Dear Future President,

My name is Jessica Nugent and I am a junior at Newbury Park High School. I wish to discuss the faulty education system. Education is vital because it helps shapes the youth which affects the entire country for we are the future. Students are forced to learn about topics that they have no interest in. Although students do need to take basic classes in order to be well-rounded, college students should not be forced to take classes that will not help them in their futures. As a result of students taking classes because it is required, they will not enjoy the class or pay attention. Instead, they will memorize the information for the test and then forget it right away. These mandatory subjects are considered more important than the students’ interests, which lessens the student’s motivation to learn. There should be a wide range of classes for the students to pick from rather than these artistic classes being cancelled due to budget cuts. They will be more motivated in school if they are learning about something that intrigues them. As well as elective classes, schools need to implement a class to teach teenagers lessons they will use in their lives. This class will consist of teaching teenagers how to pay taxes, take out a loan and pay the bills for these are important life skills. Students should leave school feeling prepared and ready for life rather than in debt and filled with useless information.

Personally, I always try my best in school because I put a ton of pressure on myself to get straight A’s. For me, it is not my parents that stress me out as much as I stress myself out. My parents are supportive of me as long as they know I am trying my best, however if I do not earn an A, I feel as I did not do well enough and my parents will be disappointed.

Education is not valued for the right reason. Today, education is valued because people want to get good grades in order to get into a good school. Students put so much pressure onto themselves because they want to be accepted into the best college possible. Students feel like they have to resort to cheating in order to get the grades that will please their parents. People should want to learn to become more intelligent and use this knowledge everyday of their lives. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the United States is ranked as 14 in education in the world and 7,000 students drop out of high school every day. This conveys that there is a need for change in the education system. Students should want to come to school for it should be a positive environment instead of somewhere that kids dread going everyday.

Although the education system does help students grow and gain knowledge, there are some ways it can become better. In order to improve the education system, the school must create a happy environment for the students. They must feel comfortable rather than stressed out and overwhelmed. Students today are always stressed out, so teachers must find ways to help relieve some of this stress such as giving students breaks during class which will help students pay more attention afterwards. Also, the price of college should not be to the extent that it turns students away from even going to college. If the education system improves, it will make a significant difference in the students’ lives and the country as a whole.

Sincerely,

Jessica N.