I found the forum discussion to be very interesting because it is connected to our history of a public controversy project in some aspects. The discussion on education and how it should be implemented in society has been an age long issue. There has always been disagreement as to what should be taught and the reasons for teaching. Our project was focused on the subject of general education requirements which are also a major part of the discussion today in many colleges and high schools. People are asking is it necessary for a child to be well rounded or should we be focused on preparing the next generation for the career force? Students at the forum argued that a well rounded education is essential. As an example one student cited how communication is vital in almost any career path. Hence, we should all have to take an english class that will aid us in communication skills. I would agree in that almost all professions require some amount of writing as well. Writing is a skill that can never be replaced. Therefore, english classes are good requirements for students in all majors.

I think exploring can also be a good thing. However, there needs to be a balance between exploration and making a choice. I think we find that too many students come into college not really having any clue as to what path they should be on. One man at the discussion suggested that students in middle school should take an aptitude test to have a sense as to what they are good at. I think this is a pretty good idea, because if we start pushing kids to explore earlier when they get to college they will be more prepared to succeed in the path of their choosing. It will also be more beneficial financially because more students will finish college in four years. It can also help those students who may be better suited for a technical education to understand where they should be going. Many students just think “I have to go to college because that’s what everyone does”. That’s not true, for some people are a two year degree or a technical degree may be more useful.

I also found that funding came up during the forum quite a bit. This is no surprise, because funding and education always go hand in hand. The biggest issue is that many people believe in giving students as many opportunities as possible, but not all school districts have the money to provide all those resources. Someone at the forum mentioned how they would love to start introducing students to the different career paths, but unfortunately, they money and resources are just not there. The system right now is based on how well a school district performs on state standardized testing. This seems a little ironic since the school districts that do poorly receive less money. It should be that the school districts that are doing poorly get a little more funding to be able to enhance the programs at their school. This would allow for more improvement in those schools.

Education is a very important issue and it’s no argument that we need to find a way to improve the system, but it will not be easy to to find the right solution. I think forums like this one are allowing students, teachers, parents, and administrators to get a better sense of what needs to be changed.