Becoming educated is, under most circumstances, one of the first notable things a child will do in his or her life. Therefore, the way an education system is structured, has the power to shape a child permanently. In the United States of America, we believe education is a freedom. While there are some different types of educational institutions, there is a structure in place, which for better or worse, aims to give all children the same basic education, and arguably makes education less "free." In my life, I have had the opportunity to attend schools from across the academic spectrum. From kindergarten until fifth grade, I attended a public elementary school, in middle school, I was homeschooled, and in high school, I attended a charter school. Each one of these played a different and unique, yet integral role in shaping who I am, and in enabling me to understand the benefits and the disadvantages of each.

I have always been extremely critical of myself. I was rarely content living with the thought that I could have done something better. I did a lot of learning independently as a young child, and the public elementary school I attended never quite functioned as a true learning environment for me. I don't have too many vivid memories from my time there, but it seemed like going there was just going through the motions. There were parts of it that I hated, but there were definitely parts of it that I really liked as well. However, I never thrived there as much as I did on my own, inside my own mind. The most notable changes in my academic career came later in my childhood.

When I was in fifth grade, my sister, who was two years older than I, regularly complained about the issues that were commonplace within our local public middle school. Many of the students were a bit reckless. She felt the workload was too heavy, and the teachers were doing very little to ensure a safe and hospitable learning environment. Most people hate middle school, but it seemed these issues were of greater concern, threatening her education and her happiness. My mother listened to her concerns and saw that she was actually a motivated student, and that the current education system wasn't working in her favor. After much consideration, she felt that it would be reasonable to withdraw my sister and me from the public school system at the start of the following school year and homeschool us. She had a background of teaching middle school English, which was perfect for both of us at the ages we were then, and it enabled a strong foundation for the next step in our education. 

This system seemed to work quite well for quite a while. In the beginning, we had a strict 8:30 start time, and a fairly routine daily schedule. Over time, things became a little more lenient, and my mother gradually became a little less active in our education as she began pursuing other things. We started our days a little later and worked on things at our own pace. This didn’t hurt my ability to learn though. The reason this worked for me was because I still held myself to a very high standard, was capable of learning independently, and was always very critical of my work. When a certain project was taking too long, or didn’t interest me, I could have very easily given up and moved on to something else, with very few consequences, but I wouldn't have been able to have that on my conscience. However, despite this system working really well, as I progressed through eighth grade, I began to see the disadvantages of the homeschooling system. I felt as though I was becoming very distanced from the real world and my social interactions were fairly limited. I’ve always been introverted, though I did crave some social interaction and I greatly desired to make friends again. Additionally, I thought that I couldn’t go on by learning high school material on my own or even with the help of my mother. I knew that in a few years I would be taking the SAT, and would have to be sure I was prepared for college, and I wasn’t sure if I could prepare myself. I thought I was making all of these decisions very rationally, but I soon learned, I knew less about education than I thought. 

I enrolled in a charter school. My main reason for attending a charter school was because it happened to be the institution where my father taught at the time, but there were several other factors that made it appealing as well. It was much smaller than the average public school, meaning I wouldn't be overwhelmed by large groups of people, or concerned about getting lost in a large building on my first day. However, with this transition, was I losing my independence? My individuality? I figured I was pursuing a form of education that was higher than what my mother or I could give myself. I certainly became busier, as I always had homework to do, but I wasn’t learning all that much. I met or exceeded expectations in all of my classes without having to try too hard. The academic freedom given to me through homeschooling encouraged me to develop a stronger work ethic, to work and learn independently, and to explore topics more thoroughly.

However, my new learning environment was arguably not challenging enough. It was no secret that the school was lacking in funding and consequently paid their teachers quite poorly. Therefore, many teachers were only there until a new teaching position with a higher salary was offered to them. This of course meant that when new teachers came to replace those who left, the quality of the teacher dropped. The good teachers never lasted very long, and I watched them go and get replaced one by one. I felt like by my senior year, I was left with teachers whose classes I could pass without any difficulty, but I really wasn’t being challenged. 

