Recommended: Life after finishing school
In the poem “ Thinking for Berky”, written by William Stafford, the speaker argues that people in the society are so careless and do not understand for people who are not lucky like them, being able to born in a wealthy family with good relationships. The author started out with the setting of the author lying in bed thinking about a girl named Berky and her deaths. He pointing out different forces that lead to her death like her abusive parents, poor family situation, and lastly, people who can’t sympathize with Berky and criticize her for her situations/environments. The speaker also pointed out that there are people out there who can’t think for others and just live their life, thinking that it is Berky fault for living a life like that.
According to the article, “Neither a Wallflower Nor a Paris Geller Be” (Rebecca Schuman, Slate Magazine, 14 Oct 14), in order to be a successful student, class participation is the key aspect of college students. Additionally, Schuman explains that taking part in the class is to experiment with new thoughts, banter about, and examine. It is not to win a type of splendid comment challenge, she argues. Regardless of whether by the timid, hesitant, or excited. Agreeing to Schuman you ought to connect a gathering venture where, indeed, a few people from the gathering are more brilliant than others.
In the essay “No books, please; we’re students” writer, John Leo compares students decades ago with students from 1995; their willingness to become engaged in academic experiences. Overtime, a larger proportion of students haven't taken education seriously. For example, chemistry professor Henry Bauer has kept “charts for 10 years” to show that his students had “progressively worse on the finals,” knowing that the questions are exactly like the ones that showed up on the “mid semester quizzes.” Clearly, over the years, a chunk of students willingness to work has declined. Students has become “progressively more ignorant, inattentive, inarticulate,” according to Penn state professor; because students didn't ever look back at the explanations,
Higher education is available for most, but many questions are raised by todays woels to whether students are receiving a higher education, and if test scores are becoming more important. From her position as a college professor in the higher education industry, Kay states that lots of students are going to college to get quality education, and are there to learn certain skills for the job they are interested in, and are studying for (39). On the contrary, Lasch believes “that the desire for more relevant courses often down comes down to a desire for ‘intellectual understanding’ courses, so that relevance functions as a smokescreen concealing the reluctance to work hard” (38). One might wonder who is right in this situation; is Lash telling how it is or is Kay?
Liz Addison’s essay, “Two Years Better Than Four,” was first published in the New York Times Magazine back in September of 2007. Addison went to two community colleges and majored in biology; earning her degree in 2008. In her essay, she is responding to Rick Perlstein's article “What’s the Matter with College?” in which he claims, “College as America used to understand it is coming to an end” (211). Addison refutes Perlstein’s claims by saying, “My guess, reading between the lines, is that Mr. Perlstein has never set foot in an American community college” (212).
This college experience remains as it should” (Addison). Community college is the beginning of endless discoveries and infinite
The Greek Philosopher Aristotle identified “The years between puberty and age twenty-one as the formative time for mind and character.” It was customary for young Greek men to attend a series of lectures that resembled our notion of a college “course”(Delbanco 36). Aristotle is a believer of education and the power it has on the development of the young mind. Likewise, he believes college is a place to establish one’s character. Caroline Bird’s essay, “Where College Fails Us,” definitely does not correlate with the opinion of Aristotle.
Upon beginning my first class at Walden University, it has been difficult to see myself getting through this 8-week course. Furthering my education has been something I have struggled to accomplish for the last 4 years. I almost decided to give up and continue being just a high school teacher. However, being a senior teacher that motivates my students to go above an beyond to reach their goal has pushed me to work hard and start a new journey. Though it is only the beginning of my journey, I can see graduation.
“3 Reasons College Still Matters” by Andrew Delbanco 3) “Surely, every American college ought to defend this waning possibility, whatever we call it. And an American college is only true to itself when it opens its doors to all - the rich, the middle, and the poor - who have the capacity to embrace the precious chance to think and reflect before life engulfs them. If we are all serious about democracy, that means everyone.” 4) In this part of the writing Andrew Delbanco tries to persuade his audience by using the pattern of logic that agrees with the overall argument but also considers another striking point of view to strengthen the argument (While these arguments are convincing, they must also consider…).
In addition, she appeals to the emotions of her audience by writing on a deeper emotional level and referring to college as a self-finding, life-changing experience, rather than another unpleasant chore in one’s life. Throughout Addison’s article she successfully builds strong emotional connections with her readers through words of philosophy and personal experience. Addison’s techniques for appealing to the emotions of the audience are undoubtedly
Martha Nussbaum, then reminds the reader that these types of colleges are very active in class and to stay afloat in them, it’s highly recommended that you participate in class, no longer can just relax and look out of the class’s windows and expect to pass, “is its characteristic emphasis on the active participation of the child in inquiry and questioning.” This relates back to what Ronald Barnett wrote about. Both writers are trying to convince their readers that college is no place to fool around. If you plan on succeeding you must push yourself, ask questions, participate in classes and do hours of library work that might just lead you nowhere. College is a time to grow and isn’t always
One of the history's greatest figures, Nelson Mandela, once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Over the course of years, this statement has only become more relevant. Maybe that is the reason why the topic of the decline of the American education has been recently spurring such a heated debate among national academic and teaching communities. In “The Chronicle of Higher Education”, Carl Singleton, a faculty member at Fort Hays State University, also presented his reflections concerning the U.S. education system.
Can Two Be Greater Than Four? Does college really matter? Has college lost its rite to passage appeal? Can one still go to college and be successful in the pursuit of self-discovery? These are the types of questions that Liz Addison challenges in her short essay “Two Years Are Better Than Four”. By taking into account my own experience as a current community college student and advocate, in this response to Addison’s essay I choose to elaborate on her views of community college being better than a four year university in the sense of offering a better college experience.
Going to college for many students is just a normal part of life. It is what will enable them to get an education that eventually will lead to get a well-paid job and the resources and the status to live a comfortable life. But for college professor, Andrew Delbanco, the American college has a higher purpose. In the article “College at Risk”, Delbanco states that colleges should be promoting critical thinking among students, through knowledge of the past and the interaction with each other; as well as, help them discover their talents and passions and figure out what they want to do in life. This type of education is called liberal arts and for Delbanco, it represents the ideal education.
Students become “obsessed with their studies” and nothing else becomes important (Zinsser). This produces an accumulation of students who don’t spend time to do extracurricular activities. The mixture of pressure from peers and from one’s self allows a chain of events that lead to undesirable
