Think about your own school experience. What did you like the most about it? What didn’t you like?
A good school de-prioritizes edu-jargon, and makes technology, curriculum, and policies less important than students’ hope and growth. It sees more resources, advantages, gifts and opportunities to grow students than lower-performing schools do.
1. It Prepares You for Life
School helps prepare you for life because it teaches you how to take on responsibilities. This is done through things like completing assignments by the deadline and taking responsibility for projects.
It also helps you develop a positive self-concept through classes such as physical education. In addition, schools can offer other classes that are useful in day-to-day life such as budgeting and financing.
2. It Makes You a Better Person
School isn’t just about learning – it can also help you develop good values. These values might include empathy, honesty, patience, or generosity. Students can develop these qualities by joining clubs or participating in community service activities at school.
In addition, research shows that people who have more education are less likely to suffer from stress. Stress leads to a variety of physical problems, including heart disease and high blood pressure.
3. It Gives You Confidence
School is a place where students build self-esteem. They are encouraged to work hard, stay focused, take initiative and learn. It is a great way to help them prepare for real life challenges.
Branden notes that schools can support self-esteem on a macro level with curricular changes and teachers who promote confidence in their classrooms. They can also offer academic skill-building courses and workshops to help their students succeed.
4. It Prepares You for Decision-Making
Educators are looking for ways to incorporate decision-making skills into lessons. They are embracing the fact that students can learn how to think quickly and adapt to changes in a way that makes them less dependent on teachers.
School can also prepare students for their future careers by exposing them to different postsecondary pathways. One student expressed that she wished schools would help her understand all the options available to her.
5. It Prepares You for Leadership
School leadership is a vital component in ensuring that schools are equipped to face challenges like natural disasters and health crises. Studies show that students led by strong leaders achieve more academically than those of ineffective ones.
Effective school leaders prioritize clear communication, set high expectations, and foster teamwork. They also support teachers by providing them with resources and promoting good working conditions.
6. It Prepares You for Professional Development
Professional development is a process of learning new skills while enhancing your current skill set. It can be done through classes and trainings.
Research shows that PD works best when it is tied to the materials teachers will use in their classrooms, an approach known as curriculum-based professional development. In addition, it is important that PD be active and hands-on. The more engaged students are, the more likely they will be to learn.
7. It Makes You a Human Resource
Research potential schools by attending information sessions, visiting campuses and sitting in on classes (if possible). Look for a school that is characterized by joy, curiosity, hope, and change.
Consider a small school that values tiny classes and takes students on field trips to engage with their studies. These kinds of schools help students develop skills that standardized tests don’t measure.
8. It Makes You a Better Citizen
Democracies need citizens, and schools can play a big role in preparing them for lifelong civic engagement. But it’s unclear how well they do this.
Much more research is needed to assess schools’ effectiveness on the citizen-prep front. Hints can be gleaned from civics tests and surveys, as well as from how schools discipline students. Longitudinal studies are also useful. Especially important are the values, habits, and convictions that kids pick up at school.
9. It Makes You Realize Your Purpose
Students can develop a sense of purpose through meaningful school activities such as writing sports stories for the school paper, debate or chess club. These activities can lead to a passion for learning, and help students become more focused on their futures.
Schools can also foster a sense of purpose by sharing the stories of those who created the knowledge they teach. This can ignite a desire to learn about science, history and other subjects.
10. It Eliminates Social Evils
Education aims to build students’ character and help them determine their obligations to themselves, their family, their school and the community. It also helps them understand their rights and duties to the society and their country.
It helps eliminate social evils that have harmful effects on students, such as drugs, sexism, gambling and alcohol. These can cause physical and mental damage to the students.