Achieving a More Flexible School System by Angelina

Achieving a More Flexible School System by Angelina - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

In Taiwan, students in high school are given the option to choose between a STEM-focused or humanities-focused curriculum. This gives them the opportunity to choose a specific set of classes that they’re truly passionate about. I hope that the United States would be able to implement an education system similar to Taiwan’s.

Typically, American public school education is very inflexible and restricts their students from discovering or following their passions. Most school systems have a very rigid 6-block schedule where students are dismissed by the bell, contributing to the institutionalized feeling of the school. Additionally, many students are forced to take classes that have nothing to do with what they want to study in the future for the sake of completing graduation credits. For example, a student who hates math but is required to take four years won’t feel passionate; it would waste their time. Students having more flexibility with their classes and being given the freedom to choose what they want to study would make them more excited to learn.

Furthermore, schools should not have 6 hours of classes where students have to learn so much new material. Instead, classes should end earlier in order to give students to apply what they learned in the real world. Instead of hours of mind-numbing homework that teach students nothing but how to follow directions, I believe students should have that time to get internships or explore the real world. Moreover, I believe that schools should facilitate creative environments where students are free to study subjects that make them genuinely excited. Without the pressure of satisfying graduation requirements, students are more open to exploring. This could be done by using an open curriculum; a list of available courses is given to students and they could choose the ones that spark the most interest.

However, implementing all of these new changes currently rest on the politicians throughout the country. Unfortunately, due to extreme partisanship, these policymakers treat education as a tool for their own political agenda or to push their own ideologies. For example, in Texas, a number of education officials are debating whether or not to change the word “slavery” to “involuntary relocation.” “Involuntary relocation” serves as a euphemism and enables the education system to avoid hard topics and the systemic racism that is a core part of American society. Additionally, public schools should not be funded by the surrounding neighborhood’s property taxes. This is because poor or historically redlined communities would not be given the same educational opportunities as others who had benefitted from these discriminatory institutions.

A strong education system is one that emphasizes the students and gives them the opportunity to discover their passions and career paths.