The Greek philosopher Plato understood the most fundamental theory of education.

“Do not

train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you

may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” Education should

be customized for each student, and cover content in all disciplines. Gardner's theory of multiple

intelligences recognizes the vast variety of genius each person contains. Currently there is only one

main path each student goes through during the education, often lacking in the arts and cultural

education. The ideal educational system has highly trained teachers and designs an educational plan for

each student to succeed at their intellectual strengths.

The current education system is “educating people out of their creative capacities.” Ken

Robinson is a member of the RSA, which supports the arts in education. He believes that the current

system focuses too much on the hierarchy of subjects which are math and science, humanities, then the

arts finishing last. This hierarchy is constructed off of the goals of the industrial revolution, which are

conformity and standardization. (Robinson) Instead of catering to the strengths of the individual, we

push math and science and how to do well on a standardized test. All academic disciplines should be

treated as equals. Dance is just as important as history, because it is such a large part of our cultural

history. All subjects have a place in the classroom, including subjects such as geology that are barely

touched in the public school curriculum. I took my first geology course as a senior in college, and was

highly interested in the topic. This excitement was followed by feelings of frustration that it took so

long for me to be properly exposed to this subject. The small units on earth science from grade school

did no justice to the content. My educational plan might have turned out differently if I had known I

was interested in geology. How many Mozarts are we telling to put down the violin and work on math

and science because it will make them money in the career world? Students are motivated to be at

school when they are intrigued by the subject manner. Why do we continue to cater to a general mold

when a human being is such a unique organism? This is a progressivist outlook on education. Our

current system slaves over test scores instead of embracing the diverse knowledge of our ever changing
society.

The US bases everything off test scores. Australia was modeling a similar system of basing

funding off of test scores, and after large protests the system was dropped. Teachers argued they would

have to cut so much from their curriculum to teach to the test. This is the result of our current system,

which rests heavily on test results. The tests, which are culturally biased, do not cater to all students

with varied learning styles. High stakes testing has stifled the curriculum for decades and caused many

schools to close. Instead of giving more funding to title one failing schools, we take it away. “They

need great schools and teachers to overcome demography, and we do the opposite.” (Tilson)

Educational reform is a must with the current state or our system, and students must be aware on how

their lives are affected by it. In this aspect I am a social reconstructionist. There are great injustices in

the world, and sometimes parents may be passing on a bias perspective to their children. This is why it

is so important we address these issues in an environment where students can feel safe to express their

honest opinions.

School should be a place where students experience knowledge. This is done by bringing real

life to the classroom through demonstrations, social interaction, and the incorporation of multimedia.

Constructivism is all about gaining knowledge through experience. The teacher prompts students with a

scenario and guides them to the solution. This allows students to gain independence in the acquisition

of knowledge, and encourages them to question what they are presented with. Activities such as RAFT

(Role, Audience, Format, Topic) allow students to take knowledge and apply it in a functional way. For

example, the role the students play is Mozart, and they are writing a resume for prospective employers.

Students are reviewing the biography of Mozart while practicing a skill necessary to get a job.

Presenting content in a variety of ways is crucial to guarantee understanding.

Just as our geniuses vary as humans, so do our learning styles. There are three modes of

learning: visual, aural, and kinesthetic. We see, hear, and do. All must be accounted for. Not only does

it saturate students with a variety of exposure to the material, but it ensures that students are not getting
left behind. If it is impossible to incorporate during class time, supplemental material should be

available for students. For example, a teacher can create a video blog of the step by step process on a

math problem, or have a discussion board where students post questions and can help each other as

well as seek teacher advise. Group work is very important. Social interaction brings knowledge in

itself. Students need to start working together instead of against each other. If everyone wants to be on

the top, that implies there must be a bottom. In Finland, a class stays together for the first six years with

the same teacher. Strong interpersonal relationships are built, and students are in an extremely

comfortable work environment where classmates care about other students' success. Finland is

currently the best in the world for education and they pay $3000 per student. Their qualifications for

being a teacher are much more rigorous, including having a master's degree and being the top 10% of

your class. It's not surprising that fantastic teachers produce highly educated students. They also have

three teachers per class, increasing the student to teacher interaction time.

Quality education is the sole proprietor to societal and technological advancements. If we are

going to evolve as a society and eliminate racism and prejudice, then it needs to be in our schools. Our

one size fits all outlook on education will continue to be the downfall of creativity. If students are to get

the best possible education, then they need the best teachers possible. There needs to be much higher

educational standards for teachers which are the same across the nation, and higher salaries to attract

these professionals. Let's stop the debate and make this a respectable profession. Our future will only

be brighter if we give youth the opportunity to have the best of everything in education, no matter race

or economic status.