Today’s way of teaching has been more and more focused on test scores instead of applying knowledge and making connections. Gabrielle Morgan, Senior, says we should “find alternative ways to teach kids how to do certain things [...] In my opinion school is about passing instead of learning. Memorizing instead of obtaining knowledge.”
64% of students in a Creative Writing class agree that school seems like it is more about memorization than the expansion of learning.
Learning all starts with standards. As of now, Alabama is under the Common Core standards. Common Core is a good way to compare schooling across almost all of America but it also leads to teaching for tests and not for the students to learn.
Students that don’t test well struggle a lot when it comes to Common Core testing. It focuses on the tests when many students have difficulty with that. The testing is “high-stakes” and make children who can’t keep up with it seem less-than.
When students say, “Common Core needs to go,” it is more complicated than throwing it out and winging it. It is necessary to have something in which we can compare across states and learn where each school can improve in. Common Core can be improved but it important to take into consideration the fact that there needs to be a way to gauge where a school stands in terms of testing.
People attending high school have more than just grades to worry about. They have to juggle extracurriculars, keeping up with health, having a social life, and getting enough sleep. Students can find it stressful to have a good balance of all these things.
An excess of stress can lead to “chronic anxiety and depression” The Atlantic article says. School is very competitive, especially in this age. Students are taking standardized tests determining their educational worth. This way of comparing can be very detrimental to the metal health of students.
Teaching the same for all students is another way students can get very stressed in school. Not every student learns the same and teaching them with one plan can keep some students from properly learning the material. Bill Ahern, in a Psychology Today article, describes the problems with teaching the same for every student.
Madeline Shrode, Junior, says the school “needs to be able to teach students in different ways to best suit their learning styles rather than giving a person one way to learn in the classroom and telling them that they're wrong when their brain doesn't work the same way as other people in the classroom.”
She continues to say “Every student learns differently, and it's time that we start helping students reach their maximum potential rather than giving a minimum requirement for passing.”
The task of incorporating different learning styles into a lesson is no easy task. The teacher might have to change the lesson between kids and it can all get very confusing. Teachers already have a lot on their plates in their job. Personalizing the lesson for different learning is another added stress. This change is very important for the education of those who learn differently but may be difficult for those having to execute the task.
Overall, there is a lot to be improved for the instruction of students in school. Some issues are easier to fix than others but they are all very important. Teachers have many stressors in their jobs, so they are usually not to blame for the issues in school.
A good start to making the learning environment more friendly is to make sure students are able to open up to people around school like counselors or teachers. If students can share their troubles and be heard, a lot of the stress can be lifted. Schooling has a long way to go before being ‘perfect’ but one of the hardest parts is starting.
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