Education is an important part of sustaining a democracy. Without an educated citizenry we would fall apart as a free nation. All aspects of our political and economic system rely on a group that is literate and capable of carrying out the necessary processes and tasks of our country. In sustaining itself, our nation has committed to creating and sustaining systems that maintain democracy. One of the greatest systems that needs to be devised is one that transfers knowledge across generations, so it is no surprise that we have an established public school system whose intent is to educate every child at no additional cost, even going so far as to cover transportation and food for those who cannot do so. Yet the state has set up the program so that students are treated more like machines on an assembly line being injected with facts and tests. Students take different courses with the same systematic approach found in the factories of the 1920s. Each child is treated for the most part as if they were a different body with the same mental intellect. There is little room for creativity, narrow tolerance for individualism and no understanding of how the world is changing around us. So as not to shock anyone, I must clarify that the public education system in the United States is broken. There is a desperate need for an intellectual and political revival. Our public education system is a horse-drawn carriage in an age of high-speed trains and airplanes. An education is not simply memorizing statistics and dates. It is a deep understanding and recognition of the patterns found in man-made society and nature. It's learning multiple subjects at the same time to understand why they work together, not just to recite them at the end of the week... in the middle of a sheet of paper... they make budgets, but they are not teachers, they are not directly involved in the education of a free country. Therefore, there is no place for them in creating “elaborate” curricula full of scantrons and other failed policies. We have already seen a shift in education in small pockets around the world. With some schools allowing private companies to present sessions and practical demonstrations on how the industry works in the modern world. Provide presentations and hands-on activities to inspire children to become better citizens and participants for the 21st century. The education system is in urgent need of repair, and a hands-on approach that empowers those who are close to our children every day is the only one that is bound to work. Works mentioned "SparkFun National Tour". - Learn.SFE. Np, nd Web. 10 December. 2013. .