Education Chronicles: All Stressed Out

Image @ imgarcade.com

While the heat of summer still hangs heavy in the air (at least here in North Carolina), the back to school buzz has finally arrived! Students are gearing up to see their friends and get back to a normal academic routine, parents are emptying their wallets as they provide a new year's worth of school supplies, and educators, administrators, and school support staff have prepped and spit-polished various institutions of learning! With all of the school related topics floating around this time of year, one in particular caught my eye. A cousin of mine wanted people's thoughts about whether or not our middle and high schools here in the United States are too stressed, facing demands that are too rigorous, and just too over-loaded. As a mother and educator of nine years, my initial reaction to this was that we are not demanding enough of our students if we want them to be independent and successful, but as an academic, I wanted something more concrete than just my own opinion, so I began digging.

One of the things I like about the book Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues, Sixteenth Edition is that the collection of essays examines multiple points of view in regards to modern issues in our schools. An essay by Marc Tucker provides a global context for education needs. He believes that global competition should greatly influence school reform and here's why.

A Clear and Present Danger
Given the dynamics of global competition, the need for highly skilled U.S. graduates is becoming more pressing. For one thing, people in other countries are becoming more educated. In 1969, the United States led the world in the percentage of working-age adults who had completed high school (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development [OECD], 2006a). This is no longer the case. Also, 30 years ago, U.S. students accounted for 30 percent of the world's population of college students. That percentage has now plunged to 14 percent and continues to fall (OECD, 2006b)...how can the United States ensure that its workers continue to command high wages and maintain their standard of living? We can do so only by meeting two criteria: We must match the best academic performance in the world and, at the same time, offer the most creative and innovative workers. (pp.66-67)

Tucker goes on to suggest that while many programs have been tried in order to improve our schools (with failing or sporadic results), one thing we haven't tried is to overhaul our education system entirely. A complete overhaul of the entire U.S. education system would be a political nightmare, but the need to do so seems imminent if we're to truly help our youth. From the extensive research I've read, I believe it can be done, but it requires all levels working together for the mutual benefit of a strong youth (and I don't believe this applies strictly to American students). In order to help our children manage stress, we must provide them with a strong support system that is loving, nurturing, and effective. Such is a system is sorely lacking in the world. One of my college professors, Dr. Mengesha, once told our class that in certain parts of Africa the standard greeting for people instead of, "Hi. How are you?" was "How are your children?" It is a question we should be asking ourselves daily, and not just about our own children, but about them all! Think of what we could do if we were to have a global paradigm shift towards that mentality. The possibilities are, quite literally, endless!

Note: To all students, parents and education staff "out there, everywhere", have a safe, magical wondrous school year filled with learning!

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