Fixing our schools

[Low Key]

I constantly see threads about education (or lack thereof) in the forums. Instead of complaining how much the public school system sucks, and since the membership here is primarily made up of students, I think this is the perfect place to come up with ideas on how to make our schools better.

Now, when I say our schools, I mean American public schools since we get dogged for our ever decreasing test scores. That doesn't mean all the people out there from other countries can't add anything. If you have an idea, please post it.

PS: Make sure your idea is feasibly possible.

For example: Instead of spending upwards of $100 or more per book every year, how about giving each kid a Kindle (or equivalent) with access to all books they will need for the school year. That would decrease the cost of supplies, decrease the amount of crap students have to carry around, and decrease the amount of paper schools go through. Plus, the information on a Kindle could be easily updated if new info arises. The only problem I see with that is kids will beat the hell out it and probably break it.

 

[Robert632]

how about, when you spend lots of money fixing air conditioning units, you use the damn things.(this is happenning at my school.)

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

OH! How about not having so many useless grad requirements in high school so that people aren't dicking around in advanced classes because they're forced to be there. Instead people would take classes they are interested and um... [i/]actually learn[/i].

 

[VanityGirl]

Teachers need high salaries. There are some children who really dont give a rat's ass about being in school and will bad mouth the teachers and disrupt the rest of the class.
Teachers have no incentive to teach douche bags kids, especially since their pay is actually very low for what they do.

 

[Musicrulzall]

Teachers (and by extension Principals, and for that matter Parents) should be able to actually discipline children. When a child acts up in class the teacher just has to put up with it. It makes school unbearable for the teachers and the other kids as a whole. Not to mention it teaches the kids that they can continue to act out, further into life.

 

[Low Key]

Teachers need high salaries. There are some children who really dont give a rat's ass about being in school and will bad mouth the teachers and disrupt the rest of the class.
Teachers have no incentive to teach douche bags kids, especially since their pay is actually very low for what they do.

True. While I 100% agree with you, do you think there is anything that could be done to repremand the student too so they will be discouraged to be a moron in the future?

 

[cobra_ky]

well there's plenty of things wrong with education, so i'll just bring up one issue that too often goes unmentioned.

people rarely give any thought to gifted education in america. no, i don't mean learning disabilities, i mean kids who are actually gifted. people just assume that smart kids always do great in school, which couldn't be farther from the truth. it takes a lot of work and attention to make sure kids get the appropriate level of challenge from their education and learn the skills and attitudes they need to make the most of their talents.

 

[VanityGirl]

Teachers need high salaries. There are some children who really dont give a rat's ass about being in school and will bad mouth the teachers and disrupt the rest of the class.
Teachers have no incentive to teach douche bags kids, especially since their pay is actually very low for what they do.

True. While I 100% agree with you, do you think there is anything that could be done to repremand the student too so they will be discouraged to be a moron in the future?

I wish we could go back to paddling kids. Honestly, if the kids have something to FEAR they may be less likely to act out. Sounds crazy, but it WORKS.

If kids are bad enough, let there be classes made especially for these kids. Let all the bad kids be in a class with say.. a drill sergeant who won't take any crap from them. That's a little extreme, but at least put them with a teacher who can handle rough kids.

 

[Echelon_3]

I honestly think the only way our schools can be "fixed" is through some rather unfeasible means, from the bottom up:

- Systemic anti-intellectualism plagues all levels of our society. Too many of us simply don't value an education, and we don't value intelligent people. The popular media does almost nothing to discourage such thinking.

- Too many parents want to put all the responsibility on the school. They pretty much want to drop their kids off at six and pick them up at eighteen, and either the school does all the work for them or the school is shirking its duties.

- Standards need to be increased, on all levels. The standards for hiring teachers and administrators have to be increased, and the minimum expectation from students and their parents need to be increased.

