Life for high schoolers has progressed and changed dramatically over the years. The whole structure of school, our schedules, the things we learn, and the freedoms we have within our learning experience. In 2023, high school education is at a turning point, and we need to acknowledge its problems, make improvements, and utilize the resources we have to improve learning.
Older generations believe schools today have failed, that we are not learning the way we should, or that students now are “lazy” They are not necessarily wrong. But the reality is that it isn’t the schools that are the only ones failing us. Students are not able to get the full high school learning experience that we should, because many schools are disadvantaged in lots of ways. Schools are underfunded by the government, and are becoming heavily regulated on what books they can show students, and what kinds of things teachers can say and teach. We are not able to learn about certain parts of history, social justice movements, and even climate change, these are the things that shape us into better people.
On the other hand, schools are failing us because of their inability to change. We have been learning almost completely the same way for decades. Books, writing, listening, while these are obviously important many kids now just do not get the full benefit of education from this. Learning should be an opportunity that people are excited about, but it has become boring, and repetitive, and it is not sustainable. High schoolers do not want to be at school, most will take the least amount of classes possible just so that they don’t have to go, not having those daily interactions can be detrimental to an already severe mental health problem in this country, especially among middle and high schoolers.
The issues in our schools go beyond the classroom. There are many outside issues that contribute to the weaknesses in our education system. With technology that exists, there is an opportunity to turn school into something high schoolers want to do. Something meaningful that will truly shape us into better people, and make the world better.
