What changes do you hope to see in education over the next 10 years by Christa

What changes do you hope to see in education over the next 10 years by Christa - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

Education continues to change the world, and it’s important that everyone is given the proper education and equal opportunities to succeed, as this will help advance our society. Unfortunately, the education system lacks patience and accommodations for students with learning disabilities. The changes I hope to see in the education system over the next 10 years include: educating students and teachers about learning disabilities; and education about how to handle these disabilities in a learning and/or work environment.

I was diagnosed with ADHD at seven years old. I didn't get any accommodations (my 504 plan) until I was in middle school, and I remember feeling like it wasn’t helpful. Before every test a teacher would come in and escort me out of the room to take my test in the library, which felt really embarrassing in front of all the other kids. In classroom settings it was very difficult to keep up with the lessons, and if I failed I'd risk getting called out by my teacher for “not paying attention” or being “lazy” because I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the class. In a recent article from, (Jacobson,n.d, child mind institute, paragraph 5), “If a student constantly has to be reminded what to do next, you might think he’s not paying attention, but it could be a sign that he’s having difficulty with what’s called “working memory” — holding, processing and building on new information.” This is a common issue for kids with learning disorders.

Because of issues similar to this one, I found myself not speaking up in classroom settings or not trying to actively participate with other students due to fear of looking stupid or doing my school projects outside of school due to not undertstanding material in class. I would be afraid to inform my teachers I had ADHD, and they would treat me like I was incapable of functioning. In a recent article from (August 10th 2021, Abbey neuropsychology clinic Logo), “Shyer kids, especially ones with learning disabilities, may have more difficulty making friends than extroverted peers. Their shyness can be so much of an issue that they hesitate to participate in school activities”.

In 2019, it was calculated that twenty percent of individuals in the United States have learning disabilities, and those are only people who’ve been diagnosed. Yet the lack of knowledge regarding learning disabilities in the education environment causes many problems. No student with any learning disability should have to jump through hoops just to feel accommodated and understood. This is a widely known problem, yet it needs to be addressed more.

Alternatively if this problem is fixed we as a society could move forward and more students can learn instead of being scared of education and missing out on opportunities. I hope the next 10 years this issue can be changed.