[제 2회 드림에세이 수상작] Woo Sik Jeong - 'Leading the Change'

Grade: 11 / High School: Agoura High School

Living in America definitely has its positives. Under the system of checks and balances, we live in arguably the most democratic nation in the world. As a result, we enjoy the most freedoms, the most rights, and the most protection. Having elected the first African-American president, Americans truly live in the land of opportunities. However, with such power and opportunity to have a voice in the world, Americans inherit the responsibility that comes as well. One paramount obligation is for this nation to be a global leader by adapting to changes when necessary.

There is a growing problem within our nation that will affect every member of the new generation. In an age where technology rules the world, where everyone has cell phones, laptops, and iPods, where people’s lives are changing rapidly, America’s public education system remains stagnant. Schools today, as they always have been, emphasize the importance of memorization and analysis.

This used to be a useful skill; however, with today’s technology, there are computers that can store and compute data much better and faster than we can. Jobs that pay minimum wage and require almost no skill are now being replaced by machines. Wal-Mart has announced that by 2009, all checkout lines will become automatic and will require no employee to check out customers’ items.

Poorly educated students who develop no skill will no longer be able to rely on such jobs to support themselves. Furthermore, McDonald’s has been testing a new drive-through technology, where the person taking your order is not within walking distance from your car, but in a different state, where there is a machine that takes orders from hundreds of McDonald’s restaurants. With this technology, even more jobs will be lost, as cashiers from hundreds of McDonald’s will be replaced by one machine. Even the person operating the machine will not be an American. The machine will likely be operated in India, because as many companies have found out, outsourcing jobs is much cheaper than paying American employees.

Because of such a rapid growth of technology, new skills such as creativity and compatibility are more valued in today’s workforce; however, this is undervalued in the classroom. Solving this crisis begins locally: teachers need to focus less on rote memorization and more on synthesis and application. Students need to be able to relate different school subjects and apply them to real world situations, a feat that computers have yet to master. In fact, because technology has been evolving at such a rapid pace, half of what students studying for a 4-year technical degree learn in their first year will be outdated by their third year of study.

Such a reality underscores the importance of creativity and compatibility. If these skills are acquired, the future generation will be able to adapt to the rapidly changing environment. Under the current time of economic crisis, even thousands of skilled workers are unemployed. If an academic transformation does not occur, the American economy could ultimately fall into an even greater decline, leaving a whole generation of Americans unemployed.