Education Breakdown - Miami Edison Senior High School

What happened at Miami Edison Senior High School this past Friday has got me thinking about the futility of our education system.

A friend of mine and I were recently talking. I suggested that teaching, and education in general, was the most important job in the country.

“Teaching is a noble profession,” he said, “fine. But it’s definitely not the most important.”

“But what about the impact you can make in a child's life?” I said.

“Sure, you might really help a few kids, but probably just one a year. Maybe teaching could or should be the most important job," he said, "but it's not."

Now, this is where Edison comes to mind. As one girl in one of the many Youtube videos pointed out, we really do run our schools like prisons. Dropout rates are incredible, and testing scores prove that in poor neighborhoods, many kids are learning close to nothing.

So what difference is our attempt at education really making? What change from previous socio-economic conditions are the majority of the kids at this high school going to see? And what will be their impression of the institution of education—that police will interfere any time a group tries to demonstrate against the powers that be?

The violence that took place at Miami Edison this past Friday should be a giant red flag to this city, and anyone else who is paying attention to problems in their own area. Regardless of who was to blame—the vice principal, the students who threw debris at police officers, or the police officers themselves for their conduct towards minors—the conclusion we should draw is that one of the United State’s largest cities has a population of young people who are angry, discontent, and eager to voice these feelings.

And also, that this country will still send police to shut down demonstrations and use violence, even when it is children demonstrating, and especially when they are black children.

It doesn't seem like just a few children are falling through the cracks. The education system that I know in Florida is built upon a giant, gaping hole in the ground, where life's other problems seem to be dragging it down quickly.

Can our education system really support these kids, and give them a chance for social mobility, for a better future?