Awareness in education

As students, we know the education system well because we have been in it for most of our lives. We know how it works and how to survive in it. Just like everything in the world, it is flawed and imperfect. It is important to know exactly why in order to improve it.

Ideally, teachers teach small classes where all students understand the material or have a good amount of time to ask questions about what they do not comprehend. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most classrooms are overcrowded, and the teachers are unable to get to everyone. School is the time where we, as students, should be getting the most attention in order to succeed once we leave.

The overcrowding of classrooms leads to the second issue: lack of parental involvement. The large classrooms restricting the learning of students means they need to do extra work at home to stay caught up. While some parents are invested in their child’s school life – sometimes a little too much – there are many who are not and because of this, their child is constantly falling behind. Simple encouragement can make all the difference, but not all parents provide this.

Just as society evolves, so must the way things are taught. Technology has been one of the most important additions to the educating process. In the digital age, it is only a matter of time before technology is embedded in every part of our lives. As many advantages technology can have in schools, it does have its downsides as well. They cause distractions. Many times, I have seen fellow students play games on their phones or laptops while the teacher is lecturing. The solution is simple: students should know when it is necessary to pay attention and make a point of doing so.

The final flaw is a lack of equity. People often confuse equity and equality; while they are similar they are not the same. Equity is being fair and unbiased, something most schools lack. Equity is difficult to maintain. In order to do so, the administration must have an approach to analyzing changes in teaching styles and objectives.

While these are just summaries, schools can also face issues like budgeting, security, diversity, and more. None of these can be fixed in a day, but just knowing about them is an improvement. With many of these problems, students can help resolve the issue by simply being more conscientious of issues. A little awareness goes a long way.