The American education system is specifically ordered, as it attempts to fit and educate all students in the best way it can. What the school system fails to recognize is that all students are unique and different. It operates on the impossible ideal that students will learn and grow in the same way. This standard is a one-size-fits all idea that will simply not work as we progress ever further into the modern age. This old ideology must be replaced with ideas of honoring student choice, student fit, and providing students with generous resources. If our society wishes to progress and create innovative leaders for tomorrow, we must place students first to instill success in them and our country.

Excellence in school is often the direct product of love and passion, both of which are possible through student choice. Students in many schools across the country, are limited in their elective classes and become bored in classes that they are uninterested in and yet forced to take. In several of my elective classes, chemistry and band, I am highly interested and dedicated and thus succeed greatly through grades, test scores, and classwork, over other classes that are required. A students passion for learning is also evident in their willingness to attend school and who they are surrounded with. Various groups of students at my school only attend because they are required to by law, students such as them, are a great distraction to students that wish to utilize school resources and therefore should be given a choice to attend school or not.

Another factor that the education system does not recognize, is the fact that all students are different and need a personal and custom education plan. With some classes teaching over 30 students at one time, it is very difficult to thoroughly educate large classes since everyone works at different paces and has different issues. As a fast learner, I am often ahead of my class and can become bored easily while other students struggle or give up trying to understand. All students have talents, whether they realize it or not, yet the school system restricts talents through the one size fits all belief. I have a passion for art, but because of our limited class schedule I have only taken one art class while many more are offered.

In order for students to become innovators and leaders of tomorrow, they need room to grow and expand ideas- the fuel for this production requires direct student funding. Adequate funds allow for special projects that spark interest and offer new perspectives to students. When my chemistry class does experiments, I become fascinated and often have thoughts and ideas clarified before my eyes. Unfortunately poor funding doesn’t permit special projects such as these on a regular basis. If students were given individual budgets, they could use it for the advancement of their education such as for the use of technology or independent research according to their area(s) of study. Some students can’t afford classroom technology like graphing calculators and fall behind in class, an endowment would allow students to flourish.

If public education is about the advancement of students, then we must honor them most highly above all else to truly succeed in our goals. We must not hold back student creativity, passion, and desire. Teachers must help students realize their interests and goals, to better and more thoroughly educate them. If our students are the future, they deserve a truly exceptional education system to build the best world for themselves and those to come. An education system that upholds these values is destined for nothing but success and eternal growth.