Todays society as well as the majority of our schools can definitely improve on how it encourages creativity and individuality in todays youth. A lot of the time, its hard to do this, but with smaller classrooms, more qualified and devoted teachers, and more cooperation from the students, everyones needs could be met, and students would receive a better education. Many of todays schools have no tolerance for anything that may go against the norm. Schools today can allow for individuality and differences in students, but they either choose not to or are not aware that anything is wrong with the way they do things.
In Melvilles, Billy Budd, there are examples of this stifling of individuality. The crew members on board the Avenger are made to all conform and follow orders without question. Through Claggart, the mens individuality and rights as people are taken away through fear. No matter what anyone is trying to accomplish, satisfying everyone is almost always impossible. It is no different in todays school system, satisfying everyone is difficult. Students are not allowed to express themselves as freely as they should.
This is not the case in all schools, but it is Especially since incidents like those at Columbine High School, schools now view acts of individuality and creativeness as those of malicious intent. There is a kind of intolerance for those who act differently from the majority. Ever since the two boys from Columbine murdered their classmates, everyone has been extremely cautious about everything from actual death threats, to mere heated discussion between classmates. It is almost to a point of overkill. How much regulation is too much regulation?
In order for schools to be able to accommodate for everyone and their individual needs, they must first not punish students for being different from the majority. After there is an acknowledgment of the individuality of students, then you can start to help them learn better and on their own levels. If a student has no aspirations whatsoever to go to college, then after some persuasion for them to reconsider, they should not be expected to complete and be graded on the same set of requirements as other students.
If a person is not as capable, or rather does not choose to use their abilities to their fullest, then they should be graded on what they are able to do, not what other people are capable of and what they are expected to be capable of. I know that this would be difficult to do because some people might choose the easy way out and intentionally not work on the level that they are capable of. But in order for this to work, teachers must trust the students and if they say they are doing their best, then odds are, the students is actually trying their hardest.
Schools could be a lot more effective, I think, if they would just comply with the needs of the individual students. There is definitely a way for students to be able to be treated as individuals, and still have the entire student body happy. This is a very difficult task to accomplish, but if all the groups work together, it can be accomplished and students can be treated as individuals, rather than the entire student body.