What exactly is a
"good school"? I've been to many schools throughout the duration of
my life from public schools to Christian schools to a progressive education.
From my three-year
experience with progressive education, I would honestly say that a good school
pushes students to learn how to think instead of telling students what to
think.
"Learn to
Think" is my schools' motto and it took a long time for me to understand it.
"How can one 'learn to think'?" I thought. I thought that thinking
was human nature, but I eventually found out that I was wrong.
A few months ago, I
observed the class of a middle school student that I had been tutoring outside
of school. His class was huge--there had to be about 25 students, compared to
the 10 students that I usually have in an average class at my school.
There were no
discussions. The teachers asked very straightforward questions. There was no
evidence of any of the students thinking outside of the box.
Many questions began
pondering in my mind. "Where is the creativity?", "Do the
students have any opinions about what they’re learning?", "Is the
teacher even passionate about teaching?".
To me, a "good
school" has teachers that not only teach, but educate, and
also has students that are allowed to challenge and ask questions.
Nile
Fossett
12th
grade, The Park School
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