Alas, these are all society-wide changes that no government bill or policy shift can achieve. I can't even begin to imagine how any conscious effort can change the collective consciousness of as diverse and populous a democratic nation as the United States.

While I do believe that harsher penalties need to be enacted towards kids who misbehave, I don't think corporal punishment would work at all. It would just breed resentment towards authority, even if it did enforce better behavior and light a fire under Johnny's chair to make him learn his multiplication tables.

 

[Low Key]

I wish we could go back to paddling kids. Honestly, if the kids have something to FEAR they may be less likely to act out. Sounds crazy, but it WORKS.

If kids are bad enough, let there be classes made especially for these kids. Let all the bad kids be in a class with say.. a drill sergeant who won't take any crap from them. That's a little extreme, but at least put them with a teacher who can handle rough kids.

That's one way to go about it. I like it. Very totalitarianist.

I was thinking along the lines of having the trouble makers' grades be on the line if they act up. That way they'll have to take the course again or get their GED if they can't control themselves in class. That might be too oppressive for some though.

well there's plenty of things wrong with education, so i'll just bring up one issue that too often goes unmentioned.

people rarely give any thought to gifted education in america. no, i don't mean learning disabilities, i mean kids who are actually gifted. people just assume that smart kids always do great in school, which couldn't be farther from the truth. it takes a lot of work and attention to make sure kids get the appropriate level of challenge from their education and learn the skills and attitudes they need to make the most of their talents.

But a lot of those gifted kids have parents at home who get involved. That is why they excel so early in life and school. Along with VanityGirl's suggestion of raising the salary of teachers, perhaps we could extend the school day for K-4 or K-6 grades. Kids that age supposedly learn faster than when they get older.

I honestly think the only way our schools can be "fixed" is through some rather unfeasible means, from the bottom up...

-snip-

Even little changes that save schools money to spend on better equipment and resources would help. It doesn't have to be sweeping changes. I'm not asking for an overhaul on the entire school system, which is probably what it needs, just the stuff we can change right now that would help.

 

[VanityGirl]

snip.

That's one way to go about it. I like it. Very totalitarianist.

I was thinking along the lines of having the trouble makers' grades be on the line if they act up. That way they'll have to take the course again or get their GED if they can't control themselves in class. That might be too oppressive for some though.
.

I must say that a lot of the kids who act out and act up do not care about their grades. Also, when a child is old enough, he or she can drop out of school anyway, which is why your idea is good on paper, but might not be that great in practice.
I will say that it's a great idea, though.

I just think paddling will keep some kids in line. Discipline is a driving force.

 

[LordGarbageMan]

I guess paddling kids would work in some schools, but I doubt its effectiveness.

 

[Stalk3rchief]

I think teachers need to pass a test before being hired. This test must do several things.
Make sure they are good at what they teach.
[I had a math teacher that was only rated to be a substitute science teacher.]
Make sure they are competent.
[Another math teacher marked me wrong for getting the right answer, but in a different way than she did.]
Make sure they don't bring religion to school.
[I'm tired of teachers saying the garden of eden is the proven source of humanity.]
Make sure they actually WANT to teach.
[Surely you've met a teacher that simply didn't want to be there...ever.]
The list could go on, but I'm pulling up a blank at the moment.
I think the problem, in part, lies with the Teachers.

 

[NotAProdigy]

In a candid response, I think it's more of a cultural thing. People don't learn because people just use school as a utility "if I get by all these years I'll become a great whatever!" It doesn't work that way. I'm tired of seeing this whole 'image' and facade that people are using to pass by when they all have no merits at all. "I wear a cross, so I'm a humanitarian!", "I wear a swastika so I'm better than you!", "I went to Harvard so I'm a good lawyer!". When will humanity grow out of this infantile stage and notice that maybe it's not enough to cruise by and just say "I took this course" or "I majored this" or "I went to this college"?

