School should
be a place where a student feels safe, feels as if they should be there. School is supposed to be the best years of your
life – but unfortunately, for many students – it isn’t. It’s a time that
students are put until immense pressure – a time in which they suffer stress so
badly that they breakdown that they cry, that they just want to give up. A
levels cause students so much stress that they sometimes just drop out of
school – not because they want to, but because they feel as if they have no
other choice. Personally, I feel that this is completely unjust – I feel that
we should enjoy working, and feel a sense of meritocracy. As if all of our hard
work will actually be worth it in the
end – sometimes, we just work so hard, for so long and still don’t get the
grades we would like – still don’t feel satisfied with our achievements. How is
this fair?
Students
should not have to feel as if they are suffering at school, but as if they are
striving – as if they are learning and achieving. Of course it won’t always be
fun and easy, but right now – it is very rarely fun or easy. It is rare to see students enjoying their learning and
being willing to stay after school to do work, or go to extra classes in order
to improve their work.
Schools
should be meritocratic and democratic. Students should get their say – after all,
what’s a school without students? Schools should be run in a way that benefits
students; too often nowadays, schools are run like businesses – for profit. Students
are forced to work hard day in and day out in order for their teacher to get a pay
rise – or to boost their school’s reputation in the odd ‘Marketization’ process
that occurs in today’s society.
How can
we enjoy school and be successful if school policies are pro-reputation and
anti-child welfare? Schools should be run in a way that benefits students – in a
way that creates equality of opportunity for students; in a way that will make
them realise that school was worthwhile. Everything is about reputation
nowadays, it’s about time the student voice was heard... schools should be
democratic!
