Increased Difficulty in School

Education has been evolving throughout human history, from apprenticeships to school houses and much more. Our public schools have now taken on a form that has stuck with us since the 20th century. It is what we all think of when we hear the word school. The exterior may seem like it has not changed much since the standard public school was established, but the way we learn certainly has. With the evolution of our school system one question comes to attention, when does school become too difficult?

With the introduction of new technology and teaching strategies every year, both students and teachers need to keep up. Elementary schools have even started giving homework at grade levels as early as kindergarten. Subjects used to be taught almost entirely out of books and more information needed to be committed to memory. But after the introduction of the internet information is much more accessible and teachers have started to take new angles on how students should learn. Mrs. Proehl, a school guidance counselor, stated that, “The expectations have gone up. The goal of school has kind of changed to make use of what you have researched.” The workforce that the new generation is entering expects employees to be out of the box thinkers, which might be another reason why the difficulty of work seems to have increased. School used to require information to be memorized and repeated on paper. Now students need to take the information they are given and make something new out of it. This requires more attention and more time, which makes it seem like students have more work to do.

In a CNN article, it states that large amounts of homework at the elementary level can actually negatively affect a young student’s attitude towards school. The amount of homework at the elementary level has been raised within the last few years and this could possibly affect students once they are in highschool. There is actually a rule for the amount of homework each grade level should receive. The grade level multiplied by ten is the number of minutes that a student should spend on homework a day; kindergarteners shouldn’t even be receiving any homework. The amount of homework done does not directly correlate with academic success. There is a multitude of variables that go into a student’s grade, including their willingness to learn. School can be a major source of stress in anyone’s life. When the difficulty in school is suddenly increased, it may lead to an unhealthy amount of stress in students and a sense of incompetency.

School is something everyone has to go through. It is easier for some and more challenging for others, but its one purpose is the same for everyone; to learn. School is something that should evolve with us and it does. Highschool is supposed to be challenging but it shouldn’t be so difficult that it creates an unhealthy amount of stress. Elementary schools are supposed to teach the basics and they’re supposed to prepare students for the more difficult grade levels. This is a balance that should stay in the public school system. As the way we learn changes, let’s also make sure that our students aren’t overwhelmed.

Emily Wigglesworth

Advanced Reporter