High School Graduate: Serial No. N0T-R34DY-F0R-L1F3
January 19, 2014 Assumptions 11 comments ZFisher14
Consider for a moment that schools resemble factories. Just think about it. Schools are separated into departments that specialize in different areas of intelligence. The average day is split into shifts separated by an alarm or “the bell”. The product that the school manufactures, is educated students. These students are separated into “batches” by their age, as though their date of manufacture is what matters the most. Each and every student is examined to be sure they meet the standards that the school has for each product. Why is the educational system like this? To answer that, we must go back to where the educational system in America began.
The modern school system was developed in the late nineteenth century around the same time great factories were being erected and America was becoming an exporting powerhouse. This point in history has a very famous name to describe it: the dawn of industrialization. With factories in great need of skilled laborers, the school system was created in the successful attempt to output an education workforce. Most students at the time never even sought to finish secondary education unless they pursued a career in medicine or law. As factories were created like weeds grow in a field, there was an aggressive demand for laborers with a very basic education. That is why the school system resembles a factory because in the glorious birth of industry, students were just a raw material in need of manufacturing to become its product, the skilled laborer, a necessary material for the success of the nation.
We are left now with an educational system long since outdated. No longer is the United States an industrial powerhouse and no longer is the factory the average graduate’s statistical future. We now live in a world of true career opportunity. Male or female, anyone can become whatever they desire to be. However, they are limited by the very school that manufactures them. There is no demand for skilled factory workers yet the school still resembles the demand to mass produce batches of students. In today’s world, the education system needs more individualization and more individual standards. What the outdated system does is limits our students by giving them basic information. While basic information is necessary it is no longer enough in this world.
“Batches” of students are not necessary as we now know a fourth grader can be infinitely smarter than a high school senior when the world of today has numerous definitions of the word “smart”.
Educated no longer has a set definition in this country as there is no single career to enter into. This world of opportunity must combine with an educational system of opportunity. A system that further increases one’s individual strengths, and provides special attention to those standards seen as weak in comparison is what we must move towards. This new system must provide room for personalization because everyone is different in their own way. Since graduates are no longer all headed for the same career, this new system must provide room for each and every student to find their direction in life and take the educational path to accelerate them in the proper educational direction. Until then, we sit in class, gaining knowledge that will be irrelevant in our careers, wasting our time, the instructors time, and creating students lesser than their true potential.
Featured Image: “~249/365~ Not For Sale” by Wade Langley @ flickr
11 Comments
Wow Z, this just made my brain really think. I never really thought of schools being like this until you explained it all out. The idea that the school resembles a factory is completely genius and I would of never thought of it. I especially like “Each and every student is examined to be sure they meet the standards that the school has for each product” because if we don’t meet the standards then both the school and the individual fails. The article is a huge eye opener.
This was really interesting! I never really thought that schools were like a factory. It really makes sense! We are working on a switch in education (Mass Customized Learning). Do you think that this will be the change that the nation needs in order to make education more relevant?
I can totally agree with you on many points. I’d certainly find many aspects of my education more interesting/important if they had relevancy to my life’s future, and would also love the option of more suitable classes. I wish schools would just keep what works and get rid of what doesn’t.
Also, what would you think about classes that are actually related to life itself made available? I feel as though a combination of economical/financing/parenting/job future/career planning/education planning in a single course would be effective, basically moving “freshman essentials” to “senior essentials”. After all, I’d like to know how to pay bills or what it takes to be a father, but alas don’t.
You did a great job writing this piece! It really made me think and school is like a factory. I never thought of it that way before.
This is one of those ideas that makes my head spin! It’s completely true, our educational system is long overdue for a makeover. One that supplies every individual student with their own personal path to success. Learning is not the same for everyone; some people learn better listening, while others have to see things. Often times students are wasting their time in class learning about a subject that after they receive the credit for, can just forget about it and pretend it never happened. I believe in exposure classes to discover who is interested in the subject, however, after one figures out what path they want to proceed in life, only the classes that will help advance their knowledge on that particular subject should have to be taken. In a graduating class almost every student goes off to do something nothing like the other, why should we all be learning the same material?
This was very imaginative, and made me view school from a whole different perspective. I never really thought about school be a factory, with different devisions, and batches. This piece really caught my attention. Nicely written!
First thing’s first, oh my goodness.. wow! I never thought of school as a factory until after reading your piece. But truthfully, school is exactly like a factory. We’re all our own people, and will all go off to do our own things after graduation. So, why is the education system so generalized? It’s not helping out any of us with our futures, which makes it all a waste of time. Maybe some of us will go into the same kind of field, but typically we’ll all be doing our own things in a career that we favor. None of us should be treated 100% the same because none of us are the same. I totally agree that it is time for something new!
The fact that school is really like a factory blew my mind. What caused you to think that? I’ve been wondering for a long time, why we learn some of things we learn. Although, even though the educational system is so generalized, how are they suppose to create different schools to learn about different careers, when they can barely manage the schools we have now? When you talk about something new, why do you think they can do? I do believe that it is time to try something different. I don’t think everyone’s class requirements should be the same, but vary depending on their career choice; but then, you have many students, who don’t know what they want to be, so that’s when they can make up a class requirements for all the students that are undecided until they find out what it is they want to do. Also, I think 4 years is a long time to learn and take classes that have nothing to do with your career. Maybe less years? This is a topic that could create much controversy! It’s is a well written piece!
After reading this, it made me see the almost exact resemblance of High Schools to factories. It is interesting to think about High School that way because it is completely true. I too believe that the school system should be completely customized around what the students wants to do in life rather than the complete basics of everything and then go on to what they really want to learn later on in College. The only problem with that is what if a student decides to change his or her career path?
This is very nicely written ! I never thought about school this way, it really is like a factory. I think that we really should go toward what we need to get done as individuals and not what we need done as a whole. Everyone has their own career that they want to go into. This has really opened my eyes.