39 An Open Letter to the American Education System
Dear American Education System, You are failing us. The millions of students who attend school to attain the supposed ‘great’ American education system, are being failed. Every Monday morning students enter an atmosphere in which they are encouraged to conform to like-minded individuals, to become students who don't question authority, leaving all students subject to a lack of real world preparation. Every student in the United States education system is encouraged each and every day of the week to conform to one type of person. The person who goes to school every day, works as hard as they can to get good grades, and to move onto the next step of college. These ideals are reinforced through repetitive teaching styles including common core curriculum, and other forms of traditional and outdated teaching methods. The College Board also reinforces these ideals through the SAT standardized testing system, as well as AP testing. The idea that a student’s intelligence can be determined by one test is absurd, and can cause the world’s most brilliant minds to feel defeated because they cannot represent their dexterity through a specific exam. The education system also puts strong emphasis on the idea that all students must go to college to be successful. However, this ideal is far from true. The world’s greatest minds either dropped out, or chose not to enter college, such as entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. In the words of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, “I don’t consider going to college evidence of exceptional ability, in fact, ideally you dropped out.” It is those who do not conform to what it is that we ‘should be doing’ that are the most successful. Our school system should be reinforcing these ideals rather than shy away from them. Henry David Thoreau encouraged Americans to value individualism. In his piece On the Duty of Civil Disobedience he says, “I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” With the school system continually putting emphasis on conformity, it prevents students from recognizing and
