Planning for a Child s Education

Planning for a Child’s Education

Planning for a child’s education can be difficult. There are lots of different things a parent worries about while their child is away from them being influenced and taught important knowledge from someone they hardly know. Some parents may be more lax when deciding a child’s education since it would be almost impossible to make sure everything is perfect. Unfortunately the education system is flawed in a lot of parts of America which is a big concern with parents. While this is a big issue, an easy way to fix this is to plan accordingly by focusing on the big issues when planning a school for their children. The most important factors to watch is the school’s environment, the teachers of the school, and the child’s influences and self-motivation. A school’s environment can play a big role in deciding how well of an education a student will receive. For instance, in Nicholas Gage’s “The Teacher Who Changed My Life,” Gage faced issues with his first schools in America since he didn’t know English and at that time they didn’t have classes for students who didn’t know English. “When my father led me and my 11-year-old sister to Greendale Elementary School, the grim-faced Yankee principal put the two of us in a class for the mentally retarded.” (204). A students peers also plays with the environment of the school. A school that is located in crime infested parts of a city or town makes it more likely for a student to be influenced in a negative way relative to the local area and people. Therefore, picking a school with a nice environment is crucial to a student’s education. This may be why wealthy parents pay extra money for their kids to go to private school to insure they are in a good environment, however, this can still be flawed. Teachers are hands down the most important factor when it comes to a student’s education with the most likely reason being they are the ones conveying information to one’s child. Unfortunately, this is also where the education system can be very flawed since teachers can be uncaring and not as motivated as others to do their job. A good example is in Cheryl Savageau’s poem “First Grade-Standing in the Hall,” since it tells the story of a boy who is sent out in the hall by the teacher because he cannot read. “Because he can’t read, the teacher makes him stand in the hall.”(240). It’s such an unfortunate thing for a teacher to punish a student for something he cannot grasp straight away. A parent definitely wouldn’t want this for their child. An easy way to fix this problem is to become familiar with the teachers at the school before choosing that school. If a student can acquire a good teacher then many things may be unlocked in the student’s potential. For example, in Gage’s story about his teacher Miss Hurd, she helps him develop a passion for writing and teaches him very well to the point that he wins awards and proceeds to further his skills in college and graduate school. This also states a notable fact that a teacher will be a student’s biggest influence while in school. In most public schools, children misuse their gift of free education. Since it is free, the students don’t fully appreciate education’s value and causes them to slack off or not pay attention. Because of this, a student’s motivation is a very important factor in making sure a child receives a good education. A student has to actually value their education and try hard every day to truly reap the benefits of the fruits of knowledge. A good example is in Frederick Douglas’ excerpt from his biography entitled “Learning to Read and Write.” His story tells of how hard he would try just to learn how to read and write. He says in his story that he gives poor white boys bread in return for them teaching him to read. “This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.”(198). If every student in public schools had the same mentality as Frederick Douglas about education, then the world would be a very different place with a very educated population which would be wonderful. While there are a lot more factors that play into a child’s education, a school’s environment, the teachers of the school, and the child’s influences and self-motivation are the most important things to look at. Again it is unfortunate to say how students and teachers don’t take education as seriously as they should. Knowledge is a privilege to have but as Frederick Douglas had said in his excerpt, he once believed it to be a curse referring to him knowing of his slavery situation (199). Hopefully everyone will realize the value of education and draw the benefits of it. If that were to happen, there would be fewer problems across the world but this is hopeful thinking.

Works Cited

Douglas, Frederick. “Learning to Read and Write.” Connections. Ed. Judith Stanford. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001. 197-201. Print.
Gage, Nicholas. “The Teacher Who Change My Life.” Stanford. 203-207.
Savageau, Cheryl. “First Grade-Standing in the Hall.” Stanford. 240-241.