Education

Education in America is slowly crumbling. America, at one time, produced well-educated and dedicated individuals. Now, we are giving “slackers” a free ride just to get them out; only to recycle them with more slackers. Our testing score, especially in Georgia, are ridiculously low (though I do not particularly like the standardized test approach) and our students have other priorities that unfortunately do not include education. In twenty years, these will be the men and women that somehow have become our future. This is terrifying! The effects of this could be devastating for our future as well as theirs. Without some form of education you cannot get to far in life. Of course, there are the Bill Gates of the world, who dropped out of college to be an entrepreneur and that worked out in his favor. But how many Bill Gates do you know? I know a lot more Jays’ and Silent Bobs’.

Many of our current high school students are getting a free ticket to the diploma freeway. I have heard of many instances where a student is unruly and because of this, they are pushed through the system only to graduate with maybe a sixth grade education. This is not what education was founded on! Once upon a time, students respected teachers and enjoyed the aspect of learning. The effects the new era of diploma freeway will come back and bite us in the butt, believe that. We are coming into the age of “McDonaldization. ” when this happens it will basically mean that the majority of our working force is quite eligible to work in a minimum wage, production line, “May I help you?” job for the rest of their lives. Educated people with the drive to succeed will prove to be far more scarce and in between. The few times I have been “privileged” enough to walk through the doors of my high school has been like walking through the Stargate. “Where the hell am I?” The students are dressed as if they are going to the club directly after school and there is always some sort of yelling, bickering, or drama. In their eyes, school has nothing to do with education anymore. It has evolved into a fashion show, a social networking and hangout site and a bad episode of Jerry. Or for others, a street corner, where they can buy narcotics or other illegal substances and have the full ability to walk around high for eight hours and be sober by the time they get home.

The educational system will not change without drastic measures. It will probably mean a lot of teenage, hormone induced, riots. Be that as it may, something needs to be done. The teachers and administrators do not control the students anymore. The only way they have been able to deal with them is by pushing them along the freeway. This is not the answer! We have to figure out another way to get in the students heads. We have to explain to them that they are the future and what they do today effects us tomorrow.