Buses begin morning routes, starting bells ring, new notebooks are opened and the future leaders of our country slowly start their trek into homeroom classes. Most parents send their children to school believing that they are getting the most out of the education that is being provided to them. Is that really the case?

Many educational systems across the globe can use a major uplift, but America's may just be the worst off. Now, more than ever, is the time to acknowledge the faults in today's education system.

Here are a few quick facts: First, on average students spend a total of six weeks out of the school year testing. That means six weeks have been used to test students when they could have been learning basic information needed to get by in day-to-day life. Second, statistics show that one student drops out every twenty-six seconds. This is equivalent to seven thousand dropouts in one day. Third, the U.S. is notoriously known for spending the most on education but is far behind in areas such as math and reading. Fourth, and lastly, twenty-five million students have reached the twelfth grade without knowing the basics of United States history. How do we expect our children to learn from mistakes of the past if they do not know history?

One problem today is that most children are unable to adapt to change. Whether it be a change in school environment or a change in the method of solving a problem. Often, for change to be accepted by young pupils, it must be widely accepted by a large portion of the students. For instance, if seventy-five percent of a class is willing to learn a math problem in a different way than was taught, then the other twenty-five percent would be more than happy to go along with it. Also, another major factor playing into this problem are the educators themselves. Some teachers are not willing in today's age to learn new problem-solving techniques after they have taught one method for many years. Once in the world of business, a person is faced with multiple situations that may be solved in only one way or another. This is why learning to solve a math problem differently is such a useful and important skill to have.

Another huge problem lies in the teacher. The teacher is supposed to be the one who motivates and inspires his or her pupils to want to learn and excel. Most teachers have lost their passion for teaching, though. This is no surprise. Many teachers go into the education field because of their love for children and hope to inspire others. While some do have a monumental effect on young people, not all have the opportunity to do so. Teachers become easily overwhelmed and tired from day-to-day planning of lessons, grading countless papers and trying to have a personal life of their own. Although it is not the teacher's fault that they have so much on their plate without enough hours in the day, it does play a major role in the problems of education. Low pay and minimal passion for the job leave a teacher wanting out of the business of education. Students can easily pick up on this and start to react in the same way that their teachers may. This causes students to become unwilling to learn and thrive.

These problems are only two out of a handful that the education system in America is experiencing at the moment. Nevertheless, they are all extremely important and game-changing issues. Not all the flaws in the education system can be fixed in one day or even a year, but we can start with one. It's time to teach young minds that change is good and being an adaptable student means being a great student. Also, it's time to help teachers find their passion for teaching once again. Any teacher can be a good teacher if they know the material and teach it well, but they will not be as memorable if they are not passionate about the subject and the job. Reminding teachers of how passionate they were about the field at the beginning of their job may be a step in the right direction.

If we don't begin somewhere, then America's educational system will only be worse off in the long run.