Real Education Research Paper

Students are not receiving the ideal education in today’s educational system. Many students go to class and follow a strict schedule and simply go through the motions. “He cannot indulge his genius, he cannot delight in personal relations with young friends, when his eye is always on the clock, and twenty classes are to be dealt with before the day is done” (Emerson 106). Students are not getting the appropriate education, thus forming uninterested kids who anxiously watch the clock, waiting for the final bell to ring. Since teachers expect students to see through their eyes, programs do not allow gifted students to excel, and education is not based on student's individual needs, the education system must be changed.

When teachers expect students to see through their eyes, students do not absorb the majority of the information. Expecting the student to fully understand the subject

when teachers instruct in this way is unfair. The teachers who teach this way may only skim the surface of the subject because they already know the material, leaving students guessing and unable to connect: “The explanation, it turns out, lies in how these books, even the best of them, are being presented in the classroom” (Prose 93). Even with the best material available being taught, students gain nothing unless it is presented in an easily obtainable way. In order to learn difficult information, students need to be able to build on what they already know and really dig into it. Overwhelming students with a multitude of new information at one time only allows them to scratch the surface of one topic prior to having to move on to the next. “We don't want to add to your information glut, we want to offer some ground from which to perceive the rest of what you will see” (Gitlin 157). Everything a student learns is built upon previous knowledge. Fully comprehending a subject and being able to connect before being forced to move to the next topic is critical in gaining a true education. Achieving this takes teachers who are able to see through the students eyes rather than their own.
In education today, teachers and school officials do not like to leave anyone out. Students who have the ability to excel in school are paired with students who are not as gifted. This is good in a social point of view, however gifted students are being anchored by this. Some students need to keep growing their education instead of staying stagnant where they are. Some incredibly gifted students become so frustrated that they no longer put forth the effort and self-destruct. “Since I wasn't given a real chance to improve, I decided after a while that I didn't really care how I did” (Mori 133). Students need to be pushed in order to reach their full potential. Classes should be available for students who need to be challenged in class. Universal, standardized assignments do nothing for students who need more so students are left needing more. Classes must be separated by the strength of the student for full potential to be reached.
If all of education was based on a student's individual needs and interests, students could flourish.

Education today is not doing enough to individualize. Students are forced to learn about things they aren't interested in. Teachers shove material that students are completely disinterested in directly down their throat. Think of this as force feeding a child. I hated squash when I was younger. When my mom made me eat it, my hatred for squash only grew. However, when my mom gave me bacon, I would willingly eat as much as possible. Now think of this in terms of school topics. When teachers force students to study something they are not interested in, often times they become less interested in it because of a lack of willingness to learn it. If kids were to study something that they were very interested in, the kids would be more willing to put forth effort and expand their knowledge on the subject. “He can learn anything which is important to him now that the power to learn is secured (Emerson 104). Children are able to pick up curriculum far easier is the subject is important to

them.
Not all the concepts of today's education are flawed. Sometimes students understand the subject better when the teacher tries to put their own vision into the eyes of the student. The teacher is experienced enough in the subject they are able to project the information well enough for the students. Also, gifted individuals are not always weighted down. Most schools today offer Advanced Placement (AP) or College in the Schools (CIS) courses. These allow gifted students to take the classes they need in order to really excel while also saving large sums of money if the classes are passed. It is also apparent that some schools do attempt to individualize education.
Therefore, some concepts of education must be altered. Since teachers expect students to view subjects as they do, some programs do not always give gifted students a chance to excel, and education is not based upon a student's individual needs, the education system has to changed. With this in mind, we must change the education system in the aforementioned ways so that generations of students to come will not experience the fails that are present in education today.