The school system: does it really work?

This was my first article I've ever written! I wrote it May 14, 2011 and I was quite proud of it =P

Being a high school student I've always wondered about the school system - if it really works for the student, and if they really think at all about your abilities. I first passed it off as being a rebellious phase, but coming close to failing math on more than one occasion I started to wonder: do they care about my abilities or do they just teach how they're told to teach?

In Canada, if a student gets 40% in a class (an ‘F’ in American terms) then they fail the class, no questions asked. Luckily, if it's English or math they can take the next level down, until they reach the level they can pass. But what about other subjects?

A lot of students in my school, knowing they will fail if they go into the conventional education system, decide to enrol in the Career Education Program (CEP). This program allows them to get straight into a trade such as mechanics, wood working, or cooking. So luckily for them they're pretty much set right up to graduate and even win academic awards for their smarts.

Now, I'm not saying everyone in CEP is "dumb" or "stupid". I'm sure they're smart in other fields, such as the trade they are studying. I've been labelled as stupid by the people I call friends because I haven't got a math mind. It's mostly my attitude: I know I will never use it, so it's not important.

My concern is with classes such as social studies, science and technology, in which not everybody has the mental capacity to learn as quickly as others. Passing these subjects is mandatory for a student to graduate. As they treat everybody the same, some are bound to fail because they’re being taught above their level, and not in way which is suitable for them as an individual.

So, how about the schools in your area? Whether it's another part of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom or even Japan? Do you see the same sort of effect where students are taught how the school board expects, or do they adapt the teaching to help students on their own level?