A school might be a sizable structure with several classrooms or simply one room where individuals can learn new things. A perfect school should include all the amenities, including tutoring centers, computer laboratories, and libraries, to mention a few. These amenities will assist students in passing exams, learning new material, and enhancing their overall happiness and comfort. Students who are happy in school do better academically and are more likely to stay in school. Ideal schools should be welcoming, offer excellent facilities and labs, and focus their instruction on the interests of the pupils.
In the modern multicultural society, most individuals either attend homeschooling programs or continue their education from the first through twelfth grades, and so on. Any location where a person or group of people may learn might be considered a school. The person always belongs to a specific knowledge group in contemporary society. The methods used to establish these segmentations include test scores and degree of expertise. Even though it may not be the best justification for opening a school, most people still discuss it. Although not all pupils are proficient test-takers, many have highly-developed competencies in other areas. Their abilities are consistently undervalued because of the segmentation, which causes them to fall behind. Most school systems do not offer extracurricular activities or classes that might assist one’s skills growth. Since everything in today’s world is a business, these people must pay extra for those activities.
This segregation of society based on schools is a significant problem that should be depleted in establishing a perfect school. In the article by Anyon (73), it was found that low-income families attend schools that rarely focus on the development of their students. Namely, these schools approach education by establishing a clear right or wrong answer system where students are rarely encouraged to explore the ideas behind calculations and must follow teachers’ instructions (Anyon 75). Simultaneously, elitist schools for high-income families focus on group tasks and interactive education, allowing students to share their opinions and encouraging discussions (Anyon 80). These schools approach education by focusing on knowledge, acquiring necessary skills, and developing a strong personality and mentality. This approach should stand in every school as the quality of education should be equalized in the ideal school environment.
The issue of separation at schools is relevant in contemporary democratic education. The separation by income causes various bridges in developing a strong mentality and could cause inferiority complexes among children. The elite schools provide a safe and peaceful environment for nourishing young minds, but this is not the case that can be seen everywhere. In low-income schools, the method of teaching is drastically less effective. There are various reasons starting from inexperienced teachers and ending with low support for the school facilities (Unequal Opportunities). This could be seen from the example of Anyon’s working-class schools.
The teaching method based on right or wrong is not enough for many students, which could cause the issue of dropping out as students become less interested in education. However, the consequences of dropping out are tragic for each student as the job market of the contemporary world rarely facilitates such people (Darling-Hammond 208). It provides less than a 33% chance of getting a job (Darling-Hammond 208). This is a critical issue that may lead to an increase in crime rates and diminishment in the quality of life, affecting students’ survival in the harsh adult world.
However, the problem of education does not end with the methodology. In the essay of AnzaldĂşa, she mentions various difficulties and challenges that were imposed on her due to her cultural background and accent. The diminishment of self-esteem and mental health and the build-up of anger from social isolation is still prominent in many schools (AnzaldĂşa). Languages vary, and prejudice based on a person’s linguistic ability might result in personality problems (AnzaldĂşa). Her experience demonstrates that schools need to intervene in facilitating a safe environment. The school environment does not end with the provision of books and high-tech equipment. It needs to educate students on the prospects of diversity and tolerance. Language variety, accent, race, and sex should not be imposed on children as a pretext for bullying or worse. Therefore, the ideal school needs to explore solutions starting from primary education to the promotion of close interaction activities to facilitate mutual understanding and growth.
An ideal school should be able to have a well-established library that is well-organized, has current literature, and is well-established. Libraries are necessary for students’ assignments and further study to promote learning activities. Because they have various books available to them at all times and after having read many of them, some people may even come to like writing and reading. A perfect school should also have computer laboratories and tutoring facilities. Computers and the internet can be used to achieve almost anything today. More research may be done online, and some projects can even be completed there. Students who are having problems can speak with peers who are more knowledgeable about their issues directly. A tutoring center now takes over since some courses, including arithmetic and other tasks, cannot be adequately presented online. Students should be able to schedule direct lectures from subject matter experts who are qualified to instruct them.
However, some parents and kids believe that the price of all these amenities and programs is not worth it. However, it is possible to argue that such notions are based on ignorance from parents and children who attend school merely for the sake of recognition and diploma, not knowledge. Schools that provide large libraries and additional facilities such as robotics classes are necessary for extended exposure of students to various fields of professional practice. The instruments used in such classes act as inspiration. They instigate the early development of personalities and help to motivate and encourage the choice of high-profile scientific, art, and sports careers.
Additionally, a perfect school would teach pupils how to improve their cognitive talents as well as professional growth. Contemporary schools are often built with careers in mind. Teachers do not educate pupils on how to survive on their own; instead, they teach them how to operate in a specific vocation. Society’s conditions will not change until children are taught how to pick their own route, raise doubts, and conduct more research on their own. Because everyone attends and is taught how to work in established firms, new ideas and products will not be generated. The wealthy are now getting richer, while the poor are becoming poorer. This occurs as a result of the affluent person’s control over all the creative brains, which increases their revenue.
It seems that pupils could become unemployed in the near future if they are not educated with a particular career in mind. Due to the way they were raised, this is now a concern for the majority of kids. If pupils are taught how to take risks, this issue or idea may be disproved. As an illustration, it is possible to introduce a theoretical scenario of career-intended teaching. All pupils are divided according to their study of the arts and sciences beginning in ninth grade. Students that excel in liberal arts courses like economics, history, English literature, philosophy, and others go on to become managers, teachers, professors, and company owners, among other professions. However, individuals who excel in biology, chemistry, and physics go on to become scientists and earn the most money.
Teachers also need to be well-trained and qualified in their positions in order for a school to be deemed ideal. A good teacher will always be able to recognize and assist students who are having difficulty. The size of the class is another important consideration. Both students and teachers find it challenging to maintain control in overcrowded, extensive courses. The majority of those seated in the back had unsatisfactory marks. Some of it was due to their constant dozing and lack of attention during class lectures. Some students’ poor marks were caused by their inability to see the board or hear the lecturers.
In conclusion, the concept of a perfect school would have to accommodate an environment that will promote learning, safety, and peaceful interaction between students. Various facilities such as large libraries, additional extracurricular classes, and equipment are essential for an extensive promotion of learning and development of students as individuals. It should address the division of students by income level. In other words, provide an environment that will prevent class segregation. In addition, the school needs to teach students the necessary skills to survive in this world and encourage self-studying and development.
Works Cited
Anyon, Jean. “Social class and the hidden curriculum of work.” The Journal of Education, vol. 162, no. 1, 1980, pp. 67–92. JSTOR. Web.
AnzaldĂşa, Gloria. How to tame a wild tongue. na, 1987.
Darling-Hammond, Linda. “Inequality in teaching and schooling: How opportunity is rationed to students of color in America.” BD Smedley, AY Stith, L. Colburn, C. & H. Evans (Eds.), The right thing to do—The smart thing to do (2001): 208-233.
“Unequal Opportunities: Fewer Resources, Worse Outcomes for Students in Schools with Concentrated Poverty.” The Commonwealth Institute, 2021. Web.