Imagine a story where a business starts by selling books online and capitalizing on convenience and ends up controlling several major consumer industries. This would be the story of Amazon created by Jeff Bezos. Amazon originally intended to be an online seller of books which was met with wide acceptance from society as it provided a way for customers to purchase books without going anywhere! From there, Amazon grew and diversified its product supply to include pretty much any product you can think of. Not only this, but they also launched a streaming service and became a producer for several renowned shows. How did Bezos do this? Well, he ultimately saw a trend of consumerism becoming modernized, an instance represented in “e-commerce.” With this, he continued to grow the company in concurrence with trends resulting from modernization. Now, Amazon is a top competitor in many industries and has led to the diminishment of many brick-and-mortar stores, one notably being Toys R Us. However, Amazon is not only extending into the consumer market. It also intends to launch a public education program, challenging the current education system as we know it. Although some are against the vast extension of Amazon into traditional institutions, there is no doubt that there are several benefits that come with this occurrence. The current education system is corrupt and places a larger emphasis on grades instead of genuine learning. Furthermore, it puts all students on the same course, without any consideration for individual interests. So, even though the implementation of an education system by Amazon will threaten education as we know it and facilitate their increased control over the population, it has vast benefits as it promotes individualism, career readiness, and places importance back on learning.
Amazon learning centers intend to implement a variety of programs and systems that facilitate learning in a way public schools do not. These implementations include students being able to choose their courses leading to an individualized learning path, being taught by master teachers, a better learning environment that embodies a co-working space, the opportunity for extracurricular activities, and an emphasis on mental health (Dresler 2-3). As I mentioned previously, the current education system puts all students on the same path. This leads to a lack of motivation, hatred for school, and increased hardships faced by students. It is also counterintuitive as a student who may be interested in going into art history has to learn about math, which won’t help their future or facilitate their success. The Amazon public education system intends to combat this, which could have a large positive impact on the workforce and economy. Furthermore, this education system will facilitate career readiness as it will prepare students for jobs they are likely to attain in the future. The current education system prepares students for the standard 9 to 5 office job. In contrast, the Amazon program encourages individualism in career paths and ensures students are ready for the constantly changing work environment. Public education standards have not changed in years. But you know what has changed? The workforce. This modernized program by Bezos can keep up with the changing environment, ultimately ensuring student success.
The current education system is outdated and lacks the integration of individualism, an idea that has emerged to be of great importance. Furthermore, it is detrimental to the mental health of students as it furthers the idea that grades are more important than learning. Students are more likely to cheat to get a grade, instead of learning the material. Why? Most likely because the material they are learning is not of interest to them. The Amazon public education program, however, can positively impact these circumstances and change education for the better. Although it will entail vast opposition and a challenge to education as we know it, in the end, it is the best course of action to ensure future prosperity in regards to societal and economic concerns.
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