Ideal School

Ideal School

Each individual has its own ideas and opinions, on a multitude of topics. One such topic is the American education system. It is easy to realize that high school particularly, provides the last vestige of education students receive before entering the world. The ideal high school would pool knowledge, research, cultural diversity, and information from the entire world.

When creating the ideal high school it is necessary to go back to the drawing board. The ideal school would be designed and built in a way that supports a educated and stimulating environment. Landscape design is used to create a peaceful, park-like setting. This would isolate the school from the surrounding community and its natural distractions. What also is important is the design of the interior of the building. Aside from the facilities, classrooms, cafeteria, and other necessities, surface treatments and interior design would be carefully chosen. There has been much research done on colors and the effects they have on the human mind. Using this research, walls, ceilings, and floors would be finished in colors that stimulate thinking and creativity. All choices made concerning design, facilities, and services would provide a learning environment free from distractions.

An environment designed to provide all needed services, free from distraction; it is easy to create a better learning environment. Classrooms would be arranged in circles or groups to advance social development. No more than seventeen students per class would enable teachers to maintain control in this informal setting. Teachers will focus on student's performance and encourage learning at each student's own pace. Portfolio assessments and student evaluations would replace grades. The atmosphere created by these progressive methods would endorse self-esteem. Students, who are stimulated by their environment, enjoy the atmosphere, and feel good about themselves will be eager to learn.

A school filled with eager students would imply little without a challenging curriculum. No direct instruction would be used. English, math, science, history, and traditional subjects would be taught with informal methods. Teachers will use whatever means necessary to educate their students. Any ideal school must seek to graduating responsible, educated, well-rounded individuals. In order to succeed, literature, arts, music, values, morals, and life skills must be incorporated into the curriculum. Critical and creative thinking must be emphasized. Students can not be filled with information that is to be repeated at test time, and then forgotten. Students must learn to create solutions to problems and actions. Life skills are an important part of an ideal curriculum. Teaching students personal finance, parenting, relationships, values, morals, and personal responsibility gives students more choices. Without life skills in the curriculum, young people imitate what they see in their daily lives. This imitation leads them to make the same mistakes that have been made for generations. Abusive parents create abusive parents, poor children learn poverty. There are few choices other than imitating such as, teaching these skills and different approaches to problem solving would enable students to meet any challenge they face as adults.

To conclude, I believe the ideal high school would pool knowledge, research, cultural diversity, and information from the entire world. This pool would be used to create a flexible curriculum that teaches students to seek education rather than accept it. Students would learn to treat others with respect and dignity. They would accept cultural differences and be inspired by them. They would enter the world with a well-rounded education covering topics from the structure of an atom to the depths of Shakespeare's work. These students would be individuals prepared to meet the challenges of the world.