Pity the students who are called flaky dullards all year round, and when they do well in their exams, people throw around the notion that exams have gotten easier. This article explores the reasons why students are getting better grades in their exams and highlights the fact that a large portion of the world’s education is broken because it is too far behind the times.
Are Teachers Worse?
Let us tackle one of the first problems with the education system, and that is the quality of the teachers. Developed countries have always had good teachers and bad teachers, but what few people understand is just how “bad” some teachers actually are.
Look back over your rose-tinted glasses at your past, and you can probably pick out a few teachers that were bad, but still okay. Yet, in truth you were too immature to truly understand how terrible some of your teachers were.
We seem to have this notion stuck in our minds that there are good and bad teachers, but that there is a cut-off level for how bad teachers can be. The cut off level is unquestionably low.
There are teachers giving lectures on how Eminem is a genius (in an English class), and there are teachers who think Julius Caesar was Greek, or that the best vape pod is one that can process cannabis (these are not exaggerations, please get to know the teachers who are influencing your children).
In summary, teachers are no worse than they have ever been. However, there are some absolutely terrible teachers who have been drifting by within the education system for years, and they are influencing your children without you knowing it.
The Hard Sciences
People who throw around the idea that qualifications are easy these days are being a little unfair. They will usually quote a question in a sociology or gender studies course where there is literally no wrong answer. Yet, hand the same person a top-level answer in a high school science paper, and said person will shut up quickly. The fact is that the hard sciences (Bio, Chem, Phys) are just as difficult as ever, as are the higher math qualifications.
College/University is a Waste of Time
Let us tackle another common comment that college/university is a waste of time. For many people, it is. For some people on the other hand, college/university is essential.
For example, a programmer, graphic designer, animator, game developer, fiberglass laminator, etc,. can take a course and get a great job, or can practice on their own and get a great job. On the other hand, there are no self-taught surgeons, or self taught rocket scientists, or self-taught jump jet fighters.
The Biggest Hole in the Education System
This refers to coursework, dissertations, assignments, and anything else that a student takes home and is able to score points on. Anything that a student takes home that they can gain credit on is what is wrong with modern education.
The people defending the education system will quote that only one out of every seven students uses an essay writing service, consultancy, or third party to complete their projects, but the fact is that only one out of every seven students is “dumb” enough to admit it. Getting somebody else to do your dissertations, coursework, etc,. is no longer a shady business conducted abroad; it is its own industry with ltd companies and shareholders.
Plus, it is the students who do “not” use essay writing services who are suffering. Savvy students are using essay writing services to get their busywork point-scoring credit-earning projects out of the way so that they have more time to study for exams. The students who are paying to have their projects done for them are winning on both fronts because they get good grades for the work they buy, and they have extra time to study for exams and then ace them.
Why Remember?
A point that seems to be brushed off repeatedly is that memorizing epic amounts of information for exams is now becoming redundant because anything you need to know can be looked up, but this is not specifically true. Sure, we do not all need to know the date of the Battle of Gettysburg, but if you cannot remember how many bonds H?0 has, or the letter for gravity in physics, then you are going to suffer when you get a job.
Final Thoughts – Let’s Blame TV
The TV and console gaming have taken a lot of abuse from those wishing to score political points, but what if the occurrence of TV is the reason why people are getting smarter. Think about how babies used to stare at the ceiling all day, or how toddlers used to go play in the mud. Nowadays babies and young kids are exposed to language and even math at a very early age thanks to the TV. Nobody is saying the TV should educate your kids, but perhaps the TV’s existence and popularity is one of the reasons why younger people are scoring better in their qualifications in later life.
