High school: an academic institution with throngs of teenagers filling the air with their raging hormones. Some love it and some loathe it. It is important to note high school’s paramount role in the life of any individual. Essentially, it is a rite of passage that fulfills the eminent “coming-of-age” phenomenon. However, the reality is that high school takes away more than it gives and is often viewed as being notorious. Students discern that high school strips them from their individuality and acts as an antagonistic force. Instead, the merit of high school should be a sublime education that gives students the wings to fly and achieve enduring success in the future. Students should relish their time in high school rather than comparing their experiences to that of hell. They should yearn for ambition and grit to pursue further knowledge and opportunity. Although there is some merit to the epitome of current high schools, the prevailing philosophy of my ideal high school is to educate its students by catering to their needs, integrate technology into the learning curriculum, and obtain a positive outlook on school through various means. In a nutshell, I desire for my ideal high school to be a place that students can call their second home. 

      The main focus of every school has always been education. We are taught that being educated is the most vital aspect of our lives. The fundamentals of education are to preserve the importance of hard work and help individuals grow and develop into great members of society. The more knowledge we have, the more opportunities we are provided with to achieve better possibilities in career and personal growth. With that being said, how do we properly educate students? Well, the first step my ideal high school will follow is catering to students’ needs by practicing various learning techniques. Throughout my years in high school, I have come to realize that every student learns differently. Therefore, my high school will abandon traditional classrooms and instead, “create spaces that are more conducive to learning” (Nguyen-Okwu). During the Industrial Revolution, classrooms were isolated and boxlike, “designed for crowd control and stodgy lectures” (Nguyen-Okwu). Instead, every classroom in my high school will be a unique community, assisting each student in developing their potential. The educational program will accommodate a variety of learning styles and make the material applicable to students. Hands-on learning, cooperative learning, and individual work will be used to engage and enable students while also allowing their interest to guide their learning. This change will “keep students more engaged, spur creativity and motivation”, with a bonus of better grades (Nguyen-Okwu). 

      In addition to improving ways of educating students, I want to incorporate new means of technology into my high school. With technology influencing various aspects of our lives, it is important to teach generational pupils how to utilize technology efficiently. Hence, my ideal high school will integrate online learning, virtual reality, and computer science into its supplemental studies. As a result, students will learn to understand the “means to participate in civic life as a digital citizen by creating blogs, coding complex websites, and using social media tools” (Rolph). Technology will help students bring forward their creativity and expose themselves to technological development. It will allow students to express individuality. An added benefit of integrating technology into the learning curriculum is that it will allow students to meet their intellectual level, without them having to learn the same content as an entire grade (Rolph). This way, students will have the opportunity to “assemble a unique blend of classes and projects based on their interests and goals” (Rolph). Overall, technology in an educational environment will make the roles of teachers and students more convenient and beneficial. I want to create an atmosphere where students can reach their full potential. 

      Furthermore, an indispensable component of my high school is to achieve ambition and a desire to attend school. My high school will provide students with a stimulating learning atmosphere in which they will grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. My students will have ample opportunities to practice skills in an optimistic and fulfilling environment. A key to achieving this ideal is having “nap time.” It worked in kindergarten, and it will work in high school. Students in high school are majorly sleep deprived, surviving off of coffee, energy drinks, and drugs. Students are stressed while trying their hardest to balance their overloaded homework with sports and extracurricular activities. My solution will guarantee a better outcome for students and bring better results for the school. In a study by Edutopia in 2012, students who practiced daily meditation showed 25% fewer absences and 38% fewer suspensions days. Additionally, there was less aggressive behavior within students and 50% fewer rule infractions (Edutopia). A bonus of daily meditation is that students perform better in school, showing improved scores on validated attention-skills tests (Edutopia). Likewise, there may be another solution that my high school could follow in regards to the improved results shown in Edutopia. That is having to pay students just for merely attending school. By paying kids to pursue perfect attendance, we are giving them a financial incentive (Mock). With that being said, this solution will create an abundance of motivation to do well in school and try for once. Every student will yearn and desire more school because then they can achieve financial freedom. The money that each student earns will prepare them for adulthood and release some of the added pressure to pay for college and university. These particular solutions will provide a reason for students to come to school while having the motivation and ambition to pursue success. Additionally, the solutions may even have an optimistic result regarding mental health. Above all, my high school will emphasize the importance of having an open mind, a positive mindset, and having high aspirations for each day in the classroom.

      My ideal high school philosophy strives to bring excellence amongst its students. My vision provides a reason and ambition for students to bring their best efforts to school. My school will educate its students by catering to their needs through exploring various learning techniques. Additionally, my school will integrate technology into its learning curriculum, allowing students to express their creativity and be a part of the extraordinary technological future. And last but not least, my high school will set high and positive aspirations for its students, which can be fulfilled through nap time and perhaps even the idea of paying students to attend school. In short, my ideal high school will act as a community that strives for consistency, diligence, and warmth and it will continue to inspire its students and help them reach for the stars.

Works Cited:

Edutopia. Meditation in Schools across America. The Language     
       of Composition. Renee H. Shea; Lawrence Scanlon; Robin Dissin     
       Aufses. Bedford/St. Martin's. 2012.

Mock, Brentin. We Will Pay High School Students to Go to School. And We   
       Will Like It. The Language of Composition. Renee H. Shea; Lawrence           Scanlon; Robin Dissin Aufses. Bedford/St. Martin's. 2012.  

Nguyen-Okwu, Leslie. How High Schools Are Demolishing the Classroom.           The Language of Composition. Renee H. Shea; Lawrence Scanlon;   
       Robin Dissin Aufses. Bedford/St. Martin's. 2012.  

Rolph, Amy. This High School Wants to Revolutionize Learning with
       Technology. The Language of Composition. Renee H. Shea; Lawrence
       Scanlon; Robin Dissin Aufses. Bedford/St. Martin's. 2012.