Reading Response 4

As I sit down in class and think about how the education system today is affecting our current students, I refer to my personal experience in the education system of America. I was a 3.2 GPA student who had the potential of going to most of the colleges I wanted. I had the mindset that I needed to go to college if I wanted the best job I could get. Every teacher and counsler fed my mind with the thought that if I didn't continue my education I would not have a job. So I settled for Western Washington University. When I arrived at the University it was nothing like I expected. There were huge class sizes of one hundred students, professors I never talked too even though I took their class, and set schedules of what I had to do at what time I had to do it. Truthfully, I felt lost at the University and it was a place where I didn't want to be; I soon dropped out of the university. After that experience, the only thing I could do was find a job and work. After working for two years, I realized that working in a factory was something I didn't want to do. What I wanted to do was get a real education, and I wanted to aquire an education with a real desire to do so.
Americas education system today is very flawed, but the truth is that the education system is meant to create consumers and not educated individuals. It can be seen in our country as well as other countries that education systems are based around generalized schooling. In his article "Against School" by John Taylor, Taylor maintains that schooling is not meant to create creative individuals, but more easier to manage individuals who fear punishment. As Taylor proclaims "The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States... and that is its aim everywhere else". Basically, Taylor is stateing that it is the governments intent to create a standarized schooling system which takes students and teach them how to become their version of what a citizen should be. This can be seen by looking at what our education system makes students do. Actions like providing lettered grades to students,assigning class schedules, and punishing students who don't follow these tasks. These examples can help fortify the notion that our students today are basically being told how to live their lives and how to act according to school. Now some might not think that school is that imposing on a students character or train of thought. What those people need to realize that students are put through an education system throughout there whole childhood. Essentially a child is like a sponge growing up and they soak up information, experiences, and teachings which in turn helps create their character and attitude. Whether it is liked or not the education system today is molding the children of the future.
I believe there needs to be a change in the current education system. I believe the whole education system needs to be replaced with one that infulences creativity and individualism. My experiences and the readings of John Taylor help me realize that the education system is influential to our children and it is the governments intent to make it that way. A country with creative individuals is a far different country then a country with mindless consumers. The real question is who is going to do something about it?