Changes for the future kids of America by Ashleigh

Changes for the future kids of America by Ashleigh - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

Education is a very good thing but nothing is perfect. Educated people are who help keep the world running and push us all to improve in every way we can. The problem is, our education system we currently have is flawed and underfunded in certain areas. Certain problems are often overlooked or pushed aside, making them not seem all that important. Within the next decade, hopefully the problems with underfunding, bullying, and drug usage will greatly decrease or even be fixed completely.

The biggest problem for many schools is that they focus most of their money on athletics to draw more students to their school in order to make more money creating a cycle. This then leaves smaller educational classes and other afterschool activities with little to no funding at all. Kids in the band have to constantly find ways to bring in money for new music and trips. Theater groups are given a small amount of money for a script and often have to choose between a well known play and cheap props or a less popular play and good props and costumes. Smarter kids are constantly classified as nerds as teased or even ridiculed instead of being able to go to a higher level class to help develop their intellect to an even higher amount. Even less popular sports teams can struggle because they must prove they are good before the school will give them any money for any equipment they might need. Events such as bake sales and other fundraisers are common at school because a class or team needs money for certain activities. So why doesn’t the school put together more fundraisers in order to improve old school equipment or replace books ready to fall apart from overuse and care for both popular and unpopular kids needs.

Bullying is an extreme problem, it always has been. Unfortunately kids commonly never want to tell the teachers because no real action is taken. In fact, it often leads to the bully being more relentless because the victim snitched on them. But kids shouldn’t have to be the ones to report the bullying. Security cameras are commonly found inside and outside schools for everyone’s safety. If the cameras were actively monitored, the person watching should be able to catch them in the act and take action immediately. Schools seem to try to not expel children unless absolutely necessary but bullying is no laughing matter. A few anti bullying posters put up in the hallways is not going to stop a bully from antagonizing someone but the threat of expulsion might.

Another concerning issue is the use of drugs. While schools can’t stop highschoolers from drinking at a party and creating fake ID’s to sneak into clubs, it’s not hard to tell when someone is high. They more than likely have red and droopy eyes, sudden mood changes, or you can just smell it on them. Most teachers can most likely already recognise these signs and if not it is easy to learn them. When, not if, a kid is caught, send them to the office and search their bags. The usage of drugs is a major problem for many highschoolers and are at an easy age to be manipulated. If the faculty became more vigilant with such matters, maybe a big difference can be made. Many times, an addiction was neve meant to happen, it was only going to be a one time thing. The helping hand from a caring teacher could be exactly what they need.

While those three issues are the main and most known ones, that isn't to say there aren’t others out there. Every school is different and has its own issues. But as a whole, underfunding, bullying, and drugs are the biggest problematic causes. Education will always be important, so let’s do everything we can to keep it the best it can be.