Of course the blame can't solely be placed on the individual, the whole system itself in its entirety is bad. The teaching certifications are almost horrendous. Did you know in the state of Texas you don't even need a math degree to be a high school math teacher? What bull crap is this? To save money, did you know Texas pays more for a coach who teaches a subject in academics as well? Why is it that every year they raise the amount of hours for each course in order for you to graduate? Why has funding for prisons grown thrice as much as public education when violent crime has gone down? Why are countries like France, China, Korea, Japan spending more money than we are on education and we are falling behind? Isn't it glaringly obvious? I don't think anyone CARES about education. Not just the students, but collectively. "Who are these brats think they are? Spending MY money. Bahhumbug."

And it's not just on Education either. The US is behind in everything. It USE to be looked up to as the central leader of science in the 60s and 70s. Health care was actually available until Richard Nixon made it to where private corporations aren't punished when they abuse their policy holders. The US wasn't in so much debt until 'deficit spending' was the cool thing to do in the 1980s, which I fear will collapse the dollar and eventually the soundness of the economy. Global warming, unjust war, the US is a bloated pig that will need a 180 degree turn around. You have your work cut out for you, not just with education, but with everything else good thread starter.

 

[dalek sec]

Paddling works for me.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Increase standards allow kids to flunk force those disruptive in class to drop out. Get rid of inept teachers none of this tenure crap. Lower administrative cost, stop funding sports, get rid of the last 2 years of highschool, create advanced paths for those ahead in skills. Let people skip grades.

As of now we cater to the lowest common denominator and smart kids are dumbed down cause teachers have to teach to those that are lacking. Perfect example is those with pre K schooling start of ahead up until the 2rd grade when their test scores fall in line with those without pre K.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Of course the blame can't solely be placed on the individual, the whole system itself in its entirety is bad. The teaching certifications are almost horrendous. Did you know in the state of Texas you don't even need a math degree to be a high school math teacher? What bull crap is this?

A math degree wouldn't be needed though really HS math is pretty basic. Sad thing to though is you can be qualified to teach at college and not grade school. Me with a masters in Political Science would not be able to become a government/history/social sciences teacher unless I had an education minor and a year internship(unpaid)(or spent 2 years in an education program) So me being a pro in my field and can teach junior level college courses would be unable to teach 8th grade government class... The whole teacher and who can become one and who can't is just ridiculous.


TO whoever said teacher salary needs to go up.

The average public school teacher earns 51k a year (well above median salary) Most get 6-8 weeks off in the summer, 3 weeks to a month off at christmas, every major holiday, every government holiday, Not a bad deal even if you have to put up with crap students.

EDIT: crap grammar but its late i'll fix it tomorrow.

 

[Custard_Angel]

Making schools better by improving the buildings is like making a game better by improving the graphics...

IT DOES NOT WORK.

My school wasn't that good but I had a few good teachers who spurred me on and now I'm at uni doing fine. You can do much more with encouragement than you can with a new hallroom.

 

[Kingsman]

I've actually always thought that whatever problems may lie within American education, the biggest one it has it in its history courses.

Tell me how much you know about American history. Now tell me how much you know about World History.

Exactly.

I'm not saying we shouldn't study our own history, but is it really necessary to go over it five times? IT'S TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY FUCKING YEARS! Compare that to cultures across the globe that are THOUSANDS of years old, what does it say about us as a superpower if we're supposed to be open-minded but can't name a single empire that formed after the Romans' collapsed?! It's absurd, short-sighted, inane, and impractical.

 

[RavingPenguin]

If I may provide a tangental approach. I went to a private school that competed with other local private schools to have the best education at the lowest cost. My school was known for having standards well above those of public schools and having very well behaved students. What I would suggest then, is privatizing the school system. Have schools be run like a bussiness, provide a better education at a lower cost (or at least a reasonable price) to gain a larger student body than other schools. It may even be cheaper in the long run than the american public school system is now. Competition creates a better product.

I know there are plenty of flaws with this, but hey, its an idea at least.