Need and Children

After reading “The Sanctuary of School” by Lynda Barry and “School is Bad for Children” by John Holt I believe they both offer valid points. However, I believe that both essays are covering vastly different parts of the child’s schooling.

Barry’s essay covers more of the emotional, where she feels accepted and loved. Holts essay is more about the curriculum of school and why it is really no help to today’s students. They both have good arguments but both leave out important factors and their opinions are one sided.I believe to really give children the most beneficial and comfortable learning environment we need to intertwine both the author’s points. Barry calls the school her sanctuary.

However, after reading her essay I would say that it wasn’t the school that was her sanctuary, but the people at the school that were her sanctuary. Mr Gunderson, Mrs. LeSane, and the other teachers who taught at the school offered relief from her troublesome household where her and her brother went unnoticed. What if a child is not lucky enough to have such compassionate teachers, or perhaps they get bullied at school and teased.In that case school would not be their sanctuary but, instead their prison. Holt says school is a place where you enter as a blank slate and they write what they want on you.

This may be true, but some of what they write may be needed. We learn necessary social skills such as listening to others, following rules, asking for help, responsibility and discipline. If we just let all children do what they want who knows what would happen. Some children are more self sufficient than others and can keep themselves on task, while others need an extra push or maybe just to see someone cares.

Children don’t always necessarily get that care at home. So while abolishing attendance sounds like a good idea to most students what would that do to our country? It’s easy to wake up and decide to go back to bed but if someone is counting on you to be somewhere it makes you more likely to be there. I think in order to really reach out to all children we must hold teachers to a higher standard by giving them the tools they need to identify with young children who don't have the best home lives. There could be issues such as addiction, abuse, neglect.We must make sure that there is someone at school these kids could reach out to, and feel comfortable doing so.

While there are guidance counselors in schools today, many children don't feel comfortable talking with them. This could be because they don't know them well enough or maybe, the children are shy. Perhaps if we had more guidance counselors they could relate to the students more personally and get to know them better. Of course all this would cost money.

I believe it would be a good investment after all, this is our future we’re talking about. What kind of people do we want to see running this country?Curriculum across the country should be rethought. We need to make learning fun so children are eager to learn. I agree with Holt that we should not necessarily abolish attendance but make it less stringent. Children should be able to study what appeals to them, but of course we need basic reading, writing, and math.

If someone wants to be an executive chef really what is a calculus math class doing for them when they can be doing a class more geared for what they want to learn. An internship at a local restaurant is something where they’ll be able to learn skills they will use later in life.They would also be enjoying what they’re learning and finding out whether it is something they want to continue to do in life. Children want to be in an environment where they feel safe and secure. They want to feel comfortable, accepted and find interest in what their learning. If children feel accepted, comfortable and are learning things they are interested in what reason will they have not to come to school? When I was in school I really did not enjoy it much at all.

I had no close connections with my teachers, and most of my classes held no interest to me. I was simply there because i needed to be.Some of the assignments felt like more of a punishment so I rarely applied myself. I felt lost and confused. I was shy so I wasn't comfortable asking for help, I just went by the seat of my pants hoping I would pass and be able to graduate. I’m not proud of this, but I feel like lots of children end up in the same place.

Luckily dropping out of school was never an option for me, but what if it had been? Would I have taken that route because it was easier at the time? We need to make children want to learn. In order to do that we need to make sure that they’re comfortable, actively engaged, and have interest in what they’re learning.Someone can talk all day, but if you don’t find any interest in what they’re saying how much of it are you actually taking in? Instead of cutting budgets for schooling, we need them increased. If not, as a nation we are only cheating ourselves.

Ultimately that same money we cut from the schools budget will now be used on the same person but instead of being used towards their growth as a person, it will now be used towards prison cost, welfare, and unemployment. Where would you rather your tax dollars go? I know where I’d prefer mine to go.