What is School Really For?
By Emma Aldrich
9 Jan 2020




  A 12 year quest of sitting in desks to stress with the rest and take around 112 tests. Allow me to digress. What is school really for? Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful to live in a country where we have access to an education. But hear me out, what is school really for? 
On average , an American student spends over 16 hours a year of testing. A majority of students memorizing and regurgitating information they are soon to forget in hopes that they just pass this class. Tests begin to emphasize the skill, drill, and kill technique. Causing students to lose their curiosity of learning and imagination.Other students stressing over being able to perform well not only for themselves but to represent the effectiveness of their teachers. According to the Washington Post teachers reported students having an increase in anxiety and bodily fluid control issues during the testing season. So what are we really teaching students? 
Are we teaching them that the SAT and ACT are measures of who you’ll be and test scores ensure that the gateway of opportunity is open so long as you do good. The definition of education is the process of giving or receiving systematic instructions. Is that what our education has come to, a system? A system of preparing students for a world that will be completely different by the time they graduate? A system to produce a standard product. A system that produces an average citizen to present to the world. A system of memorizing, forgetting, repeat. 
        As a student who as a taken a good portion of the 112 tests, I can testify to the idea of just wanting to pass the class, the test, the semester. Late night study sessions turn into early mornings, fourth cups of coffee, and the “just five more minutes” only for all of the facts and equations floating around in my mind to be left on the pillow from the night before. 
         What is school really for?