Necessarius

I somewhat agree with the idea that school is unnecessary. Presently, many public (and even some private) schools do exactly as the author describes: they stifle individuality and personal achievement and advancement in favor of generalized education. Years ago, someone who thought they were really smart came up with the idea for standardized testing as a way to see if schools are succeeding or not. This, of course, led to many a curricula being designed according to standardized tests, rather than actual usefulness. I have heard stories of this being very detrimental to a student's academic career, especially from an early age. My mom, being a substitute teacher, has experienced this firsthand. One day, when she was assigned to a 2nd grade special education class, she came across a student who seemed to stand out from all of the others. The other teacher in the room said that he was placed in the class because he performed poorly on standardized tests. The teacher also said that the student never talks. Later that day, my mother carried on a conversation with him. The regular teacher was shocked because he believed that because the student failed a test, the student must have severe mental disabilities. He obviously never talked because the other students were so different from him. This is a very good example of how standardizing such an important process can have negative effects on a student. The concept of schooling itself, however, should not be abandoned, because it is a great way to instruct someone how to learn. In my case, I feel as if I am taught to cater to my learning style, as are my classmates, rather than just treated as a way to reach a standardized goal based purely on sameness.