21st Century Education

The most important skills I need for my post high school is the ability to problem solve and think of original ideas in coming up with computer programming. Computer programming requires to think of complex solutions to the problem. Unfortunately that is not something that I learn in school. Math is very important and problem solving can be learned in physics when solving complex problems and deriving formulas to efficiently solve the problem. In school the most important thing is to remember the facts and regurgitate them on the tests. All that is required in school is to try hard and redo what you can to get a better mark. Even in math class we have to only solve the question using one method that is given to us. There are only a few units in math that require to come up with a new way to solve the question, in trig identities, combinatorics and probability. In all the other units it is just required to follow the steps that was given to us. Physics also requires the ability to solve new and challenging situations without the help of a basic set of guidelines to follow to the answer. But in courses like chemistry, history and biology it is only about recalling facts and information about the subject. It is impossible to develop good problem solving skills to be used outside of high school. In the perfect school there would be no wasted time and the courses would be mostly self based. I was homeschooled from grade one to eight and I could get all my work done by noon each day, in grade 8 I had a workbook filled with worksheets and I just worked all of them and finished the course in march. In grade nine when I entered school I was shocked when my class only made it two thirds of the way through the text book missing lots of sections. In the perfect school I think that the teachers would just give out all the work at the beginning of the year the student can just refer to the textbook so they can learn the way that best suits them. Then the teachers main job would be then just to assist the students so they can improve their skills and not have to continually go over material that can be easily looked up. This year since I could not get into computer programming 12 inside the time table I am taking it outside the time table. I work on the course during my spare and I just finish the chapter in time for the test and so far I have been really enjoying it. Next year I plan on going to University of Calgary and I have been conditionally accepted into the engineering department.