Education is a word that, to the minds of many people in this day and age, conjures up images of classrooms full of rowdy students and a burnt-out teacher, painful standardized tests, periods of social awkwardness, and a myriad of useless information that many people will never use as long as they live. While this may paint a bleak picture of the education system of today, it is an unfortunate reality of the world. Education has become more about checking the boxes than it is about actually teaching the leaders of tomorrow about critical thinking and the things that matter most. During the course of this article, I will explore the aspects of today’s education that are good or bad, then address philosophies and practices that I believe should be incorporated into the education system.
As addressed before, I will begin by doing a critical analysis of the current education system. Though I finished high school in the United States, I do have the unique perspective of having completed most of my grade-level education in South Africa, which borrows immensely from the British school systems. Both systems have their merits and their flaws. One gap that both systems fail to effectively teach critical thinking. One study states that, “[e]ducators have long noted that school attendance and even academic success are no guarantee that a student will graduate an effective thinker in all situations” (Willingham, 2007). Schools today are very effective at pouring information into students’ brains, then having them regurgitate that information back via standardized tests, but fail miserably when it comes to effective teaching them to think critically. 
Students are excellent at processing information that they have absorbed into a paper, but fail when it comes to actually processing why information is important in their lives. This is especially seen in students that go on to higher education. One study recognized this, and had this to say about the responsibility of universities: “Some educators may be uncomfortable with the verb ‘produce’. We use it because it so strongly connotes that the college takes responsibility for learning. The point of saying that colleges are to produce learning-not provide, not support, not encourage-is to say, unmistakably, that they are responsible for the degree to which students learn” (Barr and Tagg, 1995). In this observation, the researchers propose that institutions are actually responsible for how well a person learns, which is true if the student is willing to give full effort. However, this lack of critical thinking is also particularly seen when it comes to politics, no matter what end of the political spectrum a person may be on. Many young people remain associated with the political party that their parents hold to without considering all parts of the spectrum. When presented with sound arguments for either side, it is typically met with derision, and ultimately, dismissal of the opposing perspective. This is a failure of the school system in not fostering critical thinking.
One good thing about the current school system is that it provides structure, and theoretically, a safe place to learn and to make mistakes. Structure is very important in education, particularly when students are young, because it fosters self-discipline. One thing that fosters self-discipline is the setting of goals. One study states that, “Students who set specific and proximal goals for themselves displayed superior achievement and perceptions of personal efficacy” (Zimmerman, 2002). When students set goals, it provides the student with a path towards what they truly desire. However, this can be guided by teachers setting rules wherein the student must follow to reach their goals. 
Rules provide restrictions, which can actually foster the creative process. For example, when given absolute freedom on a project, a student is actually more likely to stay within their comfort zone to complete the project. When given restrictions, they are forced to think outside the box to work within the restrictions, thus fostering true growth. At the same time, one of the most effective ways to learn is to make mistakes. The most effective methods of learning is to learn from errors. One study cites that, “In error training[,] learners acquire information about a task through exploration, hypothesis-testing and trial-and-error” (Ivancic and Hesketh, 2000). For me personally, it’s when I make mistakes that I remember how to do something correctly. I am more likely to remember a lesson or instance long-term if I make an error during the learning process. I am more likely to then not make the same mistake twice when presented with the same situation.
As I’ve mentioned before, I will now take the time to offer my opinions on philosophies and practices that should be incorporated into the education system. One thing that is definitely a must is the removal of standardized testing for all subjects but the hard sciences. Especially in the arts, standardized testing does not effectively measure a student’s intelligence or ability. Another study had the following to say about standardized testing:
If tests play a significant role in grade advancement or are the primary basis for a school's so-called accountability, teachers feel compelled to spend considerable time preparing children to take the tests. In such cases, the tests become the school curriculum. Preparation usually begins many weeks before actual testing. During this period, two to three hours a day are often devoted to practicing tests and related exercises, all alien to the ongoing instruction and the usual student response patterns. Teachers readily acknowledge that questions in the practice exercises, which are similar to those on the real test, are trivial. Moreover, the possible responses contain words that children likely have never seen and certainly don't use. By the time the three days of real testing are over, weeks, sometimes months, have passed. Time for real books has been sacrificed for time spent reading isolated paragraphs and answering multiple-choice questions. Time has been spent not on posing problems for which math might be used, and in the process coming to a natural understanding of math concepts, but on reviewing skills such as addition, subtraction, and division--all in isolation (Perrone, 1991).
There are some students that are not effective at all in a classroom setting, but are amazing in what they do in a practical setting. The same can be said vice versa. Some students are extremely effective in a classroom setting, but cannot function when presented with a practical situation. Instead of standardized testing, students should be presented with a practical application of their respective subject, which will foster the creative process, the student’s critical thinking, and will be a more effective measure of a student’s abilities than standardized tests.
Going along with this removal of standardized tests, a recommendation I have for the current school system is to make education much more individualized. The problem within the current school system is that students are all taught the same way, whereas everyone learns in different ways. However, the reason that more students aren’t given an individualized education is that there is a severe shortage of teachers, both in the United States and in many countries abroad. 
An effective way to raise the number of teachers is very simple: make teaching more lucrative. Teachers are paid a pittance in comparison to the number of hours they put in, and by extension, the far-reaching impact they may have on a countless number of students. Teaching is a worthwhile profession, so it should be compensated as such. The United States should look to Finland as an example of what they should follow to foster a more competitive system. Finnish teachers are required to have a master’s degree to teach, and are paid six figures. When given lucrative requirements like this in the American education system, both the quality of education and the compensation thereof are both raised dramatically, fostering a much better environment for the students. By extension, when teaching is more lucrative, it will raise the number of people who are willing to go through school and train to be teachers, thus reducing classroom sizes and individualizing education.
Another recommendation I would have would be to bring back free time. Recesses in the United States are getting shorter and shorter, while internationally, many school systems have done away with recess altogether. This, and many other studies, have shown the children need to be given unstructured play time in order to unwind, and let them learn organically. But unstructured should truly mean unstructured. If a student prefers to sit by themselves and read a book during this time, it should be allowed. Conversely, students should also be allowed to get into groups and play a game or sport if they want. This allows for the unstructured time that children need to be successful.
In short, there is good in the current education system – including structure and recess – as well as bad – which include standardized testing and not fostering critical thinking. I truly believe that it is possible to be able to merge the best of both worlds. Is this a perfect education system? Of course not. New systems come with new problems. But in trying to further individualize education to a student’s needs, we can collectively teach students how to work within a structure, while also fostering an environment where critical thinking is taught.
Growing up in South Africa and moving to Utah, USA as a teenager, Scott is a graduate of Utah Valley University’s Outdoor Recreation program. Scott is currently a Master’s Student at the University of Florida. His research interests include ecotourism, sustainability, and tourist affect cycles. He has worked in multiple therapy, outdoor, and retail settings, and is a published author.