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American education system articles and essays
American education system articles and essays
American education system articles and essays
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The judgement of others can present great obstacles for people that they may benefit from. Joe Rantz grew up in a poor social class and was not able to afford the luxuries unlike the other boys that attended the University of Washington. Joe wore “the same rumpled sweater” everyday and was greeted with “snide remarks” from the other boys (73). Joe did not let this discourage him instead he made the Varsity Crew team and proved to them that he was as good as them even though he was not as privileged as they were. George Pocock felt the “sting of British class distinctions” when he was teaching Anthony Edn, Prince Prajadhipok of Siam, and Lord Grosvenor how to row.
In the short story “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter Tommy is a usual boy in a very rural community in Five Oaks Michigan. Tommy is a very observant fourth grader who has memorized every tree, barn, and anhydrous ammonia tank. But one day at his elementary school, Five Oaks Elementary, His teacher Mr.Hibler started to cough furiously. The next thing you know Mr.Hibler has to take a sick day, and that means a substitute. Tommy is a little bit disappointed because all of the substitutes are undereducated average teachers.
In “I Just Wanna Be Average,” Mike Rose explains the experience being part of a school system that had no prior knowledge to have educators to teach students. Rose supports his claims by describing the different situations he had to encounter with the lack of the school system, the hopelessness of the teachers and his peers, that lead those students with no support to lead them in a direction of success. Rose purpose is to point out that; all that it was needed was a teacher that cared enough to teach and to influence those students to succeed and to never hinder the student’s learning experience because anything is possible with an little of an encouragement. In the 8th paragraph in “I Just Wanna Be Average,” Rose describes what it felt like
Over many centuries, society tends to frame the obscene differences to antagonize and alienate each other whether it's about a political or religious view, social reasons, or financial situations. In “Blue Collar Brilliance,” Mike Rose provides an invigorating essay to persuade his audience to understand that having a blue collar job compared to a white-collar job does not determine a person’s intelligence. Rose uses anecdotes, rhetorical question, and logos to show that blue-collar workers learn just as much without a formal education. Rose starts off with a special anecdote about his mother’s job as a waitress and then provides another anecdote of his uncle’s automotive job. By doing this, it appeals to the audience with a heartfelt
When students are unaware of the history of social class, they begin to believe false information, such as, poor people deserve to be poor. Loewen does a great job of pointing out student’s misunderstanding of social status and strongly believes that it is the high school text books to
Gerald Graff’s argument on how educational systems are missing a great opportunity to tap into “street smarts” and focus them into a path of academic work is indeed convincing (Graff, 198). After all, anyone who’s been through the American educational system knows odds are often stacked against the “street smarts.” This is especially true in english classes, where one is often required to read boring and somewhat heartless books like, 1984, Beowulf, and the majority of Shakespeare’s classics. This is not to say these books are bad or shouldn’t be read during one’s schooling years, instead, the problem is one of apathy. For instance, in my high school years I never even remotely liked to read books Othello, but I loved to read magazines and
In many places and schools, there are issues with education and how the system operates. Tracking and ability grouping is the practice of putting students in different classes or groups based on their level of knowledge and their ability to learn. This is an incredibly toxic way to teach students and does more harm than good. In Mike Rose’s essay titled "I Just Wanna Be Average," he addresses many different societal issues and emphasizes the need for solutions. One of the biggest issues has to do with education and schools tracking students' progress from the moment they step into kindergarten.
In his story, “A&P”, John Updike shows that sometimes people unhappy with their opportunities judge people based upon their social class causing bad decisions and later disappointment. Updike utilizes symbolism, irony, and characterization to display the impact of a person’s social class on society. The different social classes of people create a barrier between them leading to the desperation of trying to fit on a different level. Social status is the way a person lives their life and the lifestyle they
In addition to this, tracking can affect students’ self-esteem and perception of themselves based on what track they are in or how their peers and the adults in their life perceive them based on what track they are in. Secondly, a huge difference in the quality of education a student receives comes from what track they are in. As told by Molly Schwabe, her young daughter was placed in the lowest reading group in her class and learned and did far less than her classmates in higher reading groups. While her daughter was only learning vowel sounds, other groups were reading stories (Schwabe, M. (1997). “The Pigs: When Tracking Takes Its Toll”.
The lack of exposure of education in working class communities revolves around constant judgment and misunderstandings. Many people will not understand when you have to say “no” to going out on a night of drinking, or rejecting the offer to a family reunion to finish studying for a midterm. It is difficult to explain to family members and friends that my education comes first. It is also difficult to constantly remain in a dedicated mindset to continue my education. The stigma behind the school name I carry brings a lot of stereotyping as well.
Hidden Intellectualism In Hidden Intellectualism, Gerald Graff introduces the reader to his article with the comment that street smart students are being labelled nonintellectual by colleges and schools professors since they do poorly in academic work and their interest is centered into sports, magazines, and video games; nonetheless, these nonintellectual students seem more intellectual than those called themselves intellectual. As a first argument, the author claims that being interested in sport and novel reading more than school work readings could be another form of being intellectual. As a personal example, Graff writes “Until I entered college, I hated books and cared only for sports” (265).
People dream of freedom. A freedom that can bestow opportunities, a freedom that can establish equality, and a freedom that can promote success—people dream of the American dream. Many pursue it believing that education is the primary pathway to achieving success, and through education and hard work they can lower barriers; thus, being capable of scaling upward in the social ladder. Sadly, this dream has been tainted by myths that are associated with education. For example, some people claim that education is the grand equalizer of society, so through proper schooling everyone has the same chance of move up the social ladder.
The main argument is that perceived throughout the reading is that the schools itself is failing students. They see a student who may not have the greatest test scores or the best grades, and degrade them from the idea of being intellectual. Graff states, “We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty and academic” (Graff 244). Schools need to channel the minds of street smart students and turn their work into something academic.
A recent study released by Pearson that questioned over 400,000 students in grades 6-12 shows that only “48% of students think their teachers care about them…and only 45% of students think teachers care if they are absent from school” (Hare, 2015). This shocking statistic demonstrates what American students think about their teachers. Most students are under the impression that their teachers don’t care about them. When teachers don’t care about their students and allow them to fail, many students with unrealized potential give up on education. Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average” describes his journey through high school on the vocational track after the results of his “tests got confused with those of another student named Rose” (Rose, 1989, p. 2).
In “I just wanna be average” Mike Rose recounts his years in vocational school, known as low level classes. Rose was placed in vocational school by accident, rose decided on staying enrolled with low level students. Rose observed his teacher and classmates and talks about them throughout his essay. Rose explains to the reader why many students don’t learn or don’t take school/education serious. Teachers show they don’t care about their students by giving lack of education and by using physical violence and all just to control them.
