The Benefits of an Engaging Education

Drivers ed teaches students the basic rules of driving. If students know who has the right-of-way and what each sign means, they are more likely to be able to calmly and safely make their way to their destination. However, many students tend to shrug off the responsibilities of actually learning throughout the drivers ed course. One of the main reasons people drive irresponsibly is because they feel immune to car accidents. Students are aware of car accidents around them but are sure it won’t happen to them. If we modified courses to show more statistics of how likely accidents are to happen, it may create more cautious drivers. Further, a more engaging drivers ed curriculum could be used to better teach students. Guest speakers who have experienced tragic events due to unsafe driving habits could be incorporated in order to give students a real life example of the consequences that come with unsafe driving. The classes in which I have learned the most are the ones that engaged me and kept my attention. Class discussions could aid in keeping the students involved in the curriculum. These discussions would also create an encouraging environment for students to ask questions. There are several websites that my previous teachers have utilized that were very engaging and fun for the students. Some examples of these websites are: Kahoot; Quizzizz; and GimKit. I can remember slideshows being an issue for me when I was in the drivers ed course. My instructor clicked through a slide show projected on the wall and told us to write as much as we could. I scrambled around trying to get all the information into my notebook for hours. This learning style did not work for me because I could not pay attention to what my instructor was saying due to my focus on getting all the notes written. I also remember struggling to stay focused because of the long hours of monotonous recitation of facts. I am confident that these small adaptations to the curriculum could save lives. I experienced a car accident in a parking lot last year, and luckily no one was hurt. However, I was extremely scared and confused as to what happened. I learned that I was in the right but it was very scary. If students could experience that healthy fear before hurting themselves or others it would make the streets much safer. I have many friends that speed and it makes me very nervous. That is where I am confident the statistics would make a difference. I plan to take my time when driving and to try to calmly rationalize each decision I make. By prioritizing and realizing how insignificant my punctuality is when compared to lives, I can become a safer driver.