Going to school can be a great way to meet new people and gain skills that will help you in your future career. However, it can also be difficult to balance school and other responsibilities.
In most countries, schools are an important part of the formal education system. They provide primary and secondary education, and sometimes even higher education.
The Purpose of Schools
Schools are intended to help students grow into good and successful adults. They teach important lessons, such as critical thinking and humanitarianism that are helpful in professional and private life. Students also learn the value of hard work and perseverance. These skills will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
School learning includes cultural transmission, teaching students the values and beliefs of their own culture. These are taught both informally and formally. For example, a student might learn the social norm of asking out a classmate through their passing notes and whispered conversations. Schools are also responsible for providing a variety of social services. They provide meals, run homeless shelters, and help families find housing.
Despite these responsibilities, many schools are still failing in their main purpose. A number of them are plagued with poor management and low achievement levels. They are also struggling to meet the needs of their students. There are students who are working on their own to improve the system. One of them is Nikhil Goyal, a self-actualized learner who wrote a book about school reform while he was still in high school.
The Structure of Schools
Schools have long had a variety of organizational structures. These structures vary depending on location and whether a school is public, private or independent. School administrators typically oversee a school, working in conjunction with teachers and other staff members to make decisions regarding students. They may also work with a school board to establish district-level policies, rules and procedures.
Schools can also have social structures that influence student relationships and behavior. These may include student cliques and social hierarchies based on age, gender, ethnicity, academic ability and extracurricular activities.
In the United States, a discussion has reemerged about whether schools as most now look – large buildings that shuttle students through a fragmented day and test them with impersonal zeal – are designed to yield the engaged citizens society needs. The conversation is being fueled by critical research and rising frustration with the stalemate of standard-issue school designs. Amid the turbulence, it is imperative that educators consider anew what they want schools to do.
The Staff of Schools
Schools employ a variety of staff members, who each have an important role to play. Amongst the most obvious are teachers, who are responsible for leading learning activities in classrooms. For younger children there are usually a number of teachers for each subject taught, while older students may have one teacher for each subject that they study. Teachers are supported by a range of other teaching assistants, including English as a second language and special needs aides.
Other school staff aren’t directly involved in lesson delivery but manage the effective running of a school. These include facilities staff who ensure that pupils have a safe environment to learn in, including cleaners, caretakers and catering staff; pupil support and welfare staff, such as school nurses and counsellors; and specialist/technical staff, such as technicians for ICT lessons. An important non-teaching school support role is the attendance officer, who deals with pupil punctuality and absence issues. Most school staff are employed by a local authority, and their terms and conditions of employment are set by the school’s governing body or board.
The Environment of Schools
Students spend over 1,000 hours each year in their schools, and these environments shape them not only academically but also as individuals. It is in this environment that they learn to live with people from different cultures, and it is here where they develop into the artists, scientists, leaders, problem-solvers and change-makers of tomorrow.
Maintaining a clean school environment promotes healthy learning. It reduces the occurrence of allergies, asthma and other chronic illnesses that might lead to absenteeism and poor performance in classes. It also instils a sense of environmental responsibility in children and encourages them to care for their surroundings.
The school environment also includes the culture of the school, as well as teacher-student relationships and moral or social values. These factors should be taken into consideration when making decisions on student education. In this regard, student voices should be included in the process to ensure that the school provides an optimal learning environment for all its students.