I can”t get no education – Public education fails to challenge students, doesn”t reach academic excellence

I have a very negative opinion of the Idaho public school system, and maybe that”s because of the way it mistreated me.

I skated through high school without once opening a textbook outside of class and I rarely ever had to do my homework at home. I refuse to accept that I”m “just that smart,” as I am well aware that I am not.

Claire Whitley
Argonaut

Students were forced into classes based on age rather than skill level. This meant a straight-A student like me was in the same class with some idiotic redneck who didn”t fully grasp the concept of nouns versus verbs and who probably never made it beyond basic arithmetic.

Being in classes with these low-achieving students made it hard, if not impossible, to actually learn something. They disrupted class and rarely paid attention. They failed tests, which made the teacher look bad. Then the teacher would try to save their reputation by teaching to the dumbest student in the room.

Meanwhile, pupils who were actually trying to pay attention and gain knowledge were forced to repeat the same lessons over and over again for days on end until they stopped paying attention altogether.

The idea of teaching to the lowest skill levels in class means that “high-achieving” students never had to study. To some this seems amazing, and those students appear to be all around geniuses. But it”s not amazing and those students are not geniuses. Many of the same students struggle through college because they have no study habits.

In small-town Idaho, I was harassed because people thought I was smart – a know-it-all, in fact. The snide comments people made behind my back were hurtful. I was hated because I got good grades, and that is ludicrous.

Why should I have to put up with the spiteful opinions of others because they can”t seem to comprehend simple subjects? Ironically, the same people who looked down on me for my intelligence would also ask me for help.

Administrators, teachers and parents never fully seemed to understand my frustration. I told them how I felt, but they just smiled and said, “It”ll get better.” But it didn”t. It was never better in the 12 years of public school I was forced to attend. Then, when I came to college, I was woefully unprepared to study.

To be honest, there is no true solution to this problem. Small towns are stuck in their ways and have such low budgets that they can”t do anything about it even if they wanted to. That being said, it isn”t hopeless.

Instead of grouping students based solely on age, rural schools should look into ability-based grouping.

Ability-based grouping separates students into classes based on achievement-level and skill. High-achieving students can complete more complex and in-depth concepts while low-achieving students can focus more on the broad view in order to learn the basics. This method is largely used in Japan, where there are more teachers and students, so transferring it to rural Idaho might not work well. But it”s worth a shot.

In the small town where I grew up, I felt like I was some sort of leper because I would read, write and think for myself without needing the assistance of an adult. Every day, I woke up and dreaded going to school. I didn”t want to face the ridiculous people who sneered at me when they thought I wasn”t looking, or the teacher who was perpetually amazed that I completed one of his elementary-level assignments in less than 10 minutes.

To be knowledgeable in that town was to be feared and hated.

