Change is one of the biggest truths in life. When people say that time doesn’t remain same, they are usually referring to the reality of change. While time continues to pass at the same pace, the pace of change has only increased, especially over the last few centuries. But we do not need long periods of time such as centuries to observe the effects of change because forces of change are now obvious even over few years. To test this theory, I visited my middle school that I had not been to since eight years and what I saw there was nothing but signs of change evident almost everywhere.
One of the first things I noticed at my primary school was that methods of instruction in the class had significantly changed. The change was primarily due to greater incorporation of technology. During my time, the assignments would be done the old fashioned way, i.e. writing by hand in a note book, but now some of the assignments were being done and submitted online. As I reflected upon this change, it made sense because technology makes things convenient for both the students and the teachers and is also environmentally-friendly cause due to minimum use of paper. I also learnt that some classes had gone completely digital which means there were no paper text books and other class materials. Everything was online from course textbook and assignments and even exams were mostly online though they would take place in a classroom under the direct supervision of the course teacher.
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"Old School".
I also noticed that some new facilities had been added to the school building one of which was a computer lab with fifty computers. Another addition to the building was a sports complex which included swimming pool. These changes had occurred as a result of acquisition of surrounding properties that were vacant during my time. This was a welcome change because while in-class education is important, sports is also important to help students build character and learn certain skills such as team work and leadership that would prove valuable to them in the near future.
While I did meet some of the teachers that had taught me, most of the faculty members were new. Another thing I noticed was that the average age of the teachers seemed less than it was during my time. One possible explanation may be that younger generations tend to be more technology-savvy, thus, the school may have been requiring high levels of technology literacy from current and prospective faculty members. It is also possible that some of the faculty members during my time might have gone to college to obtain graduate degrees including PhD or they might have gotten better jobs somewhere. Nevertheless, the new faculty could reasonably be expected to be more technology-literate due to greater incorporation of technology in classrooms.
I did not only notice a change in faculty members but also student composition. The student body was culturally diverse during my time, too but it seemed that cultural diversity among students had only increased over the last few years. This reminded me that we live in a society where cultural diversity will continue to increase as geographical barriers decline. To my surprise, I found that the school had also started offering Spanish language courses to the students who ever would like to learn another language. It was an admission by the school that the dominance of English language will decline and students with diverse language skills will have competitive advantage against their peers.
One of the things schools are supposed to teach students is to make more responsible choices in life. As I roamed the school halls, I noticed that many vending machines now had fruit items such as bananas and apples which they didn’t use to have during my time. Despite my best efforts, I could not find a soda machine in hallways while there used to be three soda vending machines during my time. As someone who enjoys drinking soda, this might have been a negative change in my opinion but on the contrary I could not help but applaud the school for taking a bold step to help students adopt healthier dieting habits. I am not oblivious to the fact that obesity has emerged as one of the major social issues in America and is not only imposing huge economic but also social costs on the society. Habits formed in young age are often hard to break, thus, the school should be commended to help students adopt healthy dietary choices that will continue to benefit them throughout their lives.
The visit to my old school was a reminder that change is an unstoppable force because those who resist it are left behind. Fortunately, my old school administrators keep an eye on the external environment and embrace change where it is inevitable. The proof lies in classrooms becoming more digital, vending machines with healthier food items, and increased emphasis on non-English languages such as Spanish. Change is a sign that our society has been progressing and the fact that the pace of technological progress has been increasing means the pace of change will also continue to increase.
