I would just like to address the problem we are facing in America, the education system is becoming mediocre. Of course the United States is not a third world country, and we are blessed to have the privileges we do when it comes to our education. I believe we don't put enough attention on the basic needs for students in the classroom but instead we push for more testing and common core standards. These children are going to be the next adults in the world, so why aren't we properly preparing them?

Without a doubt, I believe that standardized tests are awful and happen too much. A typical student takes 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten classes and 12th grade; that's 8 every school year. Eighth graders have the heaviest testing and average 25.3 hours of standardized tests and normal exams during the school year. Tenth graders have the highest average with 10.5 mandated standardized tests given. High school is just another obstacle to tackle to get students ready for college and the real world, most high school students are stressed about the ACT/SAT. Why aren't schools spending more time getting students prepared to take the ACT/SAT so they can score high enough to be accepted into colleges or universities? The only thing I can recall that has helped me so far in life that I learned in high school was sewing, how to prepare a healthy meal, and how to budget money. I was never taught how to change a tire, how to write a check, or file taxes. These are things that I think should be taught in schools primarily in high school right before graduating.

Most people communicate via messaging, email, or social media platform but something that is still essential, and has stopped getting taught is cursive writing. Today very rarely do you see cursive handwriting getting taught in schools, because apparently the school systems are better off preparing students for the real world. In the real world, people are required to sign their name. Not print, but sign in cursive. Cursive is important and teaches precise and neat handwriting.

One of the main reasons for the push of Common Core Standards is because of the international competition, rather than the actual desire to improve our teaching and learning skills as a nation. Common core standards don't even guarantee improvements in testing on a global scale. Basically the common core standards is a program that the government pushes, if the school system refuses then they don't receive any money. The United States on average spends $115,000 per student, wow! How serious are we going to take these statistics? Personally I would love to see the system change, and focus more on the direct needs of the students rather than what just looks good. Hopefully there will be an emphasis on preparing these children for the real world.