What is a good school for me may not be a good school for any of my fellow classmates or friends. The characteristics that define a "good" school for me are different than those that define the "good" schools of others. So can any educational institution be truly defined as being "good" or "bad"? I personally believe that every school has both positive and negative characteristics that define it, and an attempt to create a school based on the "Utopian model" is not only impossible but completely unnecessary as well. In order to further support my opinion I would like to present certain characteristics from my high school and my university and by comparing and contrasting them show how: a) there is no one "good" school and there can never be b) schools are both different and the same in many different ways and c) the implementation of my ideas for what would be my "good" or "perfect" school is impossible. Some of my ideas may sound interesting and could even be possibly implemented, however some others I am certain would face opposition as they serve my personal wants and desires that are probably different than those of others. I feel that both my high school back in Greece and the university that I attend here in the United States are "good" ones (whatever that is supposed to mean!). My high school back home was private, had excellent facilities, I had excellent teachers, many of which, shaped the person that I am and guided me towards the educational tract that I am following today. It was also backed up by a very strong and successful community that wanted to make sure that students and school remained in high standards. However, the curriculum was much too difficult, we covered a variety of classes throughout my years there, most of which were difficult to follow and do well in, there were teachers who I felt weren't teaching me appropriately and as effectively I would have liked and the athletics department was rather unorganized, something that personally upset me. The same goes with my university. I have excellent, engaging teachers, I am really enjoying the curriculum so far and all the classes I am taking are really fascinating and I believe I am doing well in them. People have embraced me as a person and the foreign culture I brought with me, I have many friends and I enjoy being here thoroughly. The facilities here at John Carroll University are exquisite as well and I like the fact that the religion aims and ideological background of this institution is a part of everyday life here in campus. But, just as my high school, John Carroll, has some things that I don't like or necessarily agree with. I am sure the same can be said about any single school on this planet. But, the things that I perceive as being negative, that I may personally think affect the lives of students here in a bad way and should be changed, someone else may not agree on. The ideas I have for example that I believe could turn John Carroll University into a "good" institution and separate it from the "bad" ones, could be the exact opposite for some other student studying here. Therefore I strongly disagree with labeling a school or institution as being "good" or "bad". They are both good and bad, effective and ineffective, serve certain of my needs and others they don't. The important question that should be asked is whether I feel contempt here as an individual student. If I am satisfied with the positives, and these positives outrun the negatives, then I can say that I am happy, satisfied as an individual, and the institution I belong to can assist me in achieving my future goals. So this notion of a "good" school for me is a fallacy and a misinterpretation. The place I go to be educated, to socialize and to become a mature adult ready to tackle the modern society should not be good or bad and cannot be good or bad, it is impossible as it incorporates a little bit of both. So the "GOOD" school that some people may believe to exist is, according to my argument above, an educational and societal inaccuracy.
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