It's long been time to re-evaluate the archaic teaching techniques embedded within our public school systems, but as the technology wave took the world by storm this became increasingly evident. Public education was left bobbing in puddles, barely skimming the surface of the resources we'd acquired.

In today's school system, computers rarely surpass the status of glorified typewriters. But with such an incredible wealth of knowledge literally at our fingertips, just how much rote memorization do children need to study in school? Memorization is being made obsolete by search engines like Google and Yahoo. The world is thoroughly connected and informed by the Internet; all you have to do is plug in. It's time for new methods of teaching that cater to the modern adolescent.

This is a fact that needs to be recognized, most importantly, by teachers. Training and techniques have changed little since the appearance in the late 1800s of the "Little Red Schoolhouse" preaching the three R's: reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. The transportation systems of two centuries ago aren't functional today why should educational systems be?

By substituting more critical analysis and practical application in place of lengthy homework assignments, the focus of school will move away from simple facts and toward genuine reasoning. When schools promote logic and critical thinking through open seminars and more fluent student interactions, society can begin to make way for the techno-geek generation of tomorrow.

Rigid and archaic school codes in the form of standardized testing and required curriculum prevent progressive change from happening. It's time for educators everywhere to open their minds to radically different ideas of schooling. It's time to cut restrictions and requirements. It's time to gain the freedom to splash our way out of the puddles and into the ocean of knowledge.

Ithaca Sorensen

Homer High School student