The truth is, I think there are many more things that need to be challenged and changed in the world of public education; ten doesn’t even begin to cover it. However, in honor of The National Day of Blogging for Real Education Reform, I wanted to highlight ten of the things that directly impact kids that I think are most important when discussing education reform.

10. The Arts

If there’s one thing that I think has largely contributed to the American loss of creativity, it’s the loss of arts and music programs in schools. Children should be allowed to follow any and all of these interests in order to not only make them more creative, critical thinkers, but also to help make them happier, more satisfied, and connected with themselves and the world.

9. Humane Programs

Bullying, animal vivisection, promotion of violent history as something to be celebrated… every day in school yields something that hinders rather than helps our movement toward a sustainable, peaceful world. Education should be humane, not bloodthirsty.

8. Physical Education

Some schools require it—where it’s often used as a harsh space, almost as a punishment, where kids with abilities are hailed as heroes and those without are penalized. Others cut it, making kids sit at a desk for even more time throughout the day. Physical education should include fun games and activities throughout the day that are implemented through other lessons—weather that includes a nature walk to find animal tracks or swim time.

7. No Grades or Judgment

They accomplish nothing, except making children seek a letter to be attributed to their work rather than seeking real knowledge and satisfying their curiosity. Indeed, grades make kids choose the “easy” assignments, work unnaturally, and learn less. Alfie Kohn explains this much better than I do. Another key aspect of this is that kids need freedom to make mistakes in order to truly learn and feel safe enough to explore and create solutions.

6. No Homework

Homework is just as effective, if even less so, than grading. An excerpt from Scientific American (over 100 years ago!) and The End of Homework, among many other resources, can help us take a look at what homework really accomplishes—and how it harms our children and ourselves.

5. Better Nutrition

The garbage that we were served in school was nothing more than preservative-filled, frozen glop that wasn’t nutritious by any means. Some schools have implemented whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other healthy choices into their schools while removing junk food, and the results in their students—from better attention spans to behavior to sheer happiness—have been remarkable. Plus, how are we going to teach our kids about healthy eating when we can’t even provide concrete examples for them to know exactly what healthy eating is?

4. Comprehensive Health and Sex Education

While I think all kids should be able to follow their own interests in the majority of learning, they have a right to know all about certain things, including their own bodies. If we’re going to have health and sex education at all, it should be comprehensive, so kids and teens can make the most informed, healthy choices without living in fear from scare tactics—or making mistakes based on false information.

3. Real World Preparedness

If there’s anything kids will need to know, it’s how to take care of their bodies, pay bills, make a budget, care for children, pets, and plants, and many other real world tasks. It’s a travesty that kids graduate knowing how to do calculus homework (which won’t be relevant in many of their lives) but cannot even do a load of laundry. If they aren’t learning such life skills at home (and sadly, many are not) school should be a place where they can do this with guidance—and, again, without judgment.

2. Choices

Not everyone needs algebra, physics, or Shakespeare. What everyone does need, however, is access to the information that will be relevant to their own lives. Kids should be able to make choices about what they are learning, allowing them to follow their own interests and aptitudes without judgment—and setting up a foundation for their lives based on what they’ll be doing, not what a random curriculum deems they should do. Like Sir Ken Robinson has said, based on current curriculum standards, schools are preparing all children to be university professors and not much else.

1. The Goal of Education

This goal shouldn’t include preparing for a job that makes the most money, or memorizing the most historical facts and dates, or even being prepared for college. It should instead be individualized for each child—preparing him or her for his or her own path, helping each child discover his or her own interests and abilities, and allowing children to make their own choices. A common goal that we need to keep at the forefront in order to survive this planet we’ve destroyed also needs to be to guide children in problem-solving, sustainable living, and creative, critical thinking.