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Introduction

Education has always been touted as one of the most crucial aspects that any individual can have in his entire life. This is because it is almost always tied to the quality or standard of living of an individual. It goes without saying that it has become a fundamental aspect for any child in America. In fact, it would be quite rare to come across a child who has not gone through the education system, at least in the developed world. In essence, education imparts heavily on the life of an individual, both in the present and future. However, questions have on numerous occasions been raised as to the appropriateness of the current education system. Education has always rested on two pillars; what is taught, and how it is taught. These doubts revolve around the question as to whether the existing education system has been having a desirable effect on students. Is the system molding them in a manner that would give desirable results? I would agree with John Holt that the current school system is inappropriate for children. In fact, the result of this school system is the half-baked, unmanageable and irrational students described by Judith Warner in “The Why-Worry Generation”. Judith’s article and John Holt’s “School Is Bad for Children” underline the notion that the current education system is broken and is in dire need of reforms. In my opinion, the call for reforms in the education system is desirable.

In the essay, Holt states that young students get into the educational system as a curious, determined, energetic, patient and skillful learner (Holt, 2). However, the educational system teaches the student that learning is separate from living. In addition, he is taught that he cannot be trusted to learn on his own. The educational system only aims at teaching the student the knowledge as it knows it, without considering the fundamental aspects of the child such as his likes and preferences, his previous experiences and knowledge (Holt, 3). He, therefore, learns to suppress his curiosities as the teacher is not there to clear them. This gives the child the impression that he is supposed to be a passive learner rather than an active one. This method of learning is inappropriate as it teaches the kid that he is learning simply for the sake of an impressive report card (Jones, 6). It has bred the misconception that education kicks off with the first ring or a bell and ends at graduation. This undermines the fact that knowledge education is a process that is not confined in the classroom, not to mention the fact that it should be a lifelong process (Jones, 7).

The results or products of this system of education are students who are outlined in Judith’s article. These are students who are so full of themselves that they afford to turn down certain jobs as too lowly for them, even as people in older generations worry about sustaining their jobs or even about being retrenched. They are unmanageable and cannot take criticism from anybody (Warner, 2). Their parents are overly involved in their lives thereby making them profoundly narcissistic, as well as devoid of a sense of agency (Warner, 3). She notes that the graduates believe that perfect jobs are there and that they are perfectly fit for them. Scholars opine that this emanate from the fact that the education system has always taught them that all they need is to get As in their exams, and they will be fully equipped to handle the world (Jones, 17). This creates a potential for an enormous downfall for these students as they are not fully equipped with skills that can be applied in the real world.

As much as the remedies that Holt suggests are radical, they are necessary for the reformation of the education system. He underlines the importance of eliminating the classroom environment as it is now. It is imperative that professionals from various fields interact with students so that they can impart real-life lessons pertaining to the various careers. This would impart in the students some knowledge that is applicable in real-life situations rather than book knowledge that is only applicable in theory and not in real-life. I believe that this would work for the children as it is tantamount to a progressive model of education, where the child would be an active participant in the lessons that he undertakes (Jones, 23). In this case, the child is bound to grasp more information, which would stick for longer in his brain. In addition, such a setting would arouse the curiosities of the child, thereby letting him learn through experience. Lessons learnt in this way have been shown to stick longer and amount to knowledge (Jones, 25). In addition, children should be allowed to work together. Such opportunities would impart valuable lessons in them as they would teach each other, learn from each other, as well as from each other’s mistakes (Holt, 11). He opines that children learn best from their own peers, not to mention the fact that such opportunities present a chance for them to form partnerships and socialize with other children. The key foundation of this measure is that it allows for active participation, and is not one-sided.

Works cited

Holt, John. School is bad for children. Saturday Evening Post, 1969. Retrieved 2nd October 2, 2012 from HYPERLINK “http://www.rougeforum.org/newspaper/winter2003/HoltJohn1969.htm” http://www.rougeforum.org/newspaper/winter2003/HoltJohn1969.htm

Warner, Judith. The Why-Worry Generation. The New York Times, 2010. Retrieved 2nd October 2012 from HYPERLINK “http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30fob-wwln-t.html?_r=0” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30fob-wwln-t.html?_r=0

Jones, Ken. Beyond progressive education. New York: Macmillan, 1983. Print