Letter to a School official

Brandt Dixon

Crystal Wong

English 104

10/24/2015         

Dear Principle,

You should recognize that as a principal, your responsibilities are many. Similarly, your authority is supreme among all school officials. Notably social problems affect the quality of education existing in a society. As Denise Pope argues, an unfortunate issue is that people take little notice of the problems affecting children as you can clearly see from the students in Doing School. Your tasks are difficult and challenge you to think and define strategies in accordance with forecasted and professionally advised mannerisms.  Like every other part of society students feel the pain caused by financial problems. Hoy and Michael (132), presents that learning environments require strict observation of students emotional needs. Arguably, productive learning can only be achieved when emotional balance exists. A student`s learning environment should be modified to rid participants of the emotional problems in society.  The prime purpose or objective of an education system is to help students get rid of psychological stress and to have such perspective about education that reveals benefits of learning purposed to develop wisdom. There are simple solutions to ease the student’s high school experience  Once student’s attitudes have changed about education it not only will benefit themselves but society as well.

As Denise Pope notes, the reward-based system does not seem to inspire positivity, but rather cause students to work against the spirit of teamwork. For example, it is shown with Eve in the book how she was discouraged to work with others and even felt competitive towards fellow students. School heads should review the curriculum to address matters of much necessary motivation. The education system should be revised so that students are not motivated by consequence and reward. As the principal, your effort of inspiring new approach to learning processes would be greatly appreciated. Guidance should be given to students who need help managing the stress or time management issues.   Students need to focus their wits on achieving success for the greater good because that would allow them to build confidence and free will as a driver of decision making. By giving these students resources it will take off some of the emotional stress in order to achieve this type of confidence and motivation to enjoy the learning.

A scholar by the name Kohn reveals that America`s current education system looks at learning as forcible through coercion and reward-based motivation. Therefore, it has instigated psychological pressure and put extreme pressure on learners. The feeling of helplessness and lack of autonomy in decision-making causes students to view education as a task or challenge, which holds much impact on individual success but does not engage the person in the exercise itself. It is worth noting that, schooling causes pain and denies students freedom to influence result through strategy input. Due to hopelessness, multiple cases of suicide occur. Hoy and Michael (132), notes that students are depressed and affected adversely by the education. Schooling is a challenge and barrier to harmonious coexistence of students. Therefore, students are willing to engage in any activity that seems to improve their chances of success. At this point, you are facing problems instigated by social dispute due to extreme competitiveness. Students adapt antisocial behavior, become aggressive, develop eating disorder, and engage in academic cheating. Each student in Pope’s book exhibited one of these behaviors due to the pressures created by the competiveness and expectations of our school system. This is a cause of students inhibiting harmful and unexplained behaviors. One of the students analyzed in the book Michelle Spence justifies these behaviors, “If you learn how to manipulate the system then you how you can survive in high school without going nut” (Pope 202). Kohn also argues that prominent structures in schooling mislead school heads to approach such matters in a further failing manner. Looking at social problems as requiring reward and punitive measures means that principles develop a strategy that only causes further damage to education as a process and causes students to grow into poor decision makers. Considering these issues I would suggest providing ways for students to manage their work load in after school activities such as tutoring or a stress level class that will teach students how to stay positive throughout their learning experience and control their stress levels. Another factor that can lead to students stress would be the rivalry between classmates.

According to Kohn, competition leads students to develop a reasoning that they can only succeed when rival characters fail. Therefore, upholding extreme competition practice would make you appear to inspire the development of antisocial behavior. Focus is shifted from agenda driven learning to a desperate pursuit of personal attainment. Students become self-centered and lose touch of social issues. Team spirit fades and learners adapt an attitude of every man for himself. Institutionalized competition causes learners to detach from the systematic achievement of set goals to finding comfort in poor choices. Pope concludes that, continued disengagement forces further review of goals and personal objectives so that students lose their sense of creativity and rely on the establishment of systems. At this point, schooling disengaged learners from learning challenges them to find comfort beating targets and fails to address objective approach to education. Pope argues that the structural arrangement within which schooling is grounded seems to support such problematic events. You should develop a program that rewards students on basis of psychosocial development of skills. According to Kohn, decision-making is not viewed as an important part of learning, but as a facilitator of academic result. Therefore, education at the primary level of inspiring attitude change and assisting students become team players intelligent decision maker’s fails. Learners grow into midlevel managers who must rely on installed management structures.