Improvements to the Education System

After reading Richard Kahn’s article “Towards Ecopedagogy: Weaving a Broad-based Pedagogy of Liberation for Animals, Nature, and the Oppressed People of Earth,” a quote which really stood out to me was one found at the beginning.  It read “…it seems to me a lamentable contradiction to engage in progressive, revolutionary discourse and have a practice which negates life.”  This quote intrigued me because it is saying the progress which we have made in the world is not really a success because at the same time as progressing, we are regressing, by killing off people, animals, and the environment.  I agree with this statement, although I had never thought about it in that way before.  Is a form of technology really worth it if it is killing the living things on the planet?  People should be taught about issues like this.  An example of this learning is found in Richard Kahn’s article called Environmental Education.  This form of education should be found in all schools so people are aware of how precious the world is and all of the issues that it currently has.  If people are informed of the damage they are causing the earth, they will be less likely to continue those harmful actions.

Another change which should be made to the school system is equality.  Currently the education system is set up so the wealthy get into better colleges and therefore obtain better jobs.  The less fortunate on the other hand are accepted into less prestigious schools, causing them to have lesser paying jobs than the wealthy.  This cycle is similar to the quote from Kahn’s article because the wealthy keep progressing and making more money, while the gap between the rich and poor is growing.  The poor continue making the same amount of money, while the cost of living is increasing.  This eventually will cause the poor to become even poorer, resulting in them no longer to be able to support themselves.  If the poor cannot support themselves, then the economy could be harmed, similar to how the environment is being harmed and living things being killed.  This is another example of how progress is not worth the negative effects it may cause.

The way kids are accepted into college should be changed so the education system is more fair.  Parents would still be able to send their children to either private or public schools, but when the child’s transcripts are sent to a college only the GPA would be seen by the admissions office, not the school they attended.  This way if a child did not have the privilege to go to a prestigious high school, but is still brilliant, they will have the same chance to get into any college which a child with a similar academic record had who went to a private school.  I believe this change would be effective in creating a more just education system.