Life Class! by Robert

Life Class! by Robert - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

Life. This is ultimately the thing that school is supposed to prepare their students for. Math, science, English and writing, are hugely important fields of study that are necessary for students to function in society. Subjects such as foreign language are also becoming increasingly more critical in such a globalized workforce. Being bilingual is an enticing skill to have within competitive job markets. While it is true that schools, as they function now, teach students important skills necessary to live a good life. Some of the areas in which schools can be improved are teaching students relevant skills that are vital to maintaining a comfortable living and also personalizing a life skills class that is adapted to the types of careers that the students want to find for themselves. Having a specialized learning plan, in tandem with the statewide standards, might capture the student’s attention and keep them engaged in the educational process, while also giving them specialized skills that would aid them in finding jobs out of high school.

When talking about teaching students skills that are relevant to maintaining a comfortable living, I am speaking about teaching students to know their society around them. In a 2015 Youtube video entitled Don’t Stay in School, Youtube vlogger Boyinaband, also known as Dave, recited a musical rap detailing all the things that he learned in school, while also highlighting all of the things that he did not learn. Learning about things like taxes, stocks, investing, having financial stability and other practical, real-world knowledge that will affect a student post-high school or college are extremely important. Teaching students how to buy a house or how much they should expect to pay in rent is critical, because these things are going to affect many of them as soon as they go off to college or into the workforce. Young people do not just turn into adults once they reach the legal ages of eighteen or twenty-one, there should be a transition period where schools integrate the things that will be expected from them once they become a part of the greater society. The Youtube video made by Dave has since gone on to be viewed three million times over the course of six months. It has received acclaim from students and teachers alike. One young student even reported that students at her school passed the video to teachers and they have been able to incorporate more of these practical teachings into their lesson plans. This is a great example of how teachers actually listen to their students and take their wants into consideration.

Additionally, many schools usually use a one-size-fits-all type of lesson plan to teach their students with little regard for the way the student actually learns. Moreover, lesson plans are drawn up to fulfill the state standard, but little focus is given to actually understanding each student and what their personal goals are in life. Developing a personalized education plan that takes into consideration the student’s life goals post-schooling may actually keep students engaged in the learning process. For example, my goal is to be a screenwriter. It would have been such a great opportunity for me to be exposed to the lifestyle of screenwriters by completing an internship. Not only would I have seen the practical uses of English and writing outside of a class setting, but I would have been even more engaged inside of my English classes; not to mention that many jobs require collected amounts of experience before they hire new employees. By sending students into internship programs where they see the real-world practice of the things that they are learning in schools forces them to take the subject matter more seriously, it gives them much needed experience that would make them more appealing in the job market, and it keeps them engaged in the learning process.

There are many things that schools are doing right, and they should very much be acknowledged about them. However, there are a few areas in which schools could be improved. Integrating a class of transition studies that in essence teaches kids how to be adults is something that could really help. Also, listening to the students and taking into consideration the things that they want to do in their future establishes trust and a wantonness to learn.