AFTER HEARING AND READING COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS AND STRUGGLES MADE BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS JUST LIKE MYSELF ABOUT WHAT WE'RE BEING TAUGHT, I REALIZED I WASN'T ALONE IN THIS FIGHT FOR RELEVANT EDUCATION. TOO MANY TIMES HAVE I SEEN MY CLASSMATES FALL ASLEEP DURING A BORING OR UNIMPORTANT LECTURE. TOO MANY TIMES HAVE I SEEN OTHER STUDENTS LOSE SLEEP OVER LOADS OF HOMEWORK AND POINTLESS PACKETS. TOO MANY TIMES HAVE I SEEN MY FRIENDS GET FRUSTRATED WITH HOW WE'RE BEING GRADED AND TAUGHT. THE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS OF HIGH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE NATION HAVE DECAYED TO THE POINT WHERE STUDENTS LOSE THEIR PASSION FOR LEARNING. TO TEACHERS, A STUDENT'S ATTITUDE MAY COME OFF AS IGNORANT AND DISRESPECTFUL; HOWEVER, THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE. WE ALL WISH TO LEARN, BUT WE WISH TO LEARN ABOUT TOPICS THAT HELP US BETTER NAVIGATE OUR WORLD, AND WE WISH TO LEARN IN WAYS THAT SERVE OUR INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS AND PASSIONS. AS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, IT OFTEN FEELS LIKE WE’RE ALL PREPARING FOR COLLEGE AND THE FUTURE/REAL WORLD ALONE. WHEN WE FEEL THAT OUR TEACHERS AND CLASSES WE TAKE ARE UNFIT TO ADDRESS OUR NEEDS, WE LOSE PURPOSE. WHEN WE ARE OUTPERFORMED ON STANDARDIZED TESTS BY PEERS THAT HAPPEN TO EXCEL AT PARTICULAR SUBJECTS, WE THINK WE ARE DUMB. WHEN WE SPEND MORE TIME DERIVING DRY PLOTS FROM OLD, DEAD NOVELS COMPARED TO ANALYZING MODERN MULTIMEDIA AND RELEVANT TEXTS, WE FIND SCHOOL ITSELF BORING. RATHER THAN STUDYING FOR THE NEXT MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST, THOUSANDS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ALTERNATIVELY SEARCH FOR THE NEXT ANSWER KEY OR QUIZLET. INSTEAD OF PUNISHING STUDENTS FOR CHEATING, I'D LIKE TO ASK OUR CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS: WHY DON'T YOU JUST TEACH BETTER CURRICULUM? OR WHY DON'T YOU PREPARE US BETTER? HOWEVER, WITH ALL THIS BEING SAID, WE CANNOT SIMPLY SIT BACK AND LET THE ISSUE SOLVE ITSELF; WE MUST TAKE IT UPON OURSELVES TO CONTACT OUR LEGISLATORS, LOCAL COUNCIL MEMBERS AND SENATORS TO COMPROMISE AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.