Education- Part ll

So what went wrong with our education system? Where did it start to fall? What caused our education system to corrupt into a mess of cramming information, memorization, and then test after test after test? Twelve years of testing has brought me to this point in life. A point where I can't get help with what I need because of acts passed by our government.

Our government did not corrupt the school system alone, but it has played a major role in it. Government involvement has its pros and cons in school systems. Schools use to rely on the government for fundings for programs, activities, and food. Now, the government has run dry of money to offer schools, and hardly any money can be given towards education.

The government has tried to assist our school systems by measuring the progress of students so that, "No Child," will be, "Left Behind." This was a great idea, but in practice fails horribly. It isn't that kids' aren't being left behind anymore, they just aren't noticed. This system merely masks the children who need help. It covers them up, so they will struggle all the way through school and never receive the help needed.

For those of you who claim that this never happens; I will share my testimony.

I struggle with reading comprehension, but can read fluently, and I am a great test taker. I needed help starting in elementary school, and at one point my parents noticed this. My parents are the type that will address the school when there is an issue. I am lucky for this because a lot of parents do not care enough, or will never notice that their child needs help. My parents went into the school and told them that I did not comprehend what I was reading.

Can you guess what they did? If you guessed that they pulled out my test records, you were correct. They said, "No, your daughter is doing well in school, she tests quite high; she does not need help." My parents fought for extra help for me for several years, but could not receive it because of my test records. The school fought back and even had me read aloud to people; they then informed my parents that I could read, "big words," very well and that I was a fluent reader. I was, "fine."

Test after test after test, here I am; my senior year, without help on my reading comprehension. I am preparing myself for the next level; one level that I probably won't be able to guesstimate through tests like I do now. I am worried, and quite scared. Do I want help? Yes. Do I need help? Yes. Can I get help? No.

This is only my testimony that standardize testing merely masks the kids who need help. More than half of these kids' who are, "hidden," don't have parents who will fight for them. The government has aided in hiding these children and they don't realize it.

We appreciate what little funding we are able to catch from the government. But is that little amount worth it when our education has been downgraded and lost its' true meaning? Our government seems to think that education is about how much information you can cram into a person and that the perfect student is like a computer. They inhale all this information, and then can spit it back at you. These, "computer-like," kids' get a whole bunch of money for being able to reciprocate information. They may not ever fully grasp the concept or be able to apply it to life, but as long as they can quote books and do the math problems, they are, "smart."

What about the kids' who can't take the information and just spit it at you? What about the kids' who have B's in school, but are actually learning? What do those kids' get? Yes, they'll make it into college, but with hardly any money or help from our government. Why? All because they're actually learning. The purpose of school systems has been lost. It's was an idea and concept that was great, but has lost all of its original roots.