WALDEN – Hello, my name is Azailya L’Esperance. I am from Walden, and in sixth grade.
Throughout my years here, I have noticed that we don’t have enough student engagement.
My school has combined grades and most classes are mixed together with multiple ages. This arrangement really limits students’ learning.
Today I’m addressing the lack of differentiated learning, because this is an issue of equality. This country was founded on the principle of freedom: we strive to incorporate equality in everything we do. We need to respect that there are many learning styles and we have a responsibility to reform the way that we deliver education to students.
As I was stating previously, my school has many combined grades and ages together. This can really affect students. If some students aren’t being challenged enough or are being challenged too much, it can lead them to having a lack of motivation, difficulty engaging in their work and mental health issues can result.
An article titled, “The Hidden Struggles” from Ballou Education talks about how over challenged students often experience anxiety and depression. At the same time, when accelerated students are not challenged enough, they can lose their interest in learning and their excitement to engage. If students aren’t getting taught to their full potential, they get bored and lose motivation in class.
It is time to step up and take a stand to advocate for myself and other students. Last week I went to the statehouse to meet with people involved in Vermont education policy. I spoke with John Castle who is the executive director of the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, and Jessica DeCarolis, who is getting her Ph.D. in Education. I am looking forward to meeting other legislators and continuing the conversation about how we make education more alluring to students.
Civics is all about collaboration, coming together and engaging in conversation. I am so fortunate that I have a good support system cheering me on every step I take. I have my teachers, my mom and friends that strive to support me. Our school has a Student Voice Advisory Council (SVAC) made up of two to three seventh- and eighth-graders from our school, who advise district and school leadership, and elevate youth voice and youth perspectives in decision making. I can work with the chosen council members to share my ideas with our district leaders. The SVAC gives my ideas an amplifier so my voice can be heard throughout our corner of Vermont. You have to start somewhere and I think this is a great place for me.
When students engage in education it creates a better world. The future of America relies on what they are being taught now and how it’s being presented to them. If students are able to have a voice and advocate for themselves, school would be a much more exciting and welcoming place for them. It would give them the motivation they need to get up in the morning and engage effectively in their work.
I truly believe that if I can get my voice out and advocate for this, it would make schools much more reliable and allow students to get the equality in curriculums they so desperately need.
Throughout history America has always strived to have equality in the country, why should our education system fall short of that? As American citizens we have the right to equal education, so let’s finally see that happen!
Let’s dive in and realize the urgency of this situation and let’s please remember here that this is the next generation of American citizens we are jeopardizing.
This is truly a huge problem in education, affecting students on the daily. So it’s finally time that we take the leap of faith and do something about the lack of engagement in curriculum, for the next proud generations of Americans.