My social life, however, was a different story. I was a bit apprehensive about starting there, and in my first few weeks there, I was quite shy. There were also many popular topics enjoyed or phrases used among typical high school students which I didn’t understand, having lived in relative isolation for the last three years. I was a bit frustrated with my inability to communicate on the same level as my peers, and perhaps even a bit resentful that I was sheltered and wasn’t exposed to the things many high school students like to discuss. However, I feel that the small charter school atmosphere really helped me reintegrate into society more peacefully than a large public high school would have. There was no social norm at this school. I immediately felt that individuality was really embraced and everyone there had their quirks. Since my first day, people reached out to me and were very welcoming and accommodating, and I was able to quickly make friends with my peers. I feel like in any other setting, I would have had to sacrifice being myself to make friends, but at this school, I was able to find the happy medium and fit in just the way I was.

Bill Gates touches on all of the issues surrounding education in the United States and potential solutions on how to fix them.What does this all mean for the necessity of public education in the United States today? From my experience, it is extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible to provide children with a quality education while encouraging them to build critical social and life skills. For me, school was a place to build social skills, while I did the majority of my learning independently. Education and school became two separate different concepts that only occassionally crossed paths. John Gatto in his essay, Against School, even touches on the differences between 'school' and 'education' when referring to Ariel Durant, who "cowrote an enormous, and very good, multivolume history of the world with her husband, Will, [and] was happily married at fifteen..." He then writes that she was "unschooled, perhaps, but not uneducated." Ariel Durant with her husband, Will; 1948.Prior to this, he mentions a host of other famous historic figures who didn't attend much if any school, yet whose minds enabled them to make pivotal contributions to society.  Gatto also questions the necessity of school in our society, and even proposes that it hinders individuals from reaching their true potential by transforming them into a servant of society. He writes, "...[the] educational system [is] designed to produce mediocre intellects, to hamstring the inner life, to deny students appreciable leadership skills, and to ensure docile and incomplete citizens - all in order to render the populace "manageable.'"

A video highlighting what common core is, the benefits of teaching concepts in new ways, and why it is controversial.Gatto's writing came as a bit of a shock to me, as he wrote about massive flaws in the American education system that never would have been apparent to me. While I rarely felt inhibited from reaching my full potential by the schools I attended, given the choice, I would have gladly spent my time doing other things. Gatto opened my eyes to the fact that these things could have further advanced myself. Looking back, could I have advanced myself in unique and specialized ways, had I never attended a traditional school, to become a common person? Was I giving into toxic societal norms by returning to school, when I should have broken free and become entirely my own person? It's an intriguing idea to ponder, but it is clear that this very free and rebellious attitude wouldn't have been very successful, seeing how the model of our current society is built around the idea that education has to be a certain way. Anyone who was not educated in such a way, may be exposed to fewer opportunities in life. Despite how it might be interpreted in Gatto's essay, and despite it's ties to nineteenth-century Prussia, I believe that the modern American education system generally means well, whether or not it is always effective. Granted, my homeschool experience taught me that one doesn’t need school to have a fruitful education. However, not everyone can be so fortunate. Many children are not motivated to take learning into their own hands. Many children, if left home during the day, would succumb to the temptation of doing anything but schoolwork. Most children also aren’t fortunate to live with someone who has a degree in education. In these cases, which likely accounts for nearly all Americans, a standard school, in which students are given opportunities to build social skills while also receiving a standard, common education is the best option, despite its many flaws. However, children should not be limited by their school, and the modern education system is in need of reform. It would be wonderful if schools could grow with children as they grow; meeting the needs of them, catering to their interests, and helping them to reach their full potential. For the time being though, the public education system as it stands is effective for many.

Education is necessary in order to create a generation of people who are capable of carrying humanity into the future, and school may be as well depending on the circumstances. Determining what form of education is superior is not a straightforward, black and white dilemma. Every child is different, and every education system will have advantages and disadvantages for each child. I had the opportunity to explore the diverse ways in which education can be implemented growing up, and I can testify that each system had its advantages and disadvantages, though I can only speak for myself. I certainly recognize the value in all of my educational experiences, and I wouldn't be the person I am today, had I not been exposed to all of them.