With ongoing debates over secondary education policy, high school curriculum and teaching has taken a hit. Currently expected to teach specific classes to specific tests, many instructors feel limited in their ability to educate students beyond standardized assessments. Many have voiced opinions that students are not learning life skills, critical thinking, or creative learning necessary to succeed. As teachers and administrators express their thoughts, local governments should be responsible for listening and funding aspects of education curriculum that will impact as many children as possible in a positive manner. Yes, there is dispute over how this should be done, but if you take a journey through my high school, you will find some simple starting points.
It is not difficult to see the misuse of money in local schools. If you were to walk down the halls of my high school, the first thing you would notice is the class schedule for an average student. You would find courses such as “earth science” that explore different kinds of dirt and rocks, but none that teach personal finance. You would find basketball and indoor volleyball, but not resume writing. While there is nothing wrong with rocks or basketball, high schools are sending students out into universities, the military, and the work force with a lack of knowledge about how to interact with society or take care of personal matters. Current secondary students might be able to list the differences between minerals and igneous rock, but they fail to know how to build credit. How can the government approve of financing such gaps in education?
While what truly matters in life may be subjective, each individual sitting in an American public high school is going to have to pay taxes. They will need to know how to buy a place to live. The budget of the secondary education system should be reevaluated to ensure that each student has the best chance to succeed in whatever they do, and they are sure to get a lot further in life if they know about the managing of money instead of defining different kinds of dirt.