50 Years From Now... by Sarah

50 Years From Now... by Sarah - May 2020 Scholarship Essay

The year is 2070, lights are powered by plants, plastic straws and bottles are eliminated, and travel is now eco-friendly. But what about education? People always think of how the environment, technology and housing will progress in the future, but never consider the future of education.
In 50 years from now there will be a more integrated education system that combines at home learning and in-person learning. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is apparent that many changes to how people experience learning will incur within the next 50 years. To mitigate the spread of infectious diseases, schools may rotate which students and what classes happen on campus versus remotely. Or maybe, schools will implement air filtration systems, as well as decontamination stations to disinfect students as they enter classrooms.
In 50 years from now, as technological advances increase and technology becomes more accessible, there will be an increase in remote learning possibilities that will allow students the option to tailor their school schedule to their individual needs. With services such as Zoom, Google Classroom, and Haiku there are unlimited ways for students to learn and connect with teachers at home. One of the main outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic is that it forces teachers that typically would not rely on technology to do so. It has also made teachers more creative in creating lessons and has given them a greater skill set for teaching. In 50 years, students will be able to choose if they want to attend classes online or in person to accommodate sports schedules, parent work schedules and medical needs. This will allow students to get more out of their education and feel less stressed about. There will still be guidelines and rules for students who choose to forego in person classes, but this freedom will give them more sense of power and control over their education.
In 50 years from now, schools will have more pathways for students to follow. In my current high school, we have three main pathways students may choose to follow: engineering, theater arts, film. These pathways are meant to foster a students’ passions and allow them to explore potential jobs that fall within that pathway. In the future schools will have a wider range of pathways that students may follow that will give students the ability to discover what they are passionate about and discover how they can make their dreams a reality.
In 50 years from now, schools will have a better understanding of mental health. Currently, mental health is a major issue among students and teachers across the world. Students worry if their grades are good enough, if they have enough extracurriculars, if they will get into college. Teachers worry if they are teaching their students enough material, if their students will pass their AP exam, if they will become department chair. This is not considering the state of both students’ and teachers’ home lives. While schools are beginning to understand the stress that students and teachers are under, in 50 years, schools will implement better systems to moderate these stresses, in order to improve mental health.
In 50 years from now education will be greater. Teachers will have an arsenal of resources, students will have a greater ability to take control of their education and students and teachers will be happier. In 50 years from now, I will be telling my grandchildren about the year 2020, the year COVID-19 reshaped my senior year and the year education began to transform for the better.