From one-room schoolhouses on the plains with less than 30 students, to modern universities with thousands of students on campus, there is no doubt the nature of an education has evolved over time by means of new policies and new methods. Changes such as availability of education and the growing variety of subjects taught, fall easily into the category of improvements to the education system. Others, such as standardized testing, college admissions, and the common core curriculum, however, waver over a fine line between beneficial and detrimental. Modern education is constantly being changed and reformed in order to administer a complete, applicable, and therefore true education to students, nonetheless the evolving systems often fall short of fulfilling this intention. The transformation of how students receive their education is one of a multitude of notable changes in education over …show more content…
In ancient times, celebrated philosophers and natural teachers like Socrates of Athens, Abelard of Paris, and Goethe of Germany held the interest of young men with a thirst for the natural knowledge these intelligent and wise men exuded (Emerson). These students received a flow of information and personal experience as they freely followed in the footsteps of these teachers, who would then guide them to use their knowledge to choose a path in their lives. Today, according to a study of 200 students at Kansas State University by Michael Wesch, students can expect about 18% of their college professors to know their name. Given, this does come from a larger university, but the title ‘large’ is being compared to small universities, which are defined as 5,000 students or less. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his essay titled “Education,” outlines the struggles of professors with such class sizes astutely, “You have to work for large classes instead of individuals; you must lower your flag and reef your sails to wait