Write a three to five page essay expressing your opinion ...



Same name, New concept

Schools have the potential to be such wonderful places I wouldn't like to see them disappear, but the school system as it is now I certainly hope doesn't exist in 20 years.

If only for practical reasons, I do believe schools will exist in 20 years and for that matter in 100 years. Maybe they will have other names and maybe they will not resemble at all what we presently call school. But if we think of schools as places where children meet daily while their parents work, I'd say it's more likely that these places survive than the alternatives of children going back to work, parents staying home or kids staying by themselves. I don't even include in the list children who are individually tutored because even though a minority chooses and will continue to choose this path, it doesn't address the needs of the many.

Even though the practical reason of needing child care is valid, it doesn’t explain the purpose of schooling. Parents and governments alike want the time children spend at school be used to learn what they deem relevant. This usually includes a set of skills as well as moral values.

With current numbers of children is hard to think of a way to provide schools to all without some kind of government support. Should it be this way? Has it always been like that? As far as I know public education exists in most, if not all, countries. Can schools serve the government’s interests and the children’s interests? At some deep level these interests seem to clash; for isn’t in the government interest that citizens accept the established order, follow the law and conform to the rules, and isn’t in the best interest of children to question these very same rules, law and order?

Ignoring these important questions that basically address the HOW I will now describe one possible WHAT.

Schools in 20 years could be places where children choose to go; meeting places to make friends, learn new things and have fun. Even if we call them schools they could be fundamentally different to what we call school today, with no admission process, no homework, no exams, no grades, no uniform, to begin with.

They could be staffed by very special people, very well prepared and very well paid. People able to reflect on daily events and plan ahead from there; people with different expertises who care about the community and enjoy learning from children. Children would be partners and would provide input in many decisions regarding the school, including rules and content. Schools would need to be in close contact with parents and community so that children could take full advantage of available resources.

Schools could be flexible but structured, offering diverse programs where children can participate in projects that are both interesting and meaningful for their community. Projects would vary in scope and duration and should require the commitment of children to make them happen; but children should be able to join a project only if they choose to do so.

Communication will be crucial in 20 years. Schools should have excellent channels to communicate internally and externally. Virtual environments will play a very important role in the future and schools could make great use of them. Physical presence will become more irrelevant for certain activities and schools will need to coordinate efforts with other schools around the world.

Schools could borrow many ideas from present schools, using them wisely and truly appropriating them to their particular situation. For example, it makes sense that all children acquire a basic set of skills useful for their time and place in history and that children are able to move from one school to another. Accepting that a fixed curriculum is not the only solution to this problem will probably give rise to an alternative that works with the new concept of school proposed.

A clear picture of what schools will look like will go against my vision. Maybe the first step to move toward better schools is to realize that we all should be part of the making of a new school and what comes out should reflect the particular communities involved.

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