I Just Wanna Be Average Essay

In our world, what we learn shapes who we can become. The American dream has always been you can come to the United States and become whatever you would like to be. How true is this? As analyzing and communicating has sky rocketed with our technology and certain trends have become apparent to everyone. Some schools seem to test so poor while others seem to exceed expectations. While the many observers may believe technology is the cause, socioeconomic class plays a much larger role with wealth and overall environment control. To start would be an article from the New York Times by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt. The first part of this article focus on how class mobilization has fallen stating," mobility, which once buoyed the working lives

Mike Rose's piece, "I Just Wanna be Average" In this article Rose brings us through the struggles of a bleak school environment that was anything but encouraging. In school Rose had to deal with a humiliating teacher stating, He routinely had us grabbing our ankles to receive his stinging paddles across our butts. He did that, he said, to make men of us. Also referring to Rose as a "Wop" a derogatory term for an Italian. In this environment where were kids supposed to turn to? In this violent and demeaning of a place there is no room for goals, college, or even getting a job. Treating these kids like animals would only drive them towards this. Thankfully, we do not see this level of cruelty and discipline in school but it does make for a good analogy for today's underpaid and alternative schools. The teachers are underpaid, undereducated, overwhelmed, and overworked. With this much tension on both sides of the education process how can we expect any teaching or learning going on? Rose does end up finding passion but not in school, barely getting into Loyola thanks to a strong letter from a teacher. (Rereading America 161) He found it from an experience that tapped into his passion. Without that spark Rose may not be the man he is