School Conformity And Individuality

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Conformity vs. Individuality State education and student individuality are what causes much tension in public schools. Schools want to achieve the same goal of producing a good student, but through what means? Are mandatory classes going to teach students to think for themselves of how to blend in with conformity and obey authority? It is in the schools best interest to balance these ideas and not lean towards only one, and not have a school only based on conformity or individuality, but should balance both. Mandatory classes are used to set a basic system and to set standard classes for everyone, since everyone must learn the same things such as math, reading, and science. Indeed all these are important subjects that should be known, and skills that will be used throughout one’s life. But most people are not going to be using Pre-calculus, English Literature 4, Physics, or European History. It is a complete waste of time to have students struggle through a class that has nothing to do with their desired career. Yes classes should be mandatory, but to a certain extent; it should only be that a student has to take the basic core classes and then after decide what they want to study. This will individualize the system while maintaining the authority and demands of the school. Individuals are forced into 4 wall prisons for 5 days a week, 7 hours, and 20 minutes “…Laws force kids who would not rather be in school, costs and force an enormous amount of time and trouble” (source E) If classes were not mandatory and self chosen by the students it would divide the people who want to be there and those who don’t care. There would be less of a struggle for a teacher that is attempting to teach an unwilling class forced by a system that demands students to sit through a wasteful lesson vs. a class that has chosen to be there with great interest in that particular
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