Someone once said that life for teenagers of the 21st century is way effortless than for teens back in 19th or 20th century. I disagree. It’s not just one person but it’s everybody including our parents who think that we got it way too easy. Just because we don’t have to work at farms, milk cows, go to bed at 8 P.M. and help in harvesting the crops doesn’t mean life is simple for us. It takes a lot of courage to confront what we have to face today.
In America some kids are forced to study, but most of them just choose to study whenever. Kids in America never really spend time studying because they have more of a social life than what China does. Kids from China don’t have much of a social life, because they spend their life studying or doing activities that their parents have pick for them to do. They only social life they have is going to school and going to activities. Having no social life makes a child have a very low self-esteem and thats why America is one of the highest ranked for having a high self-esteem cause children do have a social life.
The classes in third world countries usually are taught by volunteer teachers with little to no supplies including textbooks. Kids in industrialized countries like the Unites States are required to go to school from about age 5 to 18. Most kids have the opportunities to go to university or college and further there education, for a price. People of industrialized countries are way luckier than those of third world countries just by having the opportunities to get an education. Kids in industrialized countries also have much more protection than those in third world countries.
While parents worked children were in school their lives were quite separate from adult life by getting children to interact with their age groups, and places like pub were forbidden for children to be in. While adults had to face the criminal charges for their wrong activity, children were not faced with harsh adult criminal justice system. How happy were children in 20th century? There were many positive statistics in twentieth century regarding children and everyone seemed to be optimist about their future as before they were faced with child labor, which led them to criminality, mortality rates were higher or ill health. What did Wilmot and Young find about working class families?
In the past it was not common for a child to graduate from high school and enter into college like many do today. Previously many children were unable to complete grade school due to the burden of economic disaster, war, and periods of rapid social change. Many young girls were unable to even think about college and careers and were more likely to marry early and start planning a family. During the Depression many children were expected to work in order to support their families. I am not implying that it was wrong that children had to support their families; it’s the fact that having to start work at such a young age forces a child to grow quickly and deprives them of their childhood.
One of the biggest pros is that community service opens up many new doors for a person. Today, outside of the required community service there are many groups that help encourage community service like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The question remains if community service should be required for graduation. In 1999 a study found that students who were required to complete community service and felt controlled, were less likely to participate in community service in the future on his or her own. Another negative part of required community service is that today academics have become more competitive, and students are pulled in many directions and makes time for school.
Let's face it, most people go to college only for the title of being called a "college student." For some young people like myself, it is a great time to get away from home and become independent without losing the financial support from my parents. So, is college worth it? "Indeed, a college education is the best investment an American can make, and return on that investment is growing. College graduates earn more than $1 million more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.
A child spends eleven years in education and in that time they are to achieve levels of A* to C grade, then go onto University. What we neglect to remember is twenty six thousand students per year will leave school with no qualification and one in six, seventy five thousand fifteen year olds will have insignificant literacy skills (Education failure 2006). Many will seek employment and find jobs, but will not be able to attain the job because they lack the essential skills they need. They will feel the education system has failed them leaving them defeated and disappointed. These children come from all different background, low income families, single parent families, some ethnic groups, live in disadvantage areas, children who have special educational needs and children who are in care.
Studies have shown that homework for elementary – high school should not have homework but work on some special project or reading at home after school for only a satin amount of time depending on what grade the student is in like forty minutes to two hours a day after school. Studies also show that homework can be more harmful then help full to students as they grow up. Studies show that students going to school all morning and afternoon doing work then coming home to do even more work will make them very over worked and make them lazy and they would not wont
Before industrialisation children were seen as mini-adults they dressed like their parents and did the same sort of work in the fields and homes and like their parents had no formal education. Aries says that after industrialisation society saw children differently from adults and society was concerned about the physical and moral well being of young people. Children where now expected to undertake years of formal education and often learn things their parents do not understand. Today families are often seen as child centered because couples have a fewer children and have more money and leisure time for their children. Gittens describes children as a luxury to be encouraged by adults and like a luxury people talk about to 'afford' a child.