate when they need to use the toilet and think about their water consumption to prevent this awkward stand-off; this is as, often, the student will just look blankly at the teacher with no answer to the question they have just asked.
Furthermore, it’s also incredibly unusual as to why there is so much emphasis on punishing and disciplining students who break some of the most trivial rules in school. For example, a student may not be wearing their school lanyard and would be given after-school detention, despite them having their lanyard in their bag. Is this necessary? Why do we subject children to an hour plus of invigilated silence for making an honest mistake or forgetting to wear an item of identification? If anything, this makes students afraid to make mistakes, and this can be extremely detrimental in the classroom when no one wants to attempt to answer a question as they fear being belittled and shamed for getting it wrong.
#2 ENCOURAGES A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFORMITY
Many schools have strict dress codes: socks must be a certain colour, skirts must be a certain length, hairstyle must be restricted to what’s deemed “appropriate” and nail varnish is not allowed. These are just a handful of the rules that young teenagers are expected to abide by. My issue isn’t with rules holistically, but with rules that restrict student expression for no valid reason. What is the worse that is going to happen if I have blue streaks in my hair? Who am I going to hurt if I forget to take off my nail varnish from the previous weekend? What is the purpose and message of policing the skirt lengths of young girls? Of course, it is important we teach our youth to follow instructions and obey rules and laws. The reason we do that is because we recognise that instructions, rules, and laws are written for a purpose, usually for safety, to encourage people to be good members of society or to help people’s educational progress. So given these are the basis of good rules in school, then please explain how some of the rules we punish students for breaking, fit into any of the purposes I’ve just outlined.
#3 KILLS CREATIVITY
Teachers are frequently fixated on ensuring their students achieve the highest grade possible in their exams, so they are quite close-minded when it comes to allowing students to explore the subject in greater detail. If a student wants to use an alternative method to solve a maths question, a lot of students will be discouraged from doing so. The great thing about students is that they are all different; all have different interests and learn in different ways. Some students might take a liking to a certain method more than others. Allowing students, the space to form their own decisions and figure out what works best for them is essential for them to understand themselves better.
Additionally, the emphasis on academic success means a lot of students who may flourish in the arts and sports are felt to feel inadequate or dumb due to not reaching the same academic success as their peers. It’s vital to convey to students that success can be seen at the end of a multitude of different paths and the importance of pushing yourself to be the best you can be and seeking advice and mentorship along the way to avoid making too many mistakes.
#4 OUTDATED AND RESTRICTIVE LEARNING
The younger generation will experience some incredible opportunities because of the development of technology, but also there are several hardships that young people are likely to endure and should be prepared for. With student debt rising and house prices rising also, finances can be a crippling topic for many young adults, and therefore it is imperative that students receive adequate financial education at a young age. Many students are unaware of how to pay taxes, how to set up a business, how to get a mortgage, and many other things, which will become a part of standard life outside of school. Also, students should be able to learn skills that will become increasingly important in the future. Coding is one of them and can go without saying, but softer skills, for example, public speaking, is highly valued and a lot more students should be developing this skill whilst at school. Public speaking can enable students to articulate their opinions better, to become more persuasive, and form stronger and better arguments which are key skills in the modern world when it comes to advocating for themselves to get a raise, or presenting a pitch to an investor or even convincing teachers to give them less homework!
#5 INAUTHENTIC LEARNING
In school, there is an overwhelming emphasis on memorising simply to pass exams and get the desired grade. The final grade is championed more than the learning process. Student A could spend hours each week studying history and do extra reading around the subject and achieve a grade A in the final exam. However, student B may have no interest in history and so they simply memorise the key information a couple of weeks before the final exam and achieve a grade A also. Both these students will receive similar praise for attaining the same mark, but in all honesty, it is only student A who has truly learnt and explored the subject of history. So, the question is, how do we encourage students to learn because they desire to learn more, as opposed to desiring a grade A? This has been a highly debated and contested question, to which we still have no clear answer. How do you think this problem can be resolved?
SUMMARY
Technology has done wonders to help innovate so many industries and fields, however, the education system seems to be falling behind. It is very unfortunate how we have been able to personalise computers, cars, and bank accounts but we are unable to adequately personalise education to meet the needs and desires of students. The method of learning - sitting still in a classroom an hour at a time - is almost identical to how Victorian children sat in their own classrooms. The most notable change is probably switching out a blackboard for a whiteboard and interactive big screen. We are seeing the system fail so many students and knocking their self-esteem and it’s about time we address these issues head-on if we truly want to prepare the next generation for the rapidly evolving future.
