Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. Then boom. Found another one. A video on how our school system wasn’t doing enough. The idea intrigued me. As a student, I believed it was my responsibility to evaluate my school. I clicked on the video, my curiosity stirring. Click. Tap. Play. The video started rolling. My focus turned to the speech being presented. Five minutes pass. Then ten. Time seemed to slow for a moment. I frown, my mind swarming with thoughts, like as if bees were buzzing around in my brain. Each one calling for attention. The video ends, and I start to sort out my thoughts. Click. Scroll. I scan each comment, interested in the viewpoints of all responders, whether positive or negative. After reading a few comments and feeling unsatisfied with the information I was given, I put my phone down momentarily and gazed up at the clock. I had another twenty minutes to spare before I had to go.
I sighed and thought back to the TED Talk. It had presented some new ideas and some good points, like how our school systems challenged us academically and did not nurture our talents. The US education system was being compared to Finland’s prized education system, the greatest, apparently, in the world. Most commenters agreed that our education system wasn’t doing enough to feature our own talents. But did I?
I thought about the comparison between Finland’s school system and the American school system. It sure seemed like everyone agreed that the American school system was inferior to Finland’s. Finland's education system, as stated, is less stressful, with only two standard tests during their entire primary and secondary schooling, and the children only spend an average of two hours on homework daily compared to the six hours American students muddle through. Instead of burdening students and parents with college dept and loans, college in Finland is free. It was stated in a Stanford news report on January 20, 2012, “Finnish students have ranked at or near the top of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) ever since testing began in 2000. In the most recent assessment taken in 2009, they ranked sixth in math, second in science and third in reading. By comparison, U.S. students ranked 30th, 23rd and 17th, respectively, of the 65 tested countries/economies.”
Through my own experience, I knew school wasn’t for naught. Although many of interests can’t be achieved through traditional schooling, school helps prepare students for what’s ahead and prepares them for the workforce right when they leave college.