Flawed education system unfair to students

You would think that when you tutor someone, you’re the one teaching something. As it turns out, I’m the one learning from tutoring an eighth-grader.

About twice a week, I go to Danny’s house to help him with homework and studying skills because his grades are low in most of his subjects.

As expected from most middle school students who would rather be playing video games or doing anything but work, the effort he puts into his homework is minimal. But he demonstrates creativity and an aptitude for rapid learning when he is encouraged to try his best.

Danny’s apathy is not just due to what teachers and parents quickly dismiss as “laziness.” Rather, it is the apathy of teachers exacerbated by an unappreciative educational system that appears to be rubbing off on students.

A simple review of the feedback (or lack thereof) the teachers give to this student portrays just how much teaching styles have changed over the years from the time I was in middle school. Danny’s teachers only check to see if the sheet of paper has been filled out, taking that as a sign that homework has been done. Answers are not reviewed in class, and corrections are not made on assignments. Do the teachers expect the students to ask them questions after class or at break? As college students, we barely make time to attend office hours with TAs and professors.

Moreover, the textbooks used for the different subjects reflect low-quality standards for a student’s grade level. For instance, Danny’s science book is at a fourth-grade reading level. When the assignment at the end of each section asks “critical thinking” questions, the writers of the book have literally highlighted the correct answers in the book for him, so that without having read the question, he knows that the letters in bold are the answers.

This eliminates the need for dissection of the information, limiting the student’s learning. So when I see Danny writing in words just to fill the blank lines because his teacher “doesn’t check them anyway,” and when he says he doesn’t care, I don’t blame him.

To make matters worse, the state has allowed the process of textbook replacement to become a priority above the quality of those books. The material in textbooks must be updated to reflect changes in information over time.

Though such changes may have good intentions, the different textbooks from district to district and year to year are not only inconsistent, but also allow publishing companies to exploit the quick need for textbooks by offering low-quality products.

This doesn’t only apply to middle school students. College students see the same inconsistencies when textbooks change from quarter to quarter for the same classes and even in the same volumes. So when students try to return textbooks they bought only 10 weeks ago, buybacks give little in return or even refuse to take back the book. Instead, students must spend more to get an updated version of a book for another class.

In Danny’s case, his teachers’ lack of concern amplifies the problem begun by inadequate textbooks. Danny’s indifference is a reflection of the little attention teachers appear to be paying to students, and is perhaps representative of the apathy students feel across the state of California.

Since the state laid off teachers back in 2006 due to budget cuts, the quality of education has substantially diminished. Experienced teachers were lost and replaced with less qualified teachers who accepted positions at lower salaries.

Faced with low salaries, a minimal chance at better pay, and the possibility that their jobs may be taken away at any time, teachers feel unappreciated and less compelled to motivate student learning. Thus, the state’s poor treatment of teachers results in the low-quality education at public schools.

The state can prevent such shortcomings that disadvantage education. If the state reduces spending for projects that are not as dire as the need for improving education, perhaps we wouldn’t see the apathy students now feel.

For instance, had the state not passed Proposition 1A for the high-speed rail, a project that will cost $19.4 billion over 30 years and perhaps an extra $1 billion annually for maintenance costs, the money could have been used to pay for training teachers and increasing their salaries.

Then maybe I wouldn’t be tutoring a student who doesn’t care about learning. I think sacrificing my job as a tutor is well worth it if that means that my services are not needed.

If you feel early education is at a disadvantage, e-mail Tehrani at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].