I’ve been listening about all the educational innovations that are coming at the speed of light. I loved the 30-career I had as a high school English teacher, but not enough money exists to entice me to go back—even for a second. I’m not sure what is going on in classrooms; I suspect that most teachers are trying their best to educate our children.
The problem with our educational system is lies in offices of superintendents and supervisors. In addition, the federal government has overstepped its boundaries by taking up valuable classroom time with tests. Too often, teachers’ careers depend upon the results of those standardized tests. Money that could be used for more important materials is poured into all sorts of practice materials so that students perform better on the exams.
For a while, I’ve thought about secondary education and its demands on students. Changes need to be made to make our educational system more attentive to the needs of the students, the ones who are the most important elements of the whole thing. My ideas will meet plenty of resistance, but they might just make school somewhere that teens want to be.
In my new curriculum, four years of English and math will no longer be required. English will be a two-year course of study. The first year will cover grammar and usage, and then students will learn the basic elements of writing. The second year will present literature. Students will cover American and English literature, as well as other works from authors and poets of the world. The first year of math will cover Algebra. The second year will be devoted to geometry.
Social studies will cover American history and will start with the founding of the country and will go through the 1960’s. A second year of study will cover civics in the 9th grade. Senior year is reserved for a course of American government and the personal finance. Students have the opportunity to better understand the government that runs the country and become proficient in setting budgets, banking, and investment strategies.
Science also will be a two-year course of study. Basic science and biology are the two areas to be covered. The first will be a survey of sciences, and the second will give students an understanding of plant and animal life.
One year of the arts is required. Students can choose from marching band, concert band, vocal music, and art. Students who join marching band will be exempt from physical education. Others will be required to take P.E. for one year.
All of these courses will be completed during the first two years of high school. Because a year’s course is covered in a semester, other elective courses can be included in students’ yearly schedule. The exception is that no student may take two English, math, or science in a single year during the freshman or sophomore years.
Also important are the vocational courses that are available to students. Those classes can be taken during any year of student’s time in school. Other vocational courses will be made available for those who are not working toward a certification in a trade. The opening of classes to the rest of the student body increases the likelihood that vocational education stays relevant and available.
A student’s junior and senior years are for developing a more in-depth study of disciplines. An individual who wants to delve more deeply into language can take specialty classes like journalism, technical writing, advertising, or SEO. Another student who is interested in math can take more algebra, trigonometry, or statistics. Science majors can include chemistry, physics, and medical science if they choose.
Another part of the high school education is learning to get along with others. That education comes through assemblies, pep rallies, and student performances. Students need more than 20 minutes to eat lunch and decompress from the classroom pressures. Most of an adult’s world is spent with other humans, so learning how to behave in open settings is critical
This is a partial plan for changing high school curriculum. Many areas have not been addressed because of space limitations. Still, enough is present to make high school a place where young people can go to learn the basics while also focusing on a specific or special course of study. Most everything has changed over my lifetime: phones, computers, cars, appliances. The time has come to update our educational system so that it suits the needs of those who are to be educated. I feel confident that such new curricular will automatically make students more successful. One more key to a successful education plan is the de-emphasis on standardized tests.
Those who disagree with me probably have valid points. I challenge them to spend some time to develop a plan for educating all students, not just those who are headed to college. Such plans must have the funding of both state and federal governments. Educating our children is the only hope for America’s continued prosperity and leadership. Turning a blind eye to this goal will sink the U.S. to a second-rate country.
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