Claire Whitley  can be reached at  [email protected]  or on Twitter @Cewhitley24

8 replies

  1. Breanna

    As a former PHS graduate I am so incredibly frustrated to read such a close minded opinion of the "flawed education system". You did not bring forth actual problems in the education system, instead you have disrespected an entire community of wonderful educators and peers. I transferred to PHS at the end of my sophomore year and I was less than impressed to say the least. Coming from a school of over 2000 to a measly 200 I was positive I couldn't possibly thrive in a place such as Cottonwood, Idaho. Oh boy was I strongly mistaken. I came to school with this preconceived idea of the kinda people I would encounter at PHS and it was not a nice one either. I was told that I wasn't allowed to be in a senior class because "...you will never be able to pass it..." I was grouped among people the same age as me, but not necessarily the same knowledge as me. I walked around refusing to indulge in my education because I was busy keeping up my better than thou persona. When I finally pulled my head out of my ass so to speak, I was enlightened. I allowed myself to be apart of all prairie high school had to offer. I am by no means the smartest kid, though I never studied, opened a textbook, or struggled in testing. This wasn't because I am a "pupil" above the rest, it is because I took advantage of the knowledge being offered to me. My teachers willing to help before and after class, my peers who were always willing to explain something, the staff that are truly all about providing me with an education. During my time at prairie high school, I was able to help people who didn't understand the things I did and in return I received the same. I felt at home here. We were close knit and helpful. We all had the same goals, no matter our skill level. People learn differently, understand differently, however separating because of our differences would teach us what? That we are better than our peers? Smarter than our neighbor? That is no way to learn and certainly not a way to teach. We were offered the kind of education some kids only hope for. We were given an environment where we could be comfortable in learning and growing. I graduated with high honors and 30+ dual credits through LCSC. I am the only one responsible for my success, yet I couldn't have done it without my helpful teachers, "idiotic redneck" peers, and encouraging community. I am proud to be a pirate and proud to have had the privilege of attending a small town Idaho school. I am forever greatful for my education for it has allowed me many luxuries in my college years. I have attended LCSC for 4 years now. It is not easy. I struggle in some things and it is a cake walk in others. I was not prepared for all that college entailed, but that was no fault of my high school education. I am still learning and growing and using the tools I gained from my time at PHS. I will continue in this beautiful struggle because it is what I want for me. I am the maker of my own success. I always have been. I hope and pray that instead of maintaining your self righteous outlook on education you humble yourself in fact. The fact that you did gain more than you think in highschool. The fact that life doesn't always get easier. The fact that you are struggling or weren't prepared for college may be fault of your own habits vs an education system that "failed you". Fact that there is a difference between opinion and blatantly disregarding an entire community. You are the maker of your own success Claire. Go be somebody more than you portrayed yourself to be.

  2. Mckenzie Candalot

    Abilities based tracking does not work. The tests used to sort by "achievement" tend to be standardized and thus biased. Segregating students based on ability that way leads to more social biases and cliques (do we really need more social hierarchy in schools?). The problem isn't "smart kids" and "dumb kids" its the overarching structure that limits student growth and abilities to the one dimensional standard of a "grade". We need room for more integrated curricula which more accurately reflects real-life learning and fosters independent choice. We do need a more challenging curricula and education system. But that isn't limited to any group of kids. Furthermore, learning "the basics" in a practical context makes them more interesting and applicable FOR EVERYONE. And as another one of those smart kids who suffered through that hick town with you, was it really necessary to shit all over our schooling like that? Don't get me wrong, it sucked. But its not like you were alone. You weren't anymore of a victim than the rest of us. And it isn't fair to totally condemn the education system because you experienced bullying.

  3. katarinatillinghast2

    Going to the same school as you Claire, I can see how many of your points are valid, righteously so. But your paper does very little to adress the actual problem. however, on an entirely different scale, Idaho publics schools are just atrocious, specifically the one you and I went to. I have the luxury of going to another school now, a top notch private school in Colorado, and while they are both two starkly differently set up schools, I dropped from the same pedestal you were placed on, and I'm now an average student. Because it is such a rural school, it is paced to the slowest kid, due to a mass majority of the kids there being as you harshly described "idiot rednecks". Small towns are primarily focused on family and agriculture, versus English and sciences. So that also plays into the dynamics of that school. I do agree there are problems with not only small town public schools, but publics schools alll the way around. However it goes, specifically for Idaho, far beyond just what goes on at school. There are far more many factors that need to be brought up Into this paper.

  4. Joel

    Growing up in the same town and going to the same "redneck" school you did I think you are way off base. Im several years older than you but because the school was rural they offered a plethora of online college classes for those students who chose to take them. I knew several students that were done with two years of college by the time they graduated. You had those same options and if you didn't take advantage of them being as "smart" as you are that is your fault. Blaming the school for your laziness, because you didn't challenge yourself, is just another way your proving that you aren't as smart as everyone thought. The teachers in our small town community are going to be getting a copy of this. Let's see what they have to say about "not challenging" you. Your a disgrace to our small town. Next time tell the truth, a good reporter doesn't blame others for their incompetence.

