School

Most of my peers constantly complain about hating school. Their complaints usually resemble something like, “It’s boring.” or “I don’t even like the classes I’m taking.” or “School is just too long!” Although I am not part of this group, I do feel that some aspects of my school experience could be changed to make school more enjoyable for everyone.
For starters, the environment is generally negative. The rooms are dark, with few windows, and the beaten up school desks are germy and grimy. Even though my school has a very low number of students in each class, the classrooms sometimes feel crowded. I propose that we open up the classrooms more, install fluorescent light bulbs, add more windows, and create cubicles for each student. Each cubicle would have a desk, rolling chair, shelf for books, laptop, and two video screens. These video screens would be used for students to connect with the teacher and other students while staying in their individual areas.
With private space, I believe that more students would not be distracted by other students, and stop trying to talk during class. Some students would not be afraid to work hard, because none of their friends would be able to see them and call them “nerdy”. Overall, students would concentrate and get more done.
Part of the idea of having cubicles is the laptop program. My school is currently part of a pilot laptop program, and I love it. It really helps us learn more and get our work done in class. Many students say it increases their learning exponentially, because you have tons of information at your fingertips. Some educators argue that students will play games during class-time, but I believe that that is not true. We have a program called Remote Desktop, where the teachers can see exactly what each student is doing, so none of the students do anything that they could get in trouble for.
Another common complaint about school is that it is too long. School should be an hour or two shorter every day, and the hours should be taken off of the morning. If students had their own cubicles, twice the work would get done, so there would be no need for these extra hours. But if students really needed the extra hours, there could be more study sessions on Saturday morning. Most students do not even pay attention the last few school classes, so shorter classes means more students would pay attention for longer, and therefore, learn more. Also, many students are so tired by the end of the school day that they do not remember what they learned, and are too tired and stressed to do their homework or participate in sports.
These hours should be taken off of the morning because all students, especially teenagers, need more sleep. I have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to go to school every morning, and that means to get my recommended ten hours of sleep, I would have to go to be at 8:00 p.m. While this is not impossible, it is very difficult. It has even been proven in studies that it is hard for teenagers to get to sleep before 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. Every day, I see students roaming the halls like zombies, complaining about not getting enough sleep. Some students go through the day in a trance, like another girl at my school, who is failing all of her classes because she just can’t concentrate with such little sleep.
But some students don’t succeed because they are not challenged enough. I believe that one of the reasons many gifted kids do not do well in school is because they are bored and know most of the material the rest of the class needs to learn. That is why a perfect school would provide an opportunity for students to do individual projects (relating to the topic the other students are studying) at a higher level. This would be a privilege given out to only the students who deserve it.
One of the largest complaints at my school is, “The food stinks.” Some days I agree with this, some days I don’t. It’s true, our school has more choices than others, and a healthier variety. But many students hate the food choices. One girl in my class has not eaten school lunch since the first day of sixth grade, and many follow her example. Scientists say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I believe that lunch is equally important to help sustain your energy and keep you awake throughout the day.
If these improvements were made to schools all over the world, I believe that school would be a much happier place for everyone, and kids would learn more.