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Deija Duncan

Honors English 2

District Informative Essay

30 September 2016

Improving Education

As said by an education and environmental advocate, Wendy Priesnitz, “Schooling

confuses teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence,

and fluency with the ability to say something new.” For years on end, some public schools have

undermined teaching and educating students by just passing them along with a passing grade.

“Within this group of schools, the average percentage of graduates who went to a 4-year college

was 40 percent for traditional public schools” (nces.ed.gov). Realizing that their students are not

college ready by the time they graduate, these schools are now trying to better prepare them for

their life after high school. These schools are adopting new strategies to help students be more

independent for college life and a career. One improvement that I believe schools need to make

in order to better prepare student for life after high school is teaching self management skills.

All too often, students rely on their teachers to keep track of their work, when

assignments are due, or when there’s a test. In college though, you are responsible for your own

work and life. “In college, students must keep track of massive amounts of information and

organize themselves to meet competing deadlines and priorities” (Conley, 2008). By teaching

self management skills in school, they are becoming more responsible for themselves before it

really matters. These skills can include keeping a planner, studying on their own, and even

prioritizing their work. If these students are taught how to be better students, the school runs

smoother and they become more responsible young adults.

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“Employers want people who understand how to manage a project, how to deliver a

product on time...”(Caron, 2011). Along with helping students in college, self management skills

also help in careers. If your employer wants a project done on time, they don’t expect you to rely

on them. They expect you to figure out how it’s supposed to be done and to turn it in on time. In

high school, this can be taught by example if a class has a project assigned. Because of their

previous teaching in elementary and middle school, by high school they are still relying on their

teachers to update them about when things are due. The only way to turn this around is not by

repeatedly telling them, but showing them that this is what they cannot do. In the real world and

careers, this would not be tolerated so it’s best to start while it can change.

In conclusion, teaching self management skills would be very impactful for the rest of a

student’s life. Responsibility and reliability are important qualities to have when being

independent. These skills help you to get more jobs done quicker and be more professional.

Including these skills in high school classes change the way they do work and improve the

independence of these students. Throughout life in the “real world”, self management is always a

benefit. Including them now, will best prepare students for life after high school, whether it be in

college or a career.

Works Cited

Caron, Sarah W. "Five Ways to Better Prepare Students for Careers." Education World. Ed.
Sarah W. Caron. 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.
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<http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/five-ways-to-better-prepare-students-for-
careers.shtml>.

Caron, Sarah W. "Tomorrow†™s Workforce: What Students Need." Education World. Ed.
Sarah
W. Caron. 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/tomorrows-workforce-what-students-
need.shtml>.

Conley, David T. "Educational Leadership: What Makes A Student College Ready." ASCD
(Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Oct. 2008. Web. 30 Sept.
2016.
<http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct08/vol66/num02/What-M
kes-a-Student-College-Ready%C2%A2.aspx>.

"Public and private school comparison." NCES (National Center for Education Statistics).
Web. 4 Oct. 2016. <https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=55>.

"Teaching Self Management Skills." Special Connections. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/?q=behavior_plans/positive_behavior_support_in
terventions/teacher_tools/teaching_self_management_skills>.