Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Trauma

            Assuming that all of my fellow classmates are reading this, than I can say that all of us went through our K-12 years of education. We’ve endured the extreme awkwardness that came with puberty while trying to comprehend long division. Our bodies changed, as well as our personalities, our friends, or habits and we somehow made it out alive and maybe a little awkward. For some of us, these 12 years of law enforced education was a time of bliss and peace. And for the rest of us, it was a torture chamber of humiliation, forced learning and embarrassment. I personally believe that these 12 years can be the cause of trauma for many students. A child who may be shy or unable to build up the courage to speak in class was forced to in that time of their life. I believe that our education system is so flawed and so prison like that it can be the source of horrible trauma.

            Luckily, the network “Nickelodeon” ran a television series in 2004 called “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”. This series followed a kid named Ned who was enrolled in James K. Polk Middle School. Ned is a tip guru, in each episode he gives tips to fellow classmates and the viewers on ways to survive middle school. The show aired around the time that I was enrolled in Middle School, and I remember finding it to be extremely helpful and funny. The show was relatable to pre-teens and it did very well in ratings. But looking back on the show now, I realize how dark it is that a seventh grade kid needed to create a guide just to survive the trauma of the education system. The tips include: “focus on the teaching, not the teacher” or “a note can get you out of dissection”. Although these are quirky and helpful tips, it is sad to think that in order to complete your education as a child, you have to create a survival kit to do so.

            The show displays awful teachers, bullies, awkward changes that the body undergoes at that age and more. Looking back on the entire experience of middle school and high school, it is easy to remember all the trauma of juggling everything. It felt as though the education system put so much pressure on becoming a model citizen whilst joining eight different clubs and then maturing into an attractive, healthy human being. If any of these steps to becoming a functioning human that could “blend in” failed, then you faced the consequences of failing or being excluded or bullied for your appearance. I’ve always felt strongly that the education system in our country is very corrupt and industrial like. It has children and young adults working as though they are in an assembly line. The bell rings, they move, they do classwork, then homework, then studying then sleep. And it seems like a horrible, vicious cycle.

            The television series shows the effect this has on the students, and it is almost like a window into how the American education system works. Going along with that idea, I think it is interesting that another popular American television series is “Breaking Bad” which isn’t aimed at children. That series portrays a man who decides to cook meth in order to pay for his medical bills because the health care system in America, in my opinion, is corrupt.

            Television is interesting in the way that it acts as a mirror to the issues that occur in our daily lives, and we can view it and laugh and say “that seems like an exaggeration”. But it is not, our education system is flawed and it does leave to trauma and failure in children and our health care system is ridiculous and leaves people in desperation.