Journal 9

Are Schools Failing Kids in 21st Century Skills?

by Dave Nagel

In this article Dave Nagel talks about the general publics perception on what they think is wrong today with education. Of the many things they feel that are failing students to be prepared for the 21st century, organization and communication skills seem to be the most evident. He then gives the public opinion in graph form. Of the reasons to blame, only a small percentage blamed it on the teachers lack of training. I was glad to see the public not kill the messengers, because we are so bound to state standards. I have actually had this conversation several times with friends about how the things we are taught in school are irrelevant to what we need to succeed in todays world.

Questions:

1. When reading the article i was asking myself, why aren't there any classes on credit scores, or how to invest in stocks. What are some good ways to invest in the housing market? What is a good rate? All of these questions i am still ignorant about and i don't know if i will ever get them answered as to why this vital information is not taught in schools.

2. Why do we have to learn a censored history text in school? Whenever you get to college you have to relearn all of the things you learned in high school because it wasn't the whole truth. If we are going waste time learning a history that isn't true, why not just devote that time to building our communication skill? I wish i had more public speaking classes.