Education In-Check

In John Holts essay, Freedom for Children he discusses how children should have their own right to decide how much, when, and what to learn. Holt states that by taking children s right to learn, we are taking a fundamental right away from them. He also states that, to adults, the right to decide what does and does not interest us is taken for granted and that we are unknowingly taking this right away from children. Holt also states that by sending children to school six hours a day, 180 days a year, for about 10 years we are limiting them. Holt concludes that children are no longer learning, but rather are taught what adults think they should know. I personally disagree with Holts on this matter. If children had the right to control their education, what would stop them from even going or learning things that could be damaging to society? I feel the have plenty of rights as it is.

Children today have many rights already in the field of education. In elementary school, no one forces them to stop learning. They can always choose to further their education, by reading perhaps. In high school, there are a variety of classes a student can choose from. All these classes can be selected to fit an individual student. Classes ranging from art and drama all the way up to advanced placement physics are at the disposal of those who want to learn. No one forces children to take these classes. Students take these classes of their own free will. Once in college, a student has the right to choose whatever major they feel fit to be in. If they don t like that major, they can always change it.

What would happen if students were allowed to come and go as they please? All too often, students would never go to class. They would abuse their right and spend their days having fun. I have personally seen friends leave school because they don t want to be there. If they didn t have to be there they would not have come in the first place. There are certain things that students should know. Basic math and English skills are required jus to get by in today s society. If these basic skills are never learned, we risk having an underdeveloped society full of uneducated people. Our world would literally crumble because we run the chance of people not knowing anything.

Limiting what children learn today is not the way we want to have them grow up. If we did that, we would have them grow up with a natural tendency to learn what is harmful or wrong to society. What we are trying to do is guide them in life so what they can make the right decisions in life. Exposing them to what is right in the world will help them open up to new opportunities and experiences.

As we can see, we are not limiting on what a person can learn, but only protecting that person from abusing it. So many things can go wrong if a person were allowed to take control of their own education. Abuse and neglect are only a few possibilities. The way education is now was designed to be the best for those willing and even unwilling to learn. Those willing can receive the best education their mind is able to give them. The unwilling receive the basics and don t become a burden on society. Holts idea of unhindered learning may be an idealistic one, but in the end there are too many flaws and loopholes. An education like that could be societies downfall when our system is extremely efficient now.