If we all just stopped caring then there would be no problems in the world

The average person spends 18,720 hours; 1,123,200 minutes; 67,392,000 seconds in school from kindergarten to 12^th grade. Children today spend over half of their youth in school. Their thoughts, feelings, actions, dreams, goals are all influenced by their education. Some might even go as far as to say that teacher’s are more influential than parents because of the amount of time they spend with their students. To say that the education of our youth is important is an understatement.

Because of its importance in the life of each generation, the education system needs to constantly be re-evaluated to uncover flaws and correct errors. While there are many challenging aspects associated with education, the greatest include the amount of money spent versus the impact on the system. According to an article written by VisualEconomics, the United States spends 17.1% of its budget on education expenses. This equals close to 10 trillion dollars on education. But is this money getting the results intended? The United States shells out trillions and trillions of dollars on education per year yet students are still dropping out, test scores still aren’t where they need to be, and students still aren’t receiving the education they deserve from their teachers.

The teachers in our education system need to be assessed as well. The idea of tenure has provided teachers with a way out. If they can just make it to that cut off line for tenure, then it’s all “smooth sailing” from then on. They begin to slack on their jobs; teaching becomes more of a second thought than a requirement. The reality of it all brings me to ask you this question, is tenure just a license for laziness? Logically one might think that the solution to this problem would be to eliminate tenure altogether but in actuality, the best solution for now would be to have periodic evaluations of teachers rewarded tenure. This would cut down on the lackadaisical attitudes towards teaching in the classroom.

On top of the apathetic nature of teaching in the classroom, there is a sense of apathy towards the “above average” student. Let’s face it; education today is focused more on the average to below average student. We try to keep kids at a B but prohibit them from going to a C or a D. We have programs installed for children who are below the B average like ESS where they are given a second chance at the classes they have failed. But apart from that, students who need to be challenged in the classroom because of their intelligence take a back seat to the ones who require a little more help. Even though there are certain academy programs throughout the country, most of those programs just involve incorporating more busy work instead of work that pushes the student to think more in depth.

This being said, we, as students, should realize that our education system is in need of reform. We should understand that if such reform is not instituted that our future is what’s at stake. More people should start voicing these concerns about the education system so that these solutions can begin to take affect. Everyone says that children are the future, why don’t we show that we believe that by giving them the education system that they deserve in order for them to succeed?

Works Cited:

· Shane, James, Rich, and Rob. "How Countries Spend Their Money." Visual Economics at CreditLoan.com. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. .

· Athavale, Grishma. "U.S. Education Falling behind Those of Other Countries." Saratoga Falcon. 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. .

· Hanushek, Eric A., and Paul E. Peterson. "Compared to Other Countries, Does the United States Really Do That Badly in Math? : Education Next." Education Next : Education Next Is a Journal of Opinion and Research about Education Policy. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 12 July 2012. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. .