Oct 09
20
How good is the education system?
Is our education system serving the purpose it is intended to serve? If you take note of the GCSEs (final exams for Young People at 16 years old) and ‘A’ level (final exams for Young People at 18/19 years old) results you would think it most definitely was; however when you listen to the critics, the story is different. They are claiming the exams are becoming easier and easier and they aren’t what they were in days gone by.
Whatever ‘in days gone by’ really means? All days have ‘gone by’ haven’t they? The inference here is there has been a ‘Golden Age’ of education; a view that is certainly miscued!
I’ve had the enjoyment of two wonderful daughters who have now grown into fine young women; also more recently my partner’s daughter is in the process of continuing her education at 6th Form College. I have also sat on governing bodies and Parent Teachers Association (PTA), I worked in Further Education Colleges for a number of years, so I have observed the behaviours of Young People from a number of different perspectives.
I have noticed that children enjoy their learning experience in their early years up to the start of High School (11 years old) then a change seems to place; what is it that happens when they go to High School. It has always been a mystery to me. When they’re at Primary school (up to 11 years old); the parents have a greater involvement; they are less embarrassed by the presence of their parents helping out at school and their behaviour seems less radical.
When we and our fore fathers experienced the education system, by that I mean prior to the 60s, compared with today it was relatively straight forward to be taught and prepared for life and the job that was more or less set in stone, bar a major hiccup. You went to school until you were 16 years old; when you left you either went onto ‘A’ levels (Advanced Level) study and university to study for a degree, followed an apprenticeship route or you took up a job without training. On the whole the majority of young people took one of these routes.
When I was being education in my younger years I can remember the words ‘boring’ and ‘bored’ being used on a number of occasions, probably even by yours truly. Later, I taught in a Further Education (FE) College for a number of years; it might be my perception but I was sure I was hearing the words ‘boring’ and ‘bored’ more often from the students than I’d heard before. Did these Young People not have an interest in self development? They didn’t seem to have much idea about goal setting or even keeping a journal diary.
There seemed to be an increase in these terms; ‘being bored’ or ‘this is boring’. If it is the case and things are becoming more boring, what’s the reason and what can be done to hold back the flow of boredom flooding our lives. Is it the school curriculum, is it the teacher’s attitudes, skills level or knowledge, is it the education system itself being so dated and behind the times, is it accommodating the needs of the young people.
If this is the case should we be listening more to these Young People in terms of why they are bored and what will stop them from becoming bored. I’m not for one minute suggesting we answer to their every whim but more of a discovery about each other with a genuine desire to find out about each others needs. Costly, yes I realise that; is it more costly than continuing with the current system and watching it’s decline as first the Young People and then the teachers become more and more disenchanted with it. This will then lead to paying lip service to the system requirements and monitoring processes required to ensure all the boxes are ticked.
When you consider how fast technology is changing in the world today and it is the Young People who are involved creating the demand for the change. This is despite the fact the world they are creating isn’t for them it’s for their children. A difficult concept for some people to grasp.
Consider the following:
We are teaching our children for a world we are currently living in; that’s the only world we know. They want to be taught for a world they will live in, however the world they need to be taught for is a world in which their children will live in. That’s how fast technology is moving and that’s why our children are bored at school and college. Oh yes some of them aren’t bored; of those some will cope with the changes as they appear and the others will struggle because they can’t cope. The school system is in need of a radical overall; after all it was design for the Victorian era and has since been added to, patch up, beaten and abused ever since. It’s time for a change for our children’s and their children’s sake.
Our teachers need all the help and support to prepare our Young People for their world and beyond, they need a system that works that they can work with. One that allows Young People to learn subjects and materials relevant to their world not the world we experienced. They are still in need of Personal Development Training that is appropriate for them with encouragement to follow a self growth programme.
Thank you for reading this post, please let me know what you think and share your experiences. While you’re here please take the time to sign up for the newsletter or alternatively you may prefer to subscribe for regular updates in your favourite reader or by email.
photo credit: woodleywonderworks
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