School Is Bad for Children

Jianhua Chen
ESL 135
Essay #2
3/29/2015
The Responsibility of School Sometimes when we are going to school and sitting on the bus, there is always a question shows on in our brain: what is the goal for us to go to school, though goes to school is one of the compulsory things in our life? When we are in school, there is a list of rules to limit us to expand our thinking ways and restrict our hobbies. In the article “School Is Bad for Children,” John Holt reveals some problems of the current system of schooling that are bad for children. He argues that the educational system nowadays teaches students so many fake things and makes them become lazy. Also, he provides some solutions to deal with the problems as well. In Holt’s opinion, schools should change some of their rules and add more different classes in students’ school time. I agree with Holt’s opinion that schools should abolish some old-useless rules and subjoin more new elements to make students’ school time more colorful and useful for them.
It Is Important for Children to Know the World Earlier What is the goal for students of studying in school? The answer is for the better life in the future. Nevertheless they have to encounter the real world first. Schools should let students learn more knowledge about the world, because they have to face the world in the future. Holt gives a solution, which is to bring some more people who are not the teachers in the school and let them have contact with the children, thereby expands children’s vision and assists the development of their disposition. He explains, “Aside from their parents, most children never have any close contact with any adults except people whose sole business is children. No wonder they have no idea what adult life or work is like.” “We need to bring a lot more people who are not full-time teachers into the schools and into contact with the children.” In my perspective, this is good for children if schools do this. Although school is a place for students to learn some academic theories and knowledge around the world, students also need to absorb something about out of the school. In addition, if schools bring more non-teachers into school, and let them teach children more about the world, it will make children become more confident and down to earth. On the other hand, it will decrease the rate of unemployment in the future, because the more the information of the world the children know, the clearer future goals they want. Then they will chase their aim from now on.
It Is Important to Develop Children’s Teamwork Ability Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Schools should help students to develop their teamwork ability. Holt describes, “We know now, from the experience of many schools, both rich-suburban and poor-city, that children are often the best teachers of other children.” He thinks, it is much easier for children to teach other children. Because their ages are similar, therefore, their behaviors are similar. I totally agree with his opinion, because when I was in elementary school, I always forgot what my teachers taught me how to do, but I could keep what my classmates taught me in my heart. In my view, there are some differences between the ways of teachers and my classmates taught. Teachers usually use their adult methods to teach us and they do not think any empathy. By contrast, the ways between our classmates are more simply. We use our simple thinking ways to help each other, even though this is a childish way, but we can learn from each other efficiently. In addition, work together can improve our critical thinking ability, because when we do something together, we will consider whether he or she does it right or not. We wonder if we can do it better than them? According to these doubts, it can help students to brain storm more and help them expand more knowledge out of the project.
It Is Unfair to Judge Children by their Marks Schools like to use grades, exams, and marks to motivate students’ study, but these make students feel more pressure on themselves. Schools should abandon the system that use grades, exams, and marks to judge whether a student is good or not. In Holt’s perspective, schools should not judge students by their test scores. They also need to consider other parts of the students. Because if the score of a student is high or low does not mean the student is good or bad. It is just one-sided. He describes, “We don't know now, and we never will know, how to measure what another person knows or understands. We certainly can’t find out by asking him questions. All we find out is what he doesn’t know- which is what most tests are for, anyway.” Holt says my words, indeed. The exam just a paper to test how much knowledge students learn from classes, a good score just means this student is good at this subject. When I was in elementary school, even middle and high school, my teachers always used the scores of the students to divide us into different level classes. It was not a fair affair, because we paid the same tuition fee. However, why were they in the higher level classes but I was in the lower level class? It is just because of the study scores. Then because of the levels, automatically, the higher level students are good students, and the lower level students are bad students. This influences students a lot. They will always think they are bad at study. Then they will not study hard like the original aim. Also, it will damage students’ confidence and self-esteem, even their mind. Therefore, exam scores totally cannot judge a student at all, it is just a testimony to show how good or bad of the study of the student. In summary, the educational system is a serious affair of schools, because it is connected to the future of students and should not be underestimated. For now, students usually are sidetracked by the rules of school. Thereby, it lets them get confusing about what school teach them, instead of developing their self-study ability. The reason is no one can brave enough to jump out of the rules. Then to solve the problems that happen on students, Holt provides some useful suggestions. Though it is not easy to achieve in the short time, with this long-plan, but at least schools should try them to show how these suggestions work. Because the duty of school is to help students to learn some new skills, develop their personality and solve their misunderstandings, even to help them to find out the life goals of them, instead of letting them fall into the confusing state and getting stumped into the rules and tests of school.