Students' True Capabilities
Why is a student’s future decided by math formulas and conjugations of foreign languages? How will an essay ever come in handy in life? What if someone is extremely intelligent, but doesn’t test well? What if someone’s street smarts will get him or her farther than other people’s book smarts? Today’s education does not truly define the capabilities of students. I know I will not need to know about the amount of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an element in my future career of architecture and design. Students shouldn’t have to take unnecessary classes that will do nothing for them besides stress them out. A GPA does not define someone’s abilities in life.
Everyone deserves to go to a great college and be good at what they want to do, not something that they hate and will never come in handy. I think that I am a prime example of someone whose true smarts aren’t shown by his or her GPA. I’ll admit it I don’t test well. I hate taking tests and studying is mental torture to me. Just because I can’t get a 100 on every test doesn’t mean I am not as smart as an outstanding test taker. I am one of those people that are better in real life situations.
For example I got a 98 on my driver’s education test because that I would actually need in life. I am good at solving problems with people or anything else that is applicable in day-to-day life. I am a visual learner not someone who can obtain and use knowledge and skills by sitting through a million lectures. In other countries and most boarding schools, students have the choice of what classes they want to take; similar to college majors. I think this is a very good idea for high school students so that they are prepared for college with knowing what they want to do and what interests them.
Even recently many schools in New Jersey and several other states have been trying to have majors in high school. According to the New York Times, Dwight Morrow in Englewood is having next year’s incoming freshmen pick a major for their 4 years there. Randy Sherry is a technology teacher at Dwight Morrow who sees majors as a way to emphasize real-life experiences. Sherry said, “It eliminates the phrase, ‘I’m never going to need that when I grow up.’ I don’t want to just throw education at them. I want them to be here for something they like, and that’s what the majors can do.
” I completely agree with Sherry and wish that I had an opportunity like this. Honestly, students don’t even care about obtaining the information they are taught anymore. It is all about keeping their grades up and having a good GPA. Students memorize things but don’t actually understand them, and instead forget them shortly after they are tested. Shouldn’t school be teaching us for life, not just the moment? As a sophomore, college is starting to become a huge deal. Everyone stresses how we have to keep our grades up and already start to visit campuses.
Sadly some students are doing so badly that even getting into a college is beginning to become a question. GPA’s are so hard to maintain for a lot people because not everyone can be good at every subject, and on top of that live a life of a teenager. So many people say that you should love what you do in your future career, and wake up every morning excited for another day. Shouldn’t school be like this too? Knowing that you’re enjoying what you are learning and knowing it will benefit your future career would be a major motivational drive for students. As I said before, students need to be able to pick what they want to study. A GPA should not determine the capabilities of a student.
Many people don’t perform the same in all subjects as they would if high school was narrowed down to a few majors, or a student’s interests. More life skills should be taught during these years, and the true intelligence of students should be tested in other ways.
