Student Gives Teacher a Lesson – Rant – Public School System Broken?

So I just finished watching a video that is going viral where a student in a Texas high school gives a pretty impassioned plea for help while being kicked out of the classroom.

As it stands, we don’t know the full context of the video. Why the guy was being kicked out – or what led the situation to manifest to that point. But I wanted to talk a little bit about the reaction.

While the majority of users in the comments section were pulling for the student, there are a number of people who claim that he was out of line with his tone and behavior. Was he out of line?

It wasn’t that long ago that I was in the public school system. Well….Long…That is a relative term. But for me, its still recent enough that I can easily remember it.

I for one can completely understand the frustration this guy has. I don’t want to make the mistake of lumping all teachers together, because there are some incredible teachers out there who genuinely care about the students and who love their professions. Those teachers are heroes, and we need more people like them. But I know i’ve encountered a number of teachers who fit the description of what this guy is experiencing.

Teachers who are there for a paycheck – who teach you to regurgitate mostly useless information for a test. Who don’t bother actually teaching and spends the time in class on their phone or computer while you’re told to read a packet or book. The ones who tell you they will only accept work if it is done the way THEY want it done, even though you may come to the same outcome by using different methods. The ones who want you to think like them, instead of for yourself.

A few people in the comments were taking their frustration out on the teacher. And while she may be partly to blame (Or maybe not) – She certainly can’t take all of the blame. No teacher possibly can. The problem is the Public School system itself.

The teachers are given their marching orders, and told what to teach and how they should teach it. They are given a test and rewarded if their students do well on the test. So what do they teach? They teach you how to pass a test. You aren’t taught critical thinking – how to effectively use your imagination – you are taught memorization, and conformity You LEARN how to take tests. Knowing the right answer is not an education if you don’t understand the answer and how you can apply it. You’re treated like cattle and rushed through a system that doesn’t care if you are actually learning anything at all. So long as you are obedient and can follow directions and not question anything, then you will be a good worker when you graduate.

The system is broken right from the very start of the indoctrination. Why is it that we segregated into groups based on our age? If you take fifty 10 year old kids and gave them a test in math, reading, science and so forth – what are the odds that all of those kids are on the same level in each of those categories? It’s impossible. I for instance excelled at every subject except for math when I was in grade school. I always passed my math classes, but I’ve always struggled because I was pushed forward before I was ready and when I didn’t fully grasp all of the concepts of math.

Plenty of kids excel in different areas at different stages in life. Some kids learn in groups – some by reading – some by visually seeing something worked out – some learn better by themselves. The system is not built to give you all of tools necessary to make you reach your full potential.

Unless you’re into sports – then that is a whole different area of topic for me. Where I live, if you walk into a school – the first thing you see is a trophy case dedicated to their football, basketball or _Insert sport. Sports are more important than enlightenment with so many faculty and parents for that matter.

I personally don’t see anything wrong with a student voicing their frustration in a passionate manner. He wasn’t violent. He didn’t seem pissed because he wanted to go to sleep in class. He was pissed because he wanted to learn. I wish more kids felt like that. I’m glad this video is getting attention – whether anything comes of it or not – I highly doubt it will.

For anything to change, we’ve got to re-evaluate how important education really is. The system has to be reworked and updated for modern times. The people have to realize that education is the most valuable investment we can have IF it is administered correctly. It’s worth investing in, and your return will be much greater than any of the wars and foreign aide that our government loves to throw money at. You want to save the world? You start with education. But this system isn’t the system that will save the world. Its chaotic. It makes no sense in so many areas.

Knowledge is power. We should all be seeking it, and we should all be as frustrated as this guy was when we see that this is our future and everyone is just going about their life as a zombie and acting like there isn’t a problem.

Post below, tell me how you feel about this video and his reaction – and what is your view of the school system. Broken? Could be better? What would you do?

The Red Dragon