Education

Dear Mr. President,

 

Hello, My name is Trey and I am a junior at Parkway West High School.  We are a very nice school who does very well academically.  I am a transfer to this school and I previously attended a very nice private school.  I decided to leave as I felt the teachers where not as good as they should be for an institution that prides itself on its teachers.  I made the change to the public school system which was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.  I have finished over a semester here and am glad I made the change.  The public school system has impressed me with its high quality teachers, facilities, and athletics. 

 

One issue I have is the muted voice of the student.  Earlier in the year, there was a debate about how the bus schedule should be worked out as there was a problem getting people to school on time.  The district suggested changing the time that school started and this was appalling to the students.  Many students went to an open meeting hosted by the district to protest and many brought up good points that the district had no reasonable response to.  In the end the district stuck with its choice and went against the students.  There have been many other similar situations where the student does not seem to have a voice and I feel this is not instilling the leadership the next generation will need to have.  I as a junior feel extremely capable of making decisions and having a reasonable explanation of what I believe.  By having the leaders of our public schools not listen to the students, we are instilling values of submission and blind following.  I understand how adults feel students are too young and not experienced enough to make these tough decisions, but then I wonder how they feel I am not ready, yet I am eighteen and can then vote for the leader of our country.  If I wanted to, I could enlist in the armed forces.  I feel myself and much of the student body is capable of having educated opinions that should then be heard.

 

My solution would be to make known every new district policy to the students and encourage them to talk to the district heads if they have issues.  This would lead to a more informed student body and would encourage them to have opinions and step up as leaders in the community.  This would also make students feel more involved in their schools and therefore more proud to show up everyday.  I feel through providing the students a voice that would be heard, you would be educating a brighter future for America that is more informed and aware of the world around them. 

 

Thank you very much for your time,

 

Sincerely,

 

Trey

 

Parkway West High School

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Trey Osterholt