There is an idea that school is the best time of life, so saying the golden years. How many years? 12 or less? Indeed, children’s carelessness, especially in their pre-teens, is often associated with happiness, which is resulted by a great number of leisure activities and discoveries. On the other hand, are school years always the happiest ones? A glance at a youth forum might be enough to get the idea that not everything is perfect at schools, and that most students become much happier after finishing it – “Oh, finally, I finished my school!”
Examples of different school experiences are provided in this article to put the saying about the “best time of life” in doubt or vice versa. It means that if you are assigned with the essay about school days, you’ll have some strong evidence to come up with in your own essay. Feel free to use sufficient ideas in essays!
Putting a Child to School Is the Biggest Parents’ Priority
With the school-age approaching, most parents start thinking about their children’s education so that their children could lead happy, successful lives in the future. With the school options ranging from public schools (including magnet schools, charter schools) to private schools, sometimes, it becomes difficult to choose a classroom setting ideal for a child. But there is a school to suit each and every child. There are particular common needs that should be met at school. What are they, these needs of school-aged children?
The basic needs of safety and security;
The developmental needs in the society and academic career.
The most important goal of each parent is to set a kid up for success and happiness in their own lives immediately starting with school days. The role of parents in the educational experience of a child shouldn’t go unmentioned. There are 3 roles of parents in their child’s education:
- Provide support for their child’s education,
- Make home a good place for learning,
- Help a child with doing homework.
So the school experience can depend on the parents’ participation in choosing the most suitable school for their children and their engagement in the learning process. For more information concerning this point, you can consult:
- The website of the organization FAST Families & Schools Together, namely its program description;
- Walking the Walk: Portraits in Leadership for Family Engagement in Urban Schools by Susan Auerbach;
- School Leadership for Authentic Family and Community Partnerships: Research Perspectives for Transforming Practice by Susan Auerbach;
- The Impact of Parent Engagement on Learner Success: A Digest of Research for Teachers and Parents;
- Parental Involvement in Middle School: A Meta-Analytic Assessment of the Strategies That Promote Achievement by Nancy E. Hill and Diana F. Tyson.
5 Beauties of the Golden Time at School
The belief about the school years are the best ones is true and emphasized by most comments. See them below:
- “At school, you don’t have the reason to be unhappy. From the perspective of a grown person, life seems much simpler during the school years. There are lots of free time and no major responsibilities, such as a job or family, or providing for oneself.”
- “The school is the wealth of knowledge and information you can reach every day. Teachers give you access to valuable subjects and ideas that you couldn’t find in homes or with friends.”
- “Schools give you the opportunity to acquire the basic skills. If you think they concern only writing, reading and counting, you are wrong. Look at how many other skills you develop at school – interpersonal communication, time management, and other study skills that are essential for the future of a successful person. It would not be possible to get while staying at home.”
- “Spending time at school allows you to meet new friends with whom you may become close for the rest of life. Mostly, the school friendship lasts forever – you grow up together, even your children can grow up together. It is highly-valued to meet up with friends since school days.”
- “You don’t only study at school, you entertain there as you wish. All the doors of extracurricular activities are open to you. The last bell rings for the day, and you can run to a theater or athletics. You can do what you are interested in most while being at school.”
3 Possible Difficulties at School
School serves a number of purposes from educating children to entertaining them. However, the school years can be full of groans and complaints. Why does it happen? There are different difficulties that can be met by a student. Let’s consider them in details.
- A school child can’t be entirely free to make own choice. Children depend on adults – their parents or caregivers, teachers – who often make decisions for them. There are even those who say to their children, “Once you’ll become an adult, at age 18, you’ll be able to make your own decisions. Until then, listen to me!” How unfair it sounds! What about the demand for freedom in our society to which an individual could make a contribution? An influential philosopher, psychologist, and educational thinker, John Dewey, reasoned about this issue in his book, ‘Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education’. Some report the feeling of instability in life, which derives from dependence and inability to fully take care of oneself financially, for example. Besides, kids do not usually choose their school environment: they have to adapt to it over the course of studies. Unlike them, young adults are free to choose their college and their first job where they face less direct pressure to fit in.
- A school child is surrounded by individuals. There is a common problem of fitting in that many school students face. When at school, a child has to become a part of the social environment members of which may have various types of characters, behaviors. Their views and habits may vary as well. So a child might become an object for bullying. At StopBullying.gov, you’ll find some impressive facts about this issue. For example, 1 in 3/4 U.S. students is bullied at school. This usually comes with a lot of stress for a young person, especially when their feelings are not taken seriously by adults. That’s why it is important to spot when a child is being bullied.
- A school child faces a lot of competition in school. They need to prove they are not worse than their peers – from the performance in class to participating in extra-class activities, or even to everyday look. In high school, there is confusion because of growing up. It is a period when it is important to accept oneself and one’s own new changing body and mind. Acceptance from others is important as well, and many young people seek it desperately.
Saying that “school is the best time of life” to a child is like saying that it cannot and will not be better after school. While being uninspiring and pessimistic, it is untrue, especially when there are problems that big an adjustment, acceptance, or the threat of bullying. But each person may experience ups and downs either at school or at work. It is a part of life that it is important to overcome worthily. There is no need to focus on school years exceptionally as special because every period in life has the potential to be the best one. Just unlock this potential!
For additional reading on the topic, you can use the following references:
- Babu BP. Behavioral Problems of School Children. Discovery Publishing House, 2007.
- Cullingford C. The Best Years of Their Lives?: Pupil’s Experiences of School. Routledge, 2003.
- Gallup A, Newport F. The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion 2005. Rowman & Littlefield, 2006.
- Grubb WN. Leadership Challenges in High Schools: Multiple Pathways to Success. Routledge, 2015.
- Leibow D. What to Do When College is Not the Best Time of Your Life. Columbia University Press, 2010.
- Patterson J, Tebbetts C. Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013.
- Piltch B, Quinn T. School Leadership: Case Studies Solving School Problems. R&L Education, 2011.