Melissa (mom):
"I think that my main issue with the way schools are run today is that schools have replaced a large part of the curriculum with preparation for high stakes testing. I think that letting these tests become the focus of American education is the absolute wrong direction to go in."
Marty (dad):
"As an artistic person by personality, and by trade, I think that the lack of art and music programs in schools today are making students less likely to become creative, because they don't have the chance to explore art in school."
Ronny (dad's friend):
"Having gone through the NY public school system as a student, and than returned as a teacher, I have to say, that the system has improved immensely. The students are more relaxed than in the past, and the teachers are much more approachable. I would say that creating a more accepting atmosphere while maintaining structure, would be a good way to improve the system we have today."
Hunter (my friend):
"Honestly, if I could, I would change the cafeteria food at my school. I think that the lack of nutrition that the food provides students with, often makes students sluggish and less energized in school after lunch."
Self-Interview:
"I think that if I were to change one thing about school it would be to provide more real world applications of everything that we learn. I think that stuff that we don't really need outside of school, should be cut, because it's not really helping us in any way and a waste of our time."
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Question #2: Do you think that we should add certain classes to the current curriculum?
Melissa (mom):
"I think that language classes like Chinese should be made available in more public schools"
Marty (dad):
"I would like to see courses such as economics and political science offered in high school. I think that the idea of certain courses being "college courses" is idiotic. The fact is, giving kids an early introduction to higher level concepts can only be beneficial to kids."
Ronny (dad's friend):
"The courses I teach are fairly traditional, but I would definitely be in favor of having high school students taking a course on personal finance, given the out of control credit card debt we see in America today."
Hunter (my friend):
"I take a speaker building class this year, that I really enjoy. I would like to see more classes which could not only provide the enjoyment of this class, but incorporate things from other classes as well. I think that integrating courses is the best way to improve a course and create new ones."
Self- Interview:
"I think that the addition of personal finance courses to the current curriculum would be really helpful for myself and my peers. The value of a dollar is so distorted in the eyes of today's youth that a course on finance could help people understand how to manage money and create a budget to live comfortably on, not just "get by on"."
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Question #3: Why is private education considered to be better than public education?
Melissa (mom):
"I really believe that the quality of a persons education is only as good as what you put into it. If I thought that private school education was really better than public education, you and Max wouldn't have attended public school all your lives. The idea of private school being superior has a lot more to do with the appearance of a more advanced and better equipped facility than a higher level of education."
Marty (dad):
"Well since I never attended private school and neither have my children, I can't really say all that much about private school education. I think that public school education may not be as good as private school education, but I would hope that $50,000 dollars a year for education would make a difference."
Ronny (dad's friend):
"I think that public education is just as good as private, the difference I think, is that most people just want their children to grow up and be educated in an environment where only wealthier people are around them. The idea of going to school surrounded by minorities and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds appears to be frightening to people with tens of thousands of dollars to spend annually on education."
Hunter (my friend):
"I think that private schools are better than public schools, but I don't see any major advantage to attending a private school over a quality public school such as Stuyvesant [where I currently attend]."
Self- Interview:
"I think that public vs. private education is essentially the debate between the effects of nature vs. nurture in human development. We have the lower and middle class students who attend public school, and the upper class students who attend private schools. The odds of a private school student getting into say... Harvard are well above the odds for a public school student. The argument I have gathered, is that being surrounded by people who are all aiming to go to Harvard will improve your own determination to work just as hard as those around you. Ultimately, I think this is true, and the money people pay for private education is more about this advantage than anything else."
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Question #4: How has your k-12 education prepared you for what you do in your life today?
Melissa (mom):
"As far as pretty much every subject is concerned, I only use the basic concepts from the core english, math, science and history courses. In my work today as a psychologist, almost everything that I use, I learned in college, and graduate school. What I learned in k-12 basically was only useful in helping me reach that point."
Marty (dad):
"For me, school was never really an interest of mine. I was good in history and math, but really I was always passionate about drawing. From the time I was still in elementary school I already knew I was going to be a cartoonist. My time in middle-school and high-school pretty much was just required, and I was just waiting to get out and start my career."
Ronny (dad's friend):
"I was always a good student, and I enjoyed doing well in school. In my first career as a census worker, I used a lot of math in my job, so my k-12 education helped me greatly. Once I became a teacher, I obviously had a much greater use for my education. My time in school has, at least in my life, helped me immensely."
Hunter (my friend):
"Well, I am currently in 12th grade, so as of now, education is still a major part of my life. When I graduate, I plan on going to school for engineering. If I follow through with this, I believe that I will be using a lot of the mathematics, and sciences that I have been taught throughout high school."
Self- Interview:
"I think that as a high-school senior, I am entering a phase in life where I will try and figure out what I want to do with my life. I think that the advantage to having an education in science, math, english, and history, from kindergarten until 12th grade gives me a great deal of information which can be applied to a wide variety of professions in life. While I may not want to pursue a career as a writer, I have ben taught how to write well, and speak eloquently, meaning that I'm still able to pursue writing if I am so inclined."
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Part B:
I think that people have the general opinion that education is a good thing. In my interviews the criticism which people expressed towards the school system was minimal when compared to the positive remarks people had when discussing school. I liked asking other people about what they felt about school, but I just don't think that people find much controversy with this topic. After I finished interviewing everyone, I decided to look at my own life so far, and try to assess how school has been able to help me in the real world.
In my past internships and paid jobs, I have found that I often rely on my supervisors to tell me what I should do. I attribute this in part to my education, specifically the way in which I have been educated. I think that by being "instructed" and not "taught", I have learned to follow instructions, not solve problems on my own. School has also taught me a lot about "getting along" socially. Being able to work well with other people is a professional skill and a life skill that is a product of the school environment, not so much the curriculum. In all, I think that school promotes complacency, and in the end we become robots that have strict programs, and not people than can make decisions on our own. Basically, school doesn't allow us to mature.
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