The day goes as follows: parents send their kids off to the bus stop with their packed lunches before going to work, and then everyone returns home late afternoon/evening to spend a couple of hours together before bed. School has become a routine, a requirement to maximize societal and individual success. The question is: Is it really maximizing success?

The school system resulting from time of John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford industries files students through school in batches to maximize success in the sense of mass education. Every year a student is shaped by their subjects and teachers to prepare for the next year. Students cycle through and graduate, products of the education system, but school is not done yet because a student is now ready for college. Schooling of this sort gives the mass of students an education, but it also makes it more competitive for those who want to go to college and get a job after high school.

A student becoming a doctor spends 11-16 years in college alone, making for at least 24 years of schooling. And this 24 years does not even guarantee success in the medical profession. Should a doctor have to spend nearly a third of their life in school if part of the schooling they need is simply to outdo competition? There is not yet a plausible solution to reduce number of years of schooling, as the number of years in college needed to be qualified for a position has increased over the years to keep up with the competitive market.

Some people are not made for school. Not everyone likes it and gets much out of it. Some have to move a lot. Not everyone has a good school to go to either. The students who don’t have a good school to go to tie the issue back to the teachers that are teaching the subject, not necessarily the subject itself. But thanks to the ‘No Child Left Behind’ policy, a child will be able to move schools if the school in their area has low ratings. Is school still in this form still maximizing successful for society and for the student’s life?

Another issue is the way the school days are managed. Fall semester is shorter than spring semester and has more breaks, while spring semester drags on longer with only an occasional day off and spring break. To maximize success in the students, maybe it would help to if the time between semesters for breaks were more evenly divided, there may be more of a balance in student learning abilities.

Year round school is one way to solve this problem. This also comes with schooling such as Classical Education, which is designed to be partially homeschooling alongside two day schooling, and it has been known to fit around a family’s schedule very well, but there is still not an answer for the general public school.

But another issue with the success of schools is that days tend to be too long. In Finland, students get a 15 minute break every hour, resulting in better focus and improved learning. In more local news, Olfen ISD gives its students Friday off every week, and as long as they have good grades, they do not have to go to school Friday. This district is the first in Texas to switch to a four day school week.

Schools with very few good teachers do not inspire learning, but often inspire the opposite, so students come out feeling like they have wasted time, and won’t want to ever pick up a book again. So while education is good for making sure the greater mass receives literacy and a chance in a competitive world, a lot of a student’s education is based on luck and the cards he/she is dealt, whether it is the teachers, class size or the environment where they are taught.

Here is one proposal to solve this issue: a lot of intelligent, resourceful, and creative people are drawn to jobs that offer higher pay, such as Wall Street. Drawing people off the street to the school systems by offering better pay would give students a better chance of receiving a good well-rounded and inspiring education. One way schools have done this is through the Troops to Teachers Program that provides veterans with jobs after military service.

Teachers are shaping the next generations of societal growth and transformation. Better pay would draw in better teachers and help students and give a majority of students a better chance. This could maximize societal success as well.

Our school system is complicated, and it varies state by state. Even as students, we need to continue to challenge ourselves with the opportunities we are given, while also keeping in mind that life is short, relaxing at times, and enjoying the ride, making the best of every moment. This may be a challenge in itself, but it is necessary for our well being. Questioning and contributing to the success of our schools will further the advancement of education, and society as a whole.