By Reid Thompson

     Many Americans see school as a way to develop the minds of growing children and overall ensure the prosperity and future of our nation. School is often perceived as a requirement; an obligation that will only help and prepare one for success.

     However, many fail to see that the school systems in America do just as much harm as good. School strips us of our individuality and replaces it with social conformity. We as students learn to raise our hand before we speak, sit in rows with assigned seats, and read the same material repetitively until we are forced to be tested every week. We begin to think that we don’t define ourselves, yet the bold letter that lies within our report cards does.

    Not one human is the same mentally. Every brain learns and processes differently, yet our school system continues to feed every student the same curriculum and techniques of learning. They use standardized tests to define our chances of success, and require a retest if our scores do not satisfy. The system needs change.