Kirstine Donegan

9/11/08
Kirstine Donegan
Essay: Things to Change about School

Students, unfortunately, are dropping out, now more than ever. With our economy changing, we need students to stay in school, so we can insure they can get a good job, with job opportunities not quite as wide as they used to be. So what can we do to change this, to make students want to stay in school? I stress one solution that has made school enjoyable for me. This is, incorporating the arts, such as, drama and music back into the education process.

Why? You might ask. How is taking reading, math science and history, off the students mind and replacing it with this, going to help? That argument might be true, but wouldn’t that mean that the reading, math, science and history teachers aren’t doing their job? The point is, we’re trying to make students want to go back to school. It’s a proven fact, that after you’ve said something, that we have the capability to remember at least part of it. You could give the students lines to memorize, giving them memorization skills and tricks, which they could use in their traditional classes, for helping them study for tests, or just helping them memorize the stuff you say in class. This most likely will them higher test score, and most definitely raise their confidence.

Now you might say, yes, and that’s all good, but how is taking time away from us trying to tech the students? You are entitle to a certain amount of time with your students, to teach them one subject. If any Governor, try’s to take time out of art program classes so you can teach the same subject over, to bore the students, needs to realize what they would be doing. There is a part of your brain that works creatively, if you were forced you’re entire life to ignore that part of your brain, you can consider yourself brain-dead. Think about it.

Everyone has the same goal in mind, and agree their needs to be a solution. That’s what I’m trying to do. The arts are something that worked for me, when I thought nothing would. I can almost promise you that the art programs along with the same education will work. Be creative!