ENG 101 4441 Unfetter Education Essay

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Silva 1

Diana Silva

Professor Marlene Warda

English 101 - 4441

June 19, 2020

Unfetter Education

Does the traditional school system genuinely educate students, or does it merely provide

basic knowledge? Most of us have attended public schools and have acquired important basic

academic knowledge like mathematics, literature, and science. Through the success stories of

several unschooled individuals, it has been shown that traditional school systems assimilate an

ineffective manufacturing educational model repressing individuality and innovation. The

traditional school system is not essential to achieve a successful education.

In the essay “Against School” written by John Taylor Gatto, one does not need to attend

the traditional school system for twelve years and graduate from a secondary school in order to

have a successful education. Many individuals with distinguished accomplishments have reached

their potential without conventional schooling, such as President’s “George Washington,

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Someone taught them, to be sure,

but they were not products of a school system, and not one of them was ever “graduated” from a

secondary school.” Why is that? Because each and every one of those individuals were encouraged

to pursue their interests by developing their individuality and creativity. According to an article

written by Ben Renner, study shows the average American uses only 37% of knowledge and skills

learned in high school in their day to day lives. 9 out of 10 participants agree “life would be much

easier” if more practical skills were taught. For example, 57% of respondents wish they had learned

specific money management and budgeting skills. 42% wish they had learned how to manage their

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emotional and mental wellbeing. The inadequate standardized methods in traditional school

system are the leading reason why the “average person does not feel that they truly grasp “adult”

life skills until they’re 29 years old” (Renner) .

Many alternative educational methods are progressively more common, which can provide

children with a successful education specifically designed to encourage individuality. A recent

article written by Jose Nino titled “Alternatives to Public Education are Growing”, Nino identifies

other alternative educational methods besides traditional public school. Alternatives like Charter

schools, online school programs, and home schooling curriculums where parents have the

opportunity to manipulate teaching methods. Students can choose from different interest areas to

learn at their own pace. Depending on their developmental stages as opposed to age groups. There

are more elective subjects available online than there are in traditional schools due to constant

budget cuts. The writer also mentions “online school programs are great support for parents who

wish to homeschool their children, but do not have the resources to do so” (Nino). Moreover, Nino

cites the following statistics presented by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES),

“the number of homeschoolers in the U.S. grew from 850,000 in 1999 to 1.7 million in 2016”

(Nino). These numbers confirm the positive impact of alternative education and how many

families are choosing online or home schooling programs instead of the traditional school

education.

The way traditional schooling is designed there seems to be no room for passion or

creativity which comes as a tremendous disadvantage to children and students in general. Referring

to Ken Robinson in one of his presentations, he states the following:

We have to go from what is essentially an industrial model of education, a manufacturing

model, which is based on linearity and conformity and batching people. We have to move

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Silva 1 Diana Silva Professor Marlene Warda English 101 - 4441 June 19, 2020 Unfetter Education Does the traditional school system genuinely educate students, or does it merely provide basic knowledge? Most of us have attended public schools and have acquired important basic academic knowledge like mathematics, literature, and science. Through the success stories of several unschooled individuals, it has been shown that traditional school systems assimilate an ineffective manufacturing educational model repressing individuality and innovation. The traditional school system is not essential to achieve a successful education. In the essay “Against School” written by John Taylor Gatto, one does not need to attend the traditional school system for twelve years and graduate from a secondary school in order to have a successful education. Many individuals with distinguished accomplishments have reached their potential without conventional schooling, such as President’s “George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Someone taught them, to be sure, but they were not products of a school system, and not one of them was ever “graduated” from a secondary school.” Why is that? Because each and every one of those individuals were encouraged to pursue their interests by developing their individuality and creativity. According to an article written by Ben Renner, study shows the average American uses only 37% of knowledge and skills learned in hi ...
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Tags: traditional school system public schools basic academic knowledge school systems ineffective manufacturing educational model