Devin Justesen
Denise Pica
Eng 1A
9/23/11
Essay Assignment #1 (Better Title)
Recent polls have shown that thoughts have been raised about what type of education
method is best. When I was given this task by my editor to go out and find a method that would
be the most effective, I knew I needed to do all I could to make sure you the readers would
understand my point of view. I studied many different educational methods, each time observing
them from different grades and levels of education. After hours of studying and research, I came
up with a conclusion. I found that the best method of education is a personalized form of
teaching. This would need to be used especially at the high school level. If it were to start then,
it would be easier and more understandable for students as they become older.
In order to work, each school would have its curriculum that the school would follow.
This would allow each school to take its time to make sure each student receives the amount of
attention that he or she deserves. The teacher would observe carefully throughout the semester,
and if by some chance one of the students was to fall behind, the teacher would be able to
quickly step in and assist in any way possible, without worrying about staying on track with
other schools. The school would be able to move at their own pace and ensure every student
would not be left behind.
There are quite a few benefits to this form of education. It helps every student feel like
he or she is really included in the class; and that his or her work is not just another paper to
grade, but something the teacher is interested in reading. This would help the student later on,
for he or she will learn to truly enjoy education because the value will be understood. There are
a lot of requirements from the teacher with this form of education, however. The teacher would
need to truly enjoy teaching, and not teach just as a job. With this form of education being
mandated, it would separate the good teachers from the bad, and ensure an enjoyable learning
experience. It would also be up to the teacher to create an environment that the students will
want to come back to, and that upon return would be ready to learn. This is where the true
personality of the teacher would come in. The teacher accepting the position would need to be
personable, especially for the students still in high school.
This system would fall apart if the teacher were not personable. If the teacher embodied
a stereotype of being strict, the system would fail. But if the teacher was the kind that wanted to
get to know his or her students, then it would be so much easier to assist the student in any way
the teacher could. The fact that the students would enjoy the teacher would prove all the greater,
for they would be less intimidated to ask for help, and would be more likely to be open with the
teacher. I believe that with this method of teaching, students will truly enjoy learning.
I feel that education is only possible when one has the desire to pursue it. Anyone can go
to school, but it takes a desire to be successful at it. In Russel Baker’s, “School vs. Education,”
He paints us all a picture of how there is a difference between going to school, and being
educated. He describes how formal education merely teaches the student the tricks and how to
be successful at the game of education. Instead of really learning, it’s about pleasing the teacher,
and just playing the game. The iconic line to me is when he says, “He may one day find himself
with the leisure and the inclination to open a book with a curious mind, and start to become
educated.” (Baker, page 2.) Russel is saying that after the boy’s many years of schooling, he still
did not learn anything. He merely learned how to play the game. With the method of education
I have suggested, we would be able to bypass this, and truly teach students on a personal level.
There are quite a few reasons why I believe that a personalized method of teaching is
more effective, but one really sticks out in my mind. As I was growing up, I had so many
teachers that were uptight, wanting to just read the material, and not branch out and expand
ideas. None was as bad though as my Algebra 2 teacher that I had when I was a freshman in
high school. I had never had a teacher so disconnected from her students, and that had no desire
to get to know us at all. She would lecture, we would listen, we would have homework, and we
would have tests. That was all. And to this day I still do not remember much of Algebra 2. I
was a good student and I received an A in the class, but I learned nothing. Instead I only
absorbed what she would lecture like a sponge. But as soon as the tests were over, again like a
sponge, I would empty my mind. With a personalized form of education, students will retain
more of what they learn, instead of regurgitating the information.
In gathering this research, I have come to the conclusion that a personalized form of
education will be the most effective. It will teach students to respect and actually like their
teachers, and be more ready to learn as they grow older. I truly believe that if we institute this
form of education, we will see a brighter future, along with a better learning experience for our
children.
Works Cited:

Baker, Russel. “School vs. Education.” (1975) The New York Times Company. Pages 12. Print.