Challenges In The American Education System: Brainology By Carol S. Dweck

For every man, woman, and child at some point in their life, for those who can go will have to enter the American education system. Some will take homeschooling; others will go to public schooling or private. We can argue or counter-argue that one is better than the other or it is different. We as Americans start young to begin our education life. From which the society we live in has already planned for us from the past until now that we have to go to school. Everyone has to go through it that can. With the American education system having students with so many diverse backgrounds, it gives many opportunities and offers of schools to choose from. Then having to choose the right one can sometimes be tough and stressful. Even the unskilled, uneducated, some will have that grit to conquer all and some will meet failures. By interpreting how the American education system works. It can help us determine our educational path and help create it as well. There are many sacrifices, difficulties, and hard work just to receive that American education. We can also argue or counter-argue that within the American education system today, there a lot of big challenges students face, but there are ways, and solutions to help students overcome those challenges. In this essay I will be explaining some of those big challenges. They are bullying and discrimination, with a lack of motivation that a student encounters. And the solutions to overcome those challenges like growing the mindset, with a relevant and diverse curriculum.

First, no matter the level of grade or age, one of the biggest challenges students face in the American education system is bullying and discrimination. In a book called Mission High by Kristina Rizga, she explains “In schools all over the United States, 82 percent of kids who identified as LGBTQ said they had been verbally harassed at school; 38 percent had been physically harassed, and 18 percent had been physically assaulted. These youths are more likely to skip school and have lower grades” (qtd. Rizga p. 139). I cannot argue that this challenge Kristina Rizga explained in the American education system that students face is significant because in our society to this day, bullying and discrimination, still exist. Because of my personal experience, people judge whether it has to do with school or not. Being a homosexual is not alright, they are not supposed to get married to each other. We cannot judge or argue that. I think in the American education system, bullying and discrimination greatly affect the mental health/state of a student from achieving and learning. Not only, affecting the mental health/state, but low-self esteem, anxiety, depression, anger and the thoughts of committing suicide are also implanted in the head. Some of us have lost loved ones and love ones have been taking their own lives, due to bullying and discrimination. But there is one solution to overcome this challenge.

One of the solutions that can help overcome bullying and discrimination is growing the mindset of the one committing it, or not. An article The “Banking” Concept of Education by Paulo Friere states “The solution is not to “integrate” them into the structure of oppression, but to transform that structure so that they can become “beings for themselves”. Such transformation, of course, would undermine the oppressors’ purpose; hence their utilization of the banking concept of education to avoid the threat of student conscientizacao” (qtd. Freire p.3). I also cannot argue with the solution being significant that Paulo Friere explained because the American education system can control bullying discrimination and the oppression that comes with it. I think, not one person in our society is better than the other, we are all created equally. It does not benefit a student being bullied or discriminated against, upon or not. We are all trying to get the same American education. If bullying and discrimination are prolonged in schools, by the students and teachers not acknowledging or caring then the system has failed that oppressed student being bullied or discriminated against upon. Next, I will explain another challenge that students are faced with.

The second, big challenge that students face in the American education system is a lack of motivation. In another article, Brainology by Carol S. Dweck, the writer explains “We have shown that what students believe about their brains, whether they see their intelligence as something that’s fixed or something that can grow and change, has profound effects on their motivation, learning, and school achievement” (Dweck, 2006). I can reflect that this challenge in the American education system that the writer states are significant and cannot argue, because with the lack of motivation there is no intention to succeed whether in life or at school. I think there will be more dropouts, than graduating students in the school, seeing that there is no value in the American education system with the lack of motivation in the students’ performance. Understanding, maybe the lack of motivation comes from many different factors. Each student deals with many personal issues in life. Maybe, it’s the teacher, subject, lesson plan, and or the course being taken has very little interest in a student. This then settles the effects of the student having a lack of motivation. But there is a solution to conquer the lack of motivation.

With the lack of motivation, the solution to help the student overcome this challenge is adapting a relevant and diverse curriculum. As in, “Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete” by Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade states “Teachers who want to build material hope must understand that quality teaching is the most significant “material” resource they have to offer youth. The best of the research in our fields defines “quality” teaching by our ability to produce student growth across assessment measures” (qtd. Andrade p.6). I think this solution has significance because if a curriculum is very dry given by the teacher, it is not relevant, students have no passion for that course and the lack of motivation will not be there, it will be lost. I realize that the American education system cannot just focus on the number of students to pass, who passes, fail and graduate or not. But the aspect and emphasis of the teacher teaching must be enforced. I also think it must make sure learning, and teaching has importance from teacher to student, and vice versa. Remarkably today, what I have explained! That these are just some of the big challenges students face in the American education system, and some of the ways and solutions to help students overcome the challenges.

I have expressed bullying and discrimination, lack of motivation, growth of mindset, and a relevant and diverse curriculum are just some of the challenges and solutions students face within the American education system. In conclusion, we must call to action that there are much many more issues students face. There has to be equality for all the diverse. The American education system has to fulfill, develop the students, and have that initiative to succeed. It must stop cutting corners, just to use and view students as a statistic for one’s gains. It doesn’t matter if a student is taking private, home or public schooling; the variety in the school, program and geological location is different from one another. Learning and teaching have to start from the top; teachers must be responsible and care for students, as one team. We must hold teachers and schools accountable for the curriculum or course being taught is relevant and have to distinguish the strengths, weaknesses, cultural needs of the students. Teachers and students have to interact and interject that the curriculum is relevant so the lack of motivation isn’t lost. The American education system must grow the mindset on what is wrong and right, good or bad. It should give that satisfaction or joy, of achieving, progressing, and accomplishing that goal. So a student doesn’t have that low-self esteem, depression, anger, anxiety, and thoughts of committing suicide from bullying and discrimination. It must lay the groundwork for the unskilled, uneducated student. The American education system must understand it has a system to promote students’ self-awareness, management transforming them to be that one. It must due diligence for it to hold the path for future student success.

Works Cited

1. Duncan-Andrade, Jeffrey M. R. “Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete.” Harvard Educational Review, vol. 79, no. 2, 2009, edreview.org/harvard09/2009/su09/s09dunca.htm.
2. Dweck, Carol S. “Brainology: Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn.” Independent School, 2008, www.nais.org/Magazines-Newsletters/ISMagazine/Pages/Brainology.aspx.
3. Freire, Paulo. “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1970, pp. 1-12.
4. Rizga, Kristina. Mission High: One School, How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph. Nation Books, 2015.