Dawson, Stephanie. (2009). Early Education

Where individuals go in their lives is decided greatly by their childhood experiences. Increased interest in higher education can only be attained through a greater interest in learning. With positive learning experiences, a person is more likely to want and go on to achieve a college education.

The classroom is not the only place that a child may learn. President Obama argues that, "the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom," however America requires well rounded individuals. For instance, wisdom, hope, and love are things that are crucial to successful human beings based on our culture but that cannot be achieved in the classroom. To say that students will learn more if they go to school longer is not necessarily true; there must be a balance. Also, criteria for what is considered “smart” evolve on their own. For example, Americans today are not learning the same information as they were in the 1950s. This is because of the emergence of new technologies and the development of other ways to learn. Television, the Internet, computer programs, and radio are all new ways of learning that did not exist previously. Furthermore, not only are these new technologies, they also work on a massive and unprecedented scale. With the emergence of these teaching technologies, it is not necessary to extend the school year, which will only give a bad learning experience starting at a much earlier age. These forms of technology exist outside the classroom as a way to both entertain and teach. A child is much more likely to learn if they actually enjoy it and not view going to school as a job. Taking away a child’s freedom to actually be a child is not a successful means to a desirable end. Of course parents and leaders want to see their children grow up smarter but a person is only a child once. One has to allow a child to grow up with their own individuality intact and at their own pace. Forcing them to do so will not create the positive outcome foreseen by lawmakers.

A lack of awareness of the necessity of some sort of upper level education exists among young people. This is due, in part, to teachers not preparing students for the future. The most influential time in a person’s life occurs at a young age. Elementary education and experiences impact a person in deciding who they will become and can shape a person’s attitude for school. Merely increasing school days is not the way to enhance a child’s love for learning. Year-round school is a depressing thought that will quickly drain students of the love and wonder of learning but will more importantly drain them of their freedom. By the time most people are juniors and seniors in high school, they are sick of going to school. If time in school were doubled, as in longer days and a year-round school calendar, junior high level students would feel the monotony that is experienced by upper-classmen. The way to increase interest is not by forcing it upon someone. Increased interest comes from the ability of teachers to connect to their students. Teacher quality is a direct link to better educational performance and an overall better experience in elementary level education can lead to greater numbers of students interested in attending college or training school. Children can tell when teachers do not enjoy their jobs, which doesn’t do much to encourage a child to be successful. The way to achieve higher numbers of people seeking an upper-level education is to start appealing to and motivating elementary school children and not waiting until high school to push a person into wanting to attend college. Not by pounding general information into a student, but by greatly increasing teacher quality. Another factor that can increase educational interest is vocational high schools. Many young people have an idea of what they want to be “when they grow up” so allowing them to pursue that goal while still working on basic areas of education. Vocational education can allow young adults to feel like they have a choice in what they wish to do after high school.

With the goal of increasing the level of students attending a college or training school, the way to achieve this is through raising the quality of teachers and teaching requirements. Students must learn to be successful on their own, not by being forced into it.