One topic that I would like to discuss throughout my future argumentative paper is the education system and whether certain courses should be changed or added. I chose this topic because when I graduated high school and entered college, many of the adjustments and newfound freedoms that I experienced during this transition left me thinking. For example, I wondered why the education system hasn’t changed for decades, including the course options available to high school students. I wondered why students have to attend classes that don’t relate to their career goals or have practical relevance for their future. Why does a student have to learn about Geometry and not how to do taxes? Themes that are relevant to my topic consist of teacher education and preparation, and the importance and the necessity of updating the old-fashioned school system. These themes will guide my research because they would help me understand what it requires to be an educator and provide some background information on secondary schooling in the past, present, and future. These themes will also help build a structure for my paper.
The thesis statement I am hoping to work with is: The education system should be changed so that it is more beneficial because the current one is outdated and not always relevant for students. I chose to make this argument because if we better prepare our students for our changing society, increase their motivation to do well, and allow students to more freely express their creativity, then students could be career-ready at an earlier age, pursue their passions, innovate meaningfully, and live more fulfilling and independent lives. I want students to go to school and be interested in what they’re learning about so they can begin to think about a career and be ready to file their own taxes once they turn eighteen. They won’t have to pay someone to do a necessary life skill. I personally didn’t have that knowledge in my own school education and now as a young adult I realize the importance of it. My interest was also sparked by one of Prince Ea’s videos on YouTube. The video expressed how we can create a better future for learning. There were a lot of issues expressed in the video, like the idea that our current education system is killing students’ creativity. One of the ways I can narrow my thesis statement is by providing more specifics about the ways that the current education system is outdated.
My paper will start with an introduction and a thesis that will be supported in multiple paragraphs. I plan on including the history of the education system in America, as well as facts, statistics, outside opinions, and examples. I want to be able to make the reader understand what I am trying to express and why I support my idea. I plan on acknowledging the opposing perspective and offering a rebuttal that shows the strength of my own argument. Some people might say that the current education system doesn’t need to be changed, but making adjustments would improve the future and benefit society as a whole. I will conclude the paper by repeating the importance of the argument and also leaving the audience questioning the relevance of the education system.
Sources:
- Ea, Prince. “I SUED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM”. September 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTTojTija8
- This source would be useful to my paper because it would help justify my reasonings. The points made in the video support my position, especially when Prince Ea mentions that the current education system is stifling students’ creativity.
- History of Boston Latin School – The Oldest Public School in America, web.archive.org/web/20070502223937/www.bls.org/cfml/l3tmpl_history.cfm.
- This source will help better my paper because it gives me insight on the history of the education system. This can help my introduction which requires some background information on the topic. For example, This source tells me how the educational system was made, by who and when.
- Snyder, Steve, director. New Ideas for a New Era of Public Education: 8 Ways We Can Change How Schools Are Organized, Funded, Measured and Led to Prepare Grads for the Age of Automation, 8 July 2019, www.the74million.org/article/new-ideas-for-a-new-era-of-public-education-8-ways-we-can-change-how-schools-are-organized-funded-measured-and-led-to-prepare-grads-for-the-age-of-automation/.
- This source will be useful in my paper because it explains the consequences of making changes to the education system. The reason why this is important is because it gives me an idea of what would happen if there was a change and whether that change is good or not.
- Strauss, Valerie. “Sir Ken Robinson Has a Lot to Say about U.S. School Reform (It Isn’t Good).” The Washington Post, WP Company, 25 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/04/21/sir-ken-robinson-has-a-lot-to-say-about-u-s-school-reform-it-isnt-good/.
- This source is useful because it illustrates Ken Robinson’s TedTalk on the education system and how it needs to be changed. This will help me with my argument and give me insight on the topic.