Is There a Problem with Students Today?

Is there really a problem with today’s education? Are students to be blamed for what they do or do not do on the classroom? Do people really learn what is essential in life when they spend two hours in a classroom? These questions reflect what students and teachers are addressing as a problem with education. Education has been and is defined by Dictionary.com as the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. There is no problem with education because those that are looking for solutions are the ones that teach and not those who are being taught.

Nowadays students have developed a mechanism where they seem to have an exit to a “boring class”. Whenever they feel as if they are forced to learn something that simply does not catch their attention or challenge their minds, they find something more “entertaining” to do. Although it is not correct to pay money to receive an education and waste it, some believe that there are classes that simply were made to make students crazy. These kinds of classes do not benefit the student or the teacher. In order to be in a good learning environment, the instructors as well as the student must be in a harmony that will make class successful.

Given the fact that I am a student, I feel more than acquainted with the worries that students brought into Dr. Wesch’s video. Whenever you arrive into a classroom, it should be a thrilling experience. Although it is a right, I see it more as a powerful tool that can give you access to many wonderful things like books that give doctors their M.D.. In a classroom, this opportunity to have an education should not be a burden for the student to learn. Professors are sometimes underestimated. It is because of them that people become well-known businesspersons and achieve goals seen as impossible by some. Teachers have a beautiful profession that is sometimes misjudged with unfairness and injustice.

With this being said, this profession should not be causing students to dislike classrooms. As Dr. Wesch said in his essay, “many hate school but nobody hated learning.” It is a mistake for education to be lost because of the mere fact that school is not a favorite on student’s list. Most people do not like to be seated for more than an hour everyday hearing someone talking about things that can be read in the commodity of one’s house. Many do not like to go to school to be flooded with information and be expected to remember all of it. Learning this large amount of information and getting education is something everybody should do. You are nobody in today’s society if you do not have an education. However, getting to be “someone” is a tedious process that many tend to avoid.

One reason for this is, like Dr. Wesch said, that students are given problems to solve, problems that they are not responsible for creating but are responsible for solving. It would be a bit more interesting if students were to come with their own problems to solve. Applying the problems to the material, obviously, would give students the ultimate learning experience where they could learn what they need to know for their profession and do what they like to do. One of the biggest problems is that students are learning in ways they find boring, tiresome, and archaic. To try and teach something to someone, you must first meet their needs before you try to invade them with new information. In other words, a sad student is not a student but one more body in the classroom. On the other hand, a happy and content student is one who will give everything he or she has. Being happy will also allow him or her to complete and fulfill the requirements for the class and perhaps surpass a teacher’s expectative.

One must also be fair with the teacher as well. It is a lack of respect for the teacher and for those who want to learn to “get by” in class by logging in to Facebook or using ones IPod. It is even worse when one is texting or studying for another class. There are some things in life that one does not like but nevertheless one has to do what one has to do if a goal is to be reached. The classes that give you more trouble are the ones that you must put the most effort in so one can finish them and learn the most from them. When you do not like a class, one has the choice to drop it or simply stop attending. One should never stay in a class if one does not agree with the course’s requirements or rules. If one decides to stay, it means one agrees and will do the best possible to complete the course. This means one does not engage in activities that mean a lack of respect for oneself and the teacher.

Today’s student does not have a problem. The system of education does not have a problem either. It is the simple fact that each is on its own path and neither of the two is trying to make that path similar. The student should try to adapt to the system that is inculcating in them the tools they need to be successful in the future. Moreover, the system needs to understand that students are overall humans and have interests that affect their actions. Whenever the two parties agree and reach harmony, a safe and important bond is created where the student is eager to learn and the system is satisfied with the students’ progress. Whenever there is a problem, sides should not be taken, each side must work together to see whatever each side need so that they can work a happy medium and both parts benefit.

This is the simple solution. Work together and there should not be a problem with education. Students do not have a problem and they are not bad students for using their IPods and laptops. They are just using whatever they can in order to find information faster and in a fun way. Teachers should not get angry when they find out that students are using their own means to study. Contrary to this, they should adapt to today’s technology and use the tools students love to their advantage. Watching videos online during class, listening to music, and letting students research on their laptops do not take away a teacher’s ability to help their students learn. On the other hand, it gives teachers a world of possibilities on how to manage and help their classrooms to become a learning environment, instead of a prison.

There is no real problem with today’s classrooms. There is no problem with education or educators. The only thing that has been addressed as a problem is the ways that students are trying to learn by themselves. This result is from the fact that they find the ways they are being taught are uninteresting. Whenever there is a solution, there is no problem. Just an event or experience for one to take something out of it, whether it is for one’s own benefit or for someone else’s benefit. Education was made to make us more rational and better human beings. Let us not see it as a burden but as a gift, which we must value and give all of our efforts to acquire it and help the world become a better place to live.