Dear Today’s School System,

I hope you, as the superintendent of whichever school, know what you’re getting into by reading this. I’m about to chew on every single thing done wrong by schools today and spit it out, something for you to either take or leave. I’m going to break things down simply for you so it’s easier to digest- something you don’t do for any of the students in your schools.

 

First, let me show you the daily routine of both people I surveyed and I (Note that dialogue may be modified to convey what students hear:

 

5:45 AM ; Alarm #1. Maybe just another five minutes.

5:50 AM ; Alarm #2. Another five minutes? I think so.

5:55 AM ; Alarm #3. I’ll just skip breakfast.

6:00 AM ; Alarm #4. Ugggghhhhhh. Those extra few five minutes felt like two seconds.

Fast forward.

7:30 AM ; Teacher: “Okay, class, put all of your books away. Let’s take an hour long test! Try not to fall asleep and fail.”

Fast forward.

2:30 PM ; Coach: “Let’s practice _______ for a couple of hours until you can’t feel your limbs and want nothing more than sleep!”

6:00 PM ; Home. Finally. Now let me just quickly do this homework, it can’t be that hard.

9:00 PM ; Done. My eyes hurt from staring at a piece of paper for so long and my back hurts from being bent over it. Time to study for my three tests tomorrow!

2:00 AM ; I’ve been studying for hours and I can’t put any more information in my head. I’m gonna cry. Whatever, I’ll wing it. I need sleep.

5:45 AM; Alarm #1. Maybe just another five minutes.

Repeat.

 

Have you memorized that routine yet? I’m about to test you. But don’t worry, you don’t need to actually understand it, there’s no time for that. Just memorize it and I’ll tell you exactly what’s on the test.

 

1. Why do students memorize things instead of taking the time to learn them? Hint: Test scores and GPA could be factors.
2. Why do students wake up so early in the day, what is the purpose for that? Hint:       .
3. How many hours of sleep SHOULD an average teenager get? Hint: A LOT more than what we receive. 3 ½ + 6.
4. How many hours of sleep DO average teenagers get? Hint: 9 ½ – 5 ½, 9 ½ – 6
5. Why do you think teachers wonder why students are so exhausted? Hint: It has to do with sleep and an overload of assignments that are barely taught in class.
6. What crucial aspect of a teenager’s life is missing from this schedule? Hint: It has to do with social interaction.

 

 

Now, I’ll give you my opinion and the real answers to those questions- remember, if you get one wrong, you automatically get an 80%, and your average in the class will plummet, followed by your GPA. But don’t stress too much about it, community college is always an option.

 

1. We memorize things because we care too much about our test scores, which impacts GPA. It may not affect the school, but it determines the next four years of our lives. Simple as that.
2. The answer is that there is absolutely no purpose. Absolutely none. Think about it, what student has benefitted from waking up so early? What student driver has been fully awake when driving to school so early in the morning? What if a student fell asleep on the road and got into an accident? What would the school do then, write him/her up for being late to school?
3. 9 ½ HOURS. 9 ½. THAT’S A LOT MORE THAN WHAT MOST OF US GET.
4. It depends, 3? 4? You never know.
5. Well, I wonder what the leading cause for exhaustion is. A lack of sleep and no time for it, maybe?
6. The definition of social; relating to or designed for activities in which people meet each other for pleasure. Juggling so much from day to day without a break takes a serious toll on our mental health. How do schools expect us to manage piles of work, extracurricular activities, sleep, and a social life altogether? Next time you see someone so isolated that they can’t make any friends, take a moment to wonder why.

 

And finally, my last argument: being in a restricted environment all day is doing nothing to help us. Since when did sitting at desks and learning the information to take a test, teach students a thing about the world? Since when does a teacher lecturing at the front of the class = a good education? And on top of that, if we decide that sitting in one place all day doesn’t work for us, getting up and leaving for a small break is unacceptable, will result in getting written up for cutting class. Does this help you see how corrupted the system is?

This is all I have to say. Maybe you’ll realize what you have to do and come up with some changes on your own. Here’s a tip from the student body to you- make a change that changes someone’s life on the inside, not the outside.

 

Sincerely,

    The Student Body