A “good” student can be known as one who follows the basic traditional ideas of the classroom setting. Education is what is known to produce successful adults that help benefit society. The article “A History of Education” says, “Human development should be combined with practical wisdom; the school should be the natural introduction into active life.” (History of Education, 3) A “good” student should follow the guidelines and expectations set out for them in the curriculum. They need to be who society tells them to be, not whom they want to be. In the following article, “Against Commonsense,” the teacher shares her experiences with students M and N. The students M and N do not learn the traditional way, causing the teacher hardship and making them out to be “bad” students. When they are “bad” students, they have different learning abilities and do not know how to express their distress. Students M and N challenge the traditional ways of learning like being tested, memorization, etc. This quote speaks to who M and N are “Every truly educated man is self-made.” (History of Education, 4)
A “good” student should not have to fall into the set-out guidelines in the curriculum to be then considered a “good” student. When looking at who is privileged by being a “good” student, the education system prioritizes students who do not need extra attention and requirements to learn well. Students who are exceptional at memorization and standardized testing are the ones who benefit from the system, “a student satisfied with having learned something new, or at least with having learned what the school was supposed to have taught.” (Against Commonsense, 24) Students are learning what they are “supposed” to learn; in no time is there room for extra resources to help students who need the extra commitment.
The Traditional American Education system creates sufficient workers for society and the economy to benefit from. The traditional way of learning in schools, with desks, lecturing, and standardized testing, is the historical factor in creating a “good” student.