Leppla 1

School Is A Chore

By Zannah Leppla
EDUC 275-006

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The purpose of schooling started out as a way to educate children on the
very basics of math, reading, and writing. As America grew in population and
technology, schooling grew as well. These days, schools have become a form of
babysitting for the children and a test for the teachers. The goal is for students to
prepare for a successful career through the guidance of teachers, or as Michael
Peterson says, to create workers who have skills and personal styles to fill and
perform available jobs (Peterson, 2009). Due to certain rules and regulations (No
Child Left Behind being one of them), though, this goal has been lost. Students
see school as an obstacle, or a chore, instead of a stepping stone. Teachers are
given unfair expectations, and punished when they are unable to meet them.
Schools have become a nuisance to almost everyone involved because of this.
Way back when America was still learning to stand on its own, schools
consisted of one stuffy room crammed full of boys and girls of varying ages, and
one teacher. The students were plentiful, and the teacher was underprepared and
untrained (Noah Webster House & West Hartford Society, n.d.). These days, we
are blessed with big, climate controlled classrooms and multiple, trained teachers
for different subjects. Its baffling to think that despite the advancement of
technology and depth of education, the treatment of students is still lagging
behind. Even with the vast trove of knowledge we have on child development, not
much has changed to accommodate that in the classroom. Kids are told that they
are unique from the minute they enter this world, but as soon as they enter the
classroom, its a constant battle to become just like everyone else. Every student

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has to score the same in every subject, and if a student stands out in any way,
they are ostracized.
If the goal is to prepare students for a successful career, then schools
should focus on the individual student. Instead of grading the school as a whole,
and punishing those who fall behind, schools should grade the individual student
on progress, and offer help for those who fall behind. Children have an innate
need to learn, which is often killed in a school setting (Holt, 1995). Instead of
requiring basic skills like math, reading, and writing, schools should offer them for
those who are ready to learn. Even students who dislike certain subjects will learn
them under certain circumstances. For example, I dislike math. However, I
learned the basics in order to accurately measure and plan my artwork. Because
it holds meaning for me, I can easily learn and retain the information for longer
periods. This is why we remember seemingly useless information on a daily basis.
If a child cares enough about something, they will be willing to do anything to
expand that information (CollegeAtlas.org, n.d.).
As a teacher, my goal will be to help students find their passion. As an art
teacher, I will most likely run into students who would prefer to do something
other than art. My job will be to connect art to the subject the student is interested
in, and make them feel like their passion is worth pursuing.
Schooling continues the cultural, political, social, economic, and
environmental order by producing competent members of society. When
successful, schools release their students into the adult world as humans
capable of upholding the rules already set in place, and ensuring that the

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community in which they belong doesnt collapse. When successful, schooling
provides students with the fundamentals needed to succeed in society: basic
math, reading, and writing skills, as well as social skills and a web of
acquaintances, friends, and potential employers. The existing order is a
complicated structure, and schooling provides students with the knowledge and
skills in order to keep that structure from falling apart.
When successful, schooling also provides students with the opportunity to
expand the structure of the existing order. Students are encouraged to question
the ideals of the existing order, and strive to improve them. Students can also use
the ideals set in place to fight for a whole new set of rules. When successful,
schools produce students who will not act as sheep and only follow the rules
already in place, but who will work towards improving them and transforming the
existing order into something closer to ideal.

Bibliography
CollefeAtlas.org. (n.d.). How To Retain Information. Retrieved from College Atlas:
http://www.collegeatlas.org/how-to-retain-information.html
Holt, J. (1995). How Children Fail.
Noah Webster House & West Hartford Society. (n.d.). Kids Corner Colonial Schools.
Retrieved from https://www.noahwebsterhouse.org/discover/kids-corner/colonialschools.htm

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Peterson, M. (2009). The purpose of schools. Retrieved from
http://www.wholeschooling.net/WS/WSPrncples/WS%200%20purpose
%20schls.html