How I Would Change the K12 Curriculum. *VERY* Rough Draft.

I was in the American education system for 75% of my life. In those years, I learned to recognize the benefits, and the costs, of the mass American system that is the K-12 curriculum. Now, while I can't speak for every student, or school, or educator that is part of this system, I can speak from my own point-of-view and the point-of-view of my peers. The point of this argument is clear, teacher's need to learn how to develop motivation and passion along with the curriculum, or students will never truly learn what they are "taught".
I am speaking to the educators, not just of America but of the world, when I say that most kids do not enjoy learning, nor do they want too. It is not the kid's fault. The problem with mass education in America is that everyone is taught the same subject, every day, every year, and these kid's are just getting information overload shoved down their throats and are then expected to regurgitate it back out perfectly on a test. It doesn't take a Harvard graduate with a Ph.D. in education to see that this simply does not work.
Why not? Why can't you teach every student the same thing and get perfect results back from everyone, equally? Well, for starters, not everyone is the same. We all have different personalities, different lives, different families, homes, stories, and we all learn differently too. Yes, it is true that it is near impossible to teach every student in this country individually the best way they can. However, it is possible to boost the student's motivation, so that they not only enjoy learning, they want to learn, and they love it.
We see this effect in Finland, a country with the highest test scores and rates of graduation. You could call Finland the Holy Grail of primary and secondary education. While American students test 14th in reading, 17th in science, and 25th in math, Finland is at the top on almost all accounts. How is this possible? What is Finland doing that we're not? In Finland, the amount of homework given is slim to none, there is no mandated testing, and their teachers are only trained at the most elite universities, and only hired if they are in the top 20%, sometimes 10% of their class. This creates an almost perfect environment for the students to truly prosper in their subjects. With much lower stress, the students don't dread to wake up early on weekdays and drag themselves out of bed. With outstanding teachers who truly know their subjects and how to teach, the student learns to extremely respect what the teacher's are telling them, they choose to listen and retain the information, and therefore learn more than the average American. Investigative reporter Amanda Ripley called this system in an interview on CNN the "utopian model".
If we adopted an education system similar to Finland's, we would see an increase in test scores, a decrease in drop outs, and a major increase in the student's positive attitude and happiness. The secret lies in the ability for the curriculum to develop a passion for each student, and let them grow from it. This will teach every child to grow to their full potential.

Writing Strategies

       Other the years, I have used many different writings strategies. Usually, when assigned a essay, I start by writing an outline. My outline first consists of my thesis statement, along with a topic sentence for each paragraph that I plan to incorporate into my essay. Next, I go back and add at least 3 details and supporting claims to my thesis and to the topic sentences. Then, I add conclusion sentences to wrap them all up. My next step is to copy the outline onto a new document, and type the essay along the same lines. I do not usually write it word for word with my outline, and I often add extra sentences to make it more interesting. If my paper is educational and includes sources, this is when I usually go back and add in the citations while rereading to edit and revise. I will proofread one more time to make sure it sounds good, and to make sure it all ties back to the thesis and the topic I was assigned.
       Another writing strategy I use is to just flow straight out of my mind and onto the paper. While this technique is often sloppy for educational texts, I find it to be the best strategy for narratives and story-telling pieces. Now, I don't just type it and turn it in. I will usually type out the entire essay in one swift motion, not taking any breaks, just getting every idea down. Next, I go back and edit and revise. Then, I edit and revise again, and again, and again. I repeat that process until the paper sounds professional yet still personal. Though this strategy is the most effective one for me, though I would not recommend it to those who are writing an informative or persuasive paper.