Proposing an educational shift

People are like birds; all are unique and flourish in different environments. In today's society, however, everyone is considered the same, especially in schools. People should be educated based on each one’s special learning style. In an effort to correct the faults of the current system, the school system would ideally establish two different types of schools for different learners: the School of Logic and the School of Creativity.

In today's system, all students are forced to sit in rows of desks, carry a flimsy hall pass in order to use the restroom, and face a constant bombardment of standardized tests. All students are graded in the same way and school buildings are unfit for learning; there is limited climate control, failing infrastructure, and outdated technology. No student learns in the same way; some prefer writing, the arts, and creative thinking. Others prefer a standard routine and objective, multiple choice-based evaluations.

Today's schools benefit only the strong test takers, the logical thinkers. Creative thinkers are assumed to be “dumb” and “failures.” Albert Einstein once said that if you measure the intelligence of a fish by his ability to climb a tree, he will always believe he is stupid. In other words, if we measure a creative thinker by his or her ability to take a standardized test, he or she will always feel stupid.

To adjust for different learning styles, students should be able to separate themselves in early elementary school (with guidance) into two different schools: the School of Logic and the School of Creativity. At the School of Logic, students will be STEM focused and measured by objective, multiple choice tests. These students will be taught by teachers who are IQ-based geniuses in a technologically enhanced building. At the School of Creativity, students will be focused on the arts and measured by subjective, writing tests. These students will be taught by well known “creative geniuses” in a non-traditional classroom setting.

There will be no bell schedule and students will schedule courses that they feel they are ready for. Students may attend both schools if they feel that their learning style is a blend of logic and creativity. This system will allow children to flourish and spread their wings like beautiful birds leaping from the nest.

Though American schools of today limit students of different learning styles, society can make a change. Schools should help, not hinder, different types of learners. Innovation and change in schools will usher us into a new era of acceptance, equality, and success.

Harper Tindall

Harper Tindall is a Junior at Bay High School. 

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Volume 7, Issue 24, Posted 9:44 AM, 12.15.2015