Failure of the American Educational System

The American educational system is something which has been the subject of widespread discontent for many generations amongst the students compulsorily enrolled in its ranks. This has largely been dismissed as a scapegoat for laziness, yet another vague and easily ignorable complaint put forth by the teenage community; on the same level with complaints against the amorphous "system", and the ever anonymous "man". While all of these complaints may not be entirely spineless, the majority of its proponents are somewhat lacking for a solid argument. For this reason most of these issues are all but forgotten as the ever angsty population segment moves on into colleges, careers, and day jobs, respectively. Nonetheless, there is something inherently wrong with the way America is going about education.

I was home schooled until 9th grade, at which point I decided I should probably go to high school, firstly because it’s hard to teach yourself algebra, and secondly because I was bored. After attending Clarke Central for two years I genuinely felt dumber. From the humming security cameras, wrinkle-browed cops, restless students, dank over crowded hallways, and agitated teachers barely maintaining the appearance of discipline while the administrators issue threats and displeasure over the intercom, down to the filthy bathroom stalls saturated in the smell of urine and stale cigarette smoke; the average high school has more the air of a penitentiary than educational center. The problems which plague our schools are finding their ways into the entirety of our society; however these are only the symptoms of the fundamental issues from the very foundation of the American educational system.

In the late 1800s, Horace Mann, Barnis Sears, and Calvin Stove and other prominent Americans visited Prussia to study compulsory education system which had been developed there. The Prussian model was brought to the United States and quickly adopted after heavy lobbying, and the system is still emulated today. The origins of this system are found in the 1700s, when because of social upheaval the Prussian government realized that in order to maintain control it needed to be able to control the countries youth; instilling obedience through early indoctrination of the new generations. What better way to do this than to establish a state-mandated public school, establishing the ideology and propaganda of the Monarch, all in the name of education for the poor and needy? Teachers and administrators were taught and hired by the government; lessons revolved around reading writing and arithmetic, while the school itself was set up in such a way as to miniature version of the desired society, encouraging duty, discipline, patriotism and unquestioning obedience to the state. As one of the systems primary influences, the Jewish German philosopher Joseph Gottlieb, said, "The schools must fashion the person, and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will."

These schools were meant primarily produce working class citizens, to boost the countries production in the factories or to go into the military; however it was soon realized that this type of education was unfit for the children of the aristocracy. They would become the country’s influential citizens and leaders, and must be taught to think for themselves, therefore private schools were set up for the children of prominent citizens. These were almost the opposite of the public schools, students were taught to question, and studied within a program encouraging their interest and natural talent; in this way the countries future influences were selected. The state’s control was strengthened in 1788, when Abitur, or the final examination, was implemented, making it impossible to go into any learned field or obtain government office without having passed a government-mandated exam.

This is what the school systems in America, home of the free, is based upon. The public school is a halfway house; the youth of the country must be reformed before they are released into society. The doctrines of America are those of happiness through money, order and stability through fear of punishment, maintenance of the status quo through outright lies. We are told to stay in school, not so for learning, but so that we can earn more money, we are taught that everyone can be rich, and that material goods equivocate into happiness. In truth, not everyone can be rich, not everyone can be a successful entrepreneur, not everyone can be a millionaire; as a matter of fact only 45% of the working population makes more than $50 thousand, and only 5% make more than $150 thousand, with the bottom 20% making less than $25 thousand, and 9% less than $10 thousand. The fact is that someone is always going to be the janitor, the factory worker, the fast food clerk, and someone very well may be you. These low wage laborers make up the backbone of the system that says their jobs aren’t respectable, that they have failed, that they can’t be happy until they have a six figure paycheck and white house with picket fence in suburbia. After being thoroughly soaked in this materialistic philosophy, we are handed a set of rules without rhyme or reason. Within the endless race for property and privilege we must stay within these parameters, government infringement and morals grouped alike. Why should we follow them? An overweight disciplinary principal sweating behind a flat top desk knows; a frowning cop perspiring in the armpits of his dry cleaned blue suit will tell you just why.

It’s an obvious fact everyone seems to have a blind eye too; this county’s school system needs to be completely gutted and reconstructed. Even our private schools are only white washed and sugar coated imitations of the public. We wonder at the poverty rates, at the lack of leadership in our country; every political party throws mud at the incompetence of the other without providing solutions themselves; but how can we honestly expect better with the education our country is giving, and still so arrogantly defending?