  5. Megan Rambo

    Another Vandal was right on. I have to agree with what they told you. I couldn't say it any better. You are responsible for you. My kids go to that school. I have a son that everything comes easy too. I also have a roll in his education so I help push him as well! You know why? Because I'm his mom. It's not just his teacher's job to hold him accountable and teach him, it's also mine. That's the other flaw with your statements above. You bare responsibility and hopefully your parents or parent took some responsibility. Either way, I hope you go back over your article and realize why you really had the experiences you did and then work to also fix yourself.

  6. Vandal.

    Perhaps people don't like not because you got good grades but because you referred to your peers as "idiotic rednecks". I have no doubt that there are flaws in the education system, but this article does little to address them. This is a pretty sad attempt at an opinion piece. I highly recommend taking some JAMM classes.

  7. Another Vandal

    I was once in your shoes. I was labeled as “gifted” and put into advanced classes throughout public school. I didn’t study, or spend a lot of time on homework. Why would I? I was doing so much better than the other kids in my class. I didn’t need to study to pass the tests. So I coasted through high school, shipped out to college, and promptly landed myself on academic probation. Suddenly, I actually had to study to pass classes. I was surrounded by people who were much smarter than me and were much better students. It took a while for me to pull my own head out of my ass and learn that the only things coming my way are the things I work for. You said it yourself. You didn’t do homework at home, you never opened your textbooks to study, yet somehow it’s everyone else’s fault that you aren’t prepared for college? We get it, you’re very smart. Everyone else held you back and now it’s their fault that you’re unprepared for college. I hope you’re self-aware enough to read through your article and understand what you’ve said here. You labeled other students as “idiotic rednecks” and called yourself a “pupil… trying to gain knowledge.” It’s very telling that people called you a know it all. Guess what: They weren’t treating you like a “leper” because you’re smart. You weren’t “feared and hated” for your impressive intellect. How can you expect people to like you when you look down on everyone around you as somehow less than you? Take yourself off that pedestal. To deny any personal responsibility for your situation is wrong. You aren’t a special snowflake, you aren’t the smartest person in the room, and those people in high school that were struggling were not holding you back from anything. You made the decision to not learn study habits, to not push yourself, to not prepare yourself for life after high school. And now that you’re living with the outcome of those decisions, it is your responsibility to deal with them. Claire, I’m not telling you this to hurt you. I’m telling you this because you are going to have a very long, hard road ahead of you if you don’t take personal accountability for yourself. The problem is not idiotic rednecks, small towns stuck in their ways, or even underfunded schools. The problem is that you think so highly of yourself that you have to point fingers when things don’t go your way. I didn’t have anyone to tell me this at your age, so I’m going to save you a few years of struggle and kick start some self-growth right now: You're not a victim. You are not a victim of a public school system that mistreated you. You are not a victim of struggling students that held you back. You are not a victim or people that harassed you for being smart. You are not now, and you never will be, a victim of circumstance. You are the only one that is responsible for what happens in your life. You made choices, you got yourself to where you are today, and now you need the maturity and self-awareness to see that you can’t blame anyone else. They didn’t live your life for you. Claire, I sincerely hope that things get better for you. Unlike the people that told you "it gets better," I'm going to tell you that the only thing that can get better is you. Ditch the self-righteousness, accept that everyone around you can teach you something, and know that no one is any more or any less than you. Push yourself to work harder, to challenge your own worldview, and to understand that the only person that can get you anywhere is you.

  8. tim haight

    You need to get over yourself. If you were so smart why are you going to such a redneck school? Why aren't you attending MIT or Harvard. The reason is you are not special. You don't get participation trophies in college. You are probably attending U of I because it is the cheapest. You aren't smart enough to get scholarships to "a real college".

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