By: Paul Chon
Future of Milpitas education, safety in the community, and adult education were the topics of the Future of Milpitas Education Meeting on Oct. 4, according to Milpitas School Board Vice President Chris Norwood. The meeting was created, in part to allow Milpitas residents to better understand what is happening in the MUSD, Norwood said.
There are five core values of Milpitas education that are a part of the future of Milpitas education, according to Norwood. Another part of the future of Milpitas education is the new way of education in this age of information, Norwood added.
“The future of Milpitas education and our core strategic values [are] perseverance, community, creativity and innovation, respect and trust, and at the center of it all our students,“ Norwood said. About the , “The future of Milpitas education are teachers, innovation and facilitation, student collaboration, community, civic corporate engagement, and parents and adults as leaders and learners.”
There are several facts about education, Norwood said. These facts about education are essential to know and remember, Norwood said.
“The US Constitution does not mention education anywhere. That’s something everybody should know,” Norwood said. He gave one more fact about education saying, “[The] Tenth Amendment states [that] powers not delegated to the United States—that means all the states—by the Constitution are reserved to the individual states. That means public education in California is what California makes public education, not what the federal government makes education.”
Schools need to focus on the emotions and behavior of the students, Junior Vivek Chotai said. This will allow schools in Milpitas to become more successful.
“Well, first of all, the elementary schools, I believe, need to teach students about kindness and morality,“ Chotai said. “It’s so imperative that our students from a young age start knowing the difference between right and wrong so they can not only use that in school but throughout their entire lives-in their daily life.”
Students should be able to discover their interests through school, Senior Calvin La said. After finding these interests, students should be able to get more opportunities in the community, he said.
“And I feel like on the elementary school level, students and teachers should focus more on learning who they are because you’re forced to learn so many things at one time that you don’t know what you want to do yet, “ La said. “And at the high school level, I hope to give kids more opportunities to actually participate within the community because it’s not everyday you see a kid participating within their actual community which is actually important to make a big impact on the community.”
An independent learning style to teach important life skills should be implemented in schools, Eighth Grader Madison Gamble said. School should also be a welcoming place for everyone, Gamble added.
“The future Milpitas elementary schools must have more of an independent learning style to prepare for the future and a life schools type of class that could be referred to as an elective type of class,” Gamble said. She concluded,“I expect my teachers, administrators, community leaders, and elected officials to motivate my peers and I to: become the best people possible, create a safe environment where everyone is accepted, and also encourage the youth to complete their education.”
Schools should be engaging to inspire students to work harder, Senior Allison Feraren said. She also asked herself about her future in the world.
“The future of Milpitas elementary schools must have passionate teachers providing engaging curriculum and activities for students, “ Feraren said. “The future of Milpitas middle schools must create well-rounded students to prepare for high school and they must promote the importance of joining clubs. The future of Milpitas high schools must have a more expansive selection of language classes students can take and they must have more on-campus hands-on learning classes to prepare those that know their career path become more experienced in that field.”