Texas is an immense state itself, with problems left and right and not a solution to many of them. The city of Brownsville is often forgotten and not given much attention when it comes to economic issues regarding the education level. Education in Brownsville might not be superior to other schools in the North because they an advantageous education system considering their rich economy. The BISD (Brownsville Independent School District) school organization is often criticized on the criteria of the low economic status the people of Brownsville obtain.
Society is built to treat those considered ‘normal’ with a higher degree of fairness than those considered different. Two works of writing look to examine the issues of personal challenges and difficulty with peers in society. Initiation, a fictional short story by Sylvia Plath, examines what those who are different will do to earn prestige in society, while Reaction-Interaction, a personal essay by Diane Kenyon, explores the troubles deaf people face nearly everyday. By comparing and contrasting these two pieces, personal challenges in society can be examined and evaluated.
Reyes leaves his listeners focused on how the absence of love and uniqueness in the education system is deteriorating passion, tradition, self-confidence, and personality from the mindset of the future students who aren't privileged with a backbone support
Intrinsic value defines itself to be a set of ethics that is dependent upon an individual’s morals. The intrinsic value of anything is often given a hidden meaning. Alfie Kohn’s essay “How not to get into College”, Heron Jones’s poem “Somnambulist”, and the episode “Rosebud” from the television show, The Simpsons, shows how finding true meaning and motivation in life can be very difficult and also reveals deeper meaning of how it is better to be motivated intrinsically rather than extrinsically. To begin, in these three pieces, the authors clearly show that when one is extrinsically motivated, they go through life unware of what they can truly achieve.
In his commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005, David Foster Wallace was tasked with the responsibility of imparting some wisdom onto the graduating class. Wallace’s message to a room of full soon-to-be college graduates at the precipice of the of their impending true adulthood, he offers them a message that cuts through the mess and concisely delivers a message that many would ironically overlook, which is for the students to realize that at times, imperative life lessons are not only the ones that they cannot conceive or believe, but the ones that are obvious but hard to acknowledge let alone discuss. The lesson in this is that no matter how instinctive that cynicism is, it is imperative that people must try to more honest and open
John Taylor Gatto addresses his belief in his article “Against School” that schools have become “laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.” Students are bored of their teachers, teachers are bored of their students, “who, then, is to blame?” “We all are.” It is our duty as citizens in our society to make sure we are pushing and challenging ourselves every day instead of waiting for another to make it happen for us. The government has become routine enough to allow the few students they believe are capable to continue on their tradition, thus allowing the majority of students fall into useless stereotypes and groups.
Sherry goes on and explains why we think it is right to sometimes excuse students who cheat the system because they come from terrible environments, but then goes on to conclude that “most kids don’t put school first on their list unless they perceive something else is at stake.” I think this is why there is a UIL rule at a lot of schools with a “no pass no play” policy. Students who are involved in extracurricular activities then have a reason to strive to pass. Sherry believes that “people of all ages can rise above their problems, but they need a reason to do so.”
For instance, McCullough says, “If you’ve learned anything in your four years here I hope it’s that education should be for, rather than material advantage, the exhilaration of learning.” (pg. 5). McCullough is signifying that growth and learning should be something people do because they enjoy it and think it’s fun. McCullough validates that children have been more worried about having a good resume to send to colleges than putting their happiness and other’s happiness first, like how “Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about the application to Bowdoin than the well-being of Guatemalans. “ (Pg. 5)
While reading the texts by David Foster Wallace and Mark Greif, I began to realize how they both want people to know the standards are set by others and are never meant to fit everybody. Mark Greif discusses capitalism's effect on our health and standards. Wallace mentions the standards of education and its importance. Students' educations change their perspectives in life. The purpose of this paper is to inform people on how standards do not make up for yourself but it is about your morals and ideals that create your future.
As a result students have changed and the perception of subjects have changed to reflect the societal changes. In William Zinsser’s essay “College Pressures” he outlines the the differences he has witnessed in the students at Yale University in comparison to their predecessors. When elaborating on the reasons students decide their majors and ultimately careers, Zinsser states “The parents mean well; they are trying to steer their sons and daughters toward a secure future. But the sons and daughters want to study history or classics or philosophy- subjects with no ‘practical’ value” (Zinsser 400). Education is seen by many people as the only route to success and generally viewed as a safe bet for success.
Decrees, via verbal or written, are designed to control behavior and maintain safe and functioning societies. Since Hammurabi authored the first written code of laws, civilizations throughout time continually shepherd their citizens toward a desired behavior. In theory, decrees guide our everyday actions to create an orderly society. Whenever individuals fail to adhere to the rules of society, then punishment is administered based on the violation committed. Rules apply to everyone from the White House to the school house.
The constant struggle to be the best at everything, and to be better than everyone else puts a lot of pressure on the people in our society. We feel as if we need to maintain the facade of perfection because of the standards society places on us, money matters because society judges us based on class. Even though we are one society, we end up breaking the minds of people who tried to realize a life of perfection only to fail. “In spite of its elusiveness, we remain fixated on perfection. Often enough, even when we know the flaws, we still defend an image of flawlessness.
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.
Lynda Barry in her work The Sanctuary of School, wrote about her life as a kid with a toxic family life where she relied on school to be a place she feels secure. She tried to escape from her toxic family by going to school; was the only way for her to relieve her mind. The school granted her freedom to draw and provided her a safe place to stay. Painting and drawing was the only activity that made her happy. By doing these activities were the only way to express herself.
The diversity of student backgrounds, abilities and learning styles makes each person unique in the way he or she reacts to information. The intersection of diverse student backgrounds and active learning needs a comfortable, positive environment in which to take root. Dr. King continues by explaining, “Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.” From back then to today’s society, kids are failing because they lack those morals that they need to succeed.
