My thoughts about the educational path

Lionel Perkins

THE MIRROR

Throughout my whole life I have always wondered about the educational path in the U.S and if its benefits outweigh the negatives. I have often found myself daydreaming or sleeping in class due to a lack of interest in a specific subject.  For me personally, I enjoy things based in English, history, and P.E. I usually excel in these classes because of my natural inquisitiveness in these subjects. This being said I think the educational path in the U.S could use great change for the better.

One of the ideas I often find myself contemplating involves giving children a say in subjects they feel more conformable and interested in. If we create a system that gives children the path they feel most comfortable on we will find ourselves in a great place. Attendance would raise tremendously along with kids being more excited to go to school every day. As a kid I hated going to math and I still do, me and numbers just don’t like each other. I’m not saying this is the reason I daydreamed or fell asleep, but it is a huge contributor. In my history and English classes I would be excited to learn and write, causing the teacher to get my utmost attention. I think that if we allowed every child to chose what classes they spend more time in we will see a great increase in people going into jobs of their major as well.

Multiple studies have been done surrounding the differences in learning between children. Some learn visually some learn by getting hands-on experience. Some find why the pyramids were built interesting, some find the angle of a triangle to be interesting. It all depends on the person, and we should acknowledge and harness this. Many people have heard the phrase “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I think this applies perfectly to how we should educate the youth in America. If we can embrace the positives of a person and try to slowly introduce the negatives the system will run a lot smoother.

When you’re in school the classes you take should include the content that you will study for a profession, it should be interesting to you. It should challenge your existing knowledge and advance your potential. It should teach you new skills and hone those you have already. It should teach you to think about a practical skill or a concept. It should motivate you and inspire you to work, it should make you want to work. It should help you chase your dreams.

I think many people like myself find that school can sometimes be “a waste of time” when in actuality it should be something you look forward to. You are at school more than you are at home, why not make it matter?

One of the goals I have in life is owning a school in order to do these things myself. Although the government might not implement these ideas in real life, I can do them myself at a private school. I think that if I can prove the benefits of my school to people, along with showing them results they will immediately be willing to make the change. If we harness people’s talents we will progress in education and the community.

My name is Lionel Perkins, I am a senior at SPASH. I enjoy playing sports with my friends along with video games. I was born on 08/18/2001 making me 18 years old. I live with my two sisters, and Mom and Dad. We have a Great Dane -Great Pyrenes mix named Luna who sometimes gets mistaken for a horse.  I have many goals and hope to be able to accomplish them all!