What period of school (elementary school, middle school, high school, or college) do you feel is most important? Why?

Many skills are learned throughout twelve years of education, and it is very difficult to determine which period of school is the most important. Even though high school has the most content to cover out of all levels of education, elementary school builds important skills, and middle school continues to build on all the important skills that elementary students learn. constructs more advanced work habits. Every level of education is fundamental to the growth of a child, but one level outshines the others. Elementary school is the most important period of a child’s education because it builds fundamental academic skills, introduces children to important social skills, and establishes basic work habits.

One reason elementary school is so important is that it builds fundamental skills for life. Children learn the alphabet and how to read in elementary school. In addition, they are taught basic arithmetic, as well as science, social studies, music, and art. Although a larger amount of course content is taught in middle and high school, everything learned in these higher grades is built on the basic skills learned in elementary school. It would be impossible to learn what is being taught in middle and high school without the fundamentals “reading, riting and rithmetic”, or the 3 R’s,  learned in elementary school. For example, if a student who had not attended elementary school was to try to learn a mathematical formula in middle school, she would likely be confused because she would not know how to read any of the notations or compute any of the operations, all basics taught in elementary school. On the other hand, a student who learned the fundamentals in elementary school could be placed in a high school class without going to middle school, and probably understand some of the materials in his classes. It is because elementary school provides students with fundamental academic skills that establishes its superiority over other periods of schooling.

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Another reason that elementary school is the most important period of one's education is that it builds important social skills. Because middle and high school students are often focused on studying and achieving good grades, they have little time to socialize; however, when they do, they are often adept at interacting with peers, because they possess the social skills learned in elementary school. In elementary school students spend more time socializing than actually studying. All the time allocated to play in elementary school is aimed at building each student’s ability to socialize in the future. These skills are taught primarily in elementary school and are some of the most important skills necessary to succeed in the world. Without such skills, one could assume that he will have more difficulty finding friends and interacting with the world, making life much more difficult and lonely. This is a clear indication of why developing social skills makes elementary school the most important period of a students’ education.

Elementary school solidifies itself as the most important period of a child’s education because it establishes good work habits. Work habits such as doing classwork, completing homework, and  studying for tests do not come naturally and need to be taught. Elementary school is the foundation on which to build such traits because it is where students are first required to do work on a daily basis. These requirements develop a positive work ethic over the five years students study in elementary school. A student who does not learn good work habits will most probably do poorly in any form/level of education she receives, because she will not be well-organized or know how to complete homework or study for tests optimally. A student who does not possess adequate work habits will find it extremely difficult to continue in the education system because his absence of a solid work ethic will be a great handicap to his development. The establishment of basic work habits signifies the importance of elementary school in comparison to other levels of school because it teaches students traits that are needed to proceed onto higher levels of education.

Some parents may look at all the games and recess time spent playing in elementary school and view it as essentially an extension of nursery school or daycare. They realize that their children will learn to read and write, as well as do basic math. However, what they may not realize is that elementary school is not only fun and games. It is in elementary school that the foundations of a child’s entire career as a student and success in life is formed. These are the very reasons that make elementary school so fundamental to a child’s learning. Despite how basic these fundamental skills are, they are instrumental to a child’s success later in life. What parents of elementary school students can do to ensure that their children get the greatest benefits from elementary school is to be engaged with their children and their school work. Parents should ask their children what they are studying in school, what they think is interesting or difficult. Parents can read with their children and help them with difficult assignments, like doing arithmetic or practicing for spelling tests. Parents who overlook the importance of elementary school are doing their children a disservice. Children who are not focused in elementary school may find difficulty socializing with peers later in their life and could struggle in higher levels of education because of poorly developed fundamentals. If parents understand the importance of elementary school and communicate it effectively to their children, then children will be best prepared to take on the responsibilities of middle school, high school, university and a career in the world/life.