Mike Rose Why School Summary

America has come a long way in its education system. It is easier now, more than ever, for people of any race or gender to get an education. However, it is arguable that the educational system does not do its job to prepare students to become successful young adults. There are many flaws in the order of education, which causes students to worry more about satisfying others with test scores and academics rather than actually preparing them for the real world. While the educational system does prepare students for the academic stress of college, it does not qualify students to become young, successful adults and survive in the real world. Most of these students pass through too many years during their high school lives feeling like they don’t measure up, and most kids graduate only knowing if they’re good at school or not. The educational system is flawed and it does not prepare students to become successful adults.

What is school really trying to do with our lives? The article “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto is an article that talks about the problem of schools and how the goals are not what they say they are. First. the author talks about how the school system creates boredom and what could be done to fix it. He then talks about how school is not needed in its required class times, what the schools say the goals are for the students, and where our school system originated from. Next, he talks about who helped create the system we use today, and what the goals are for the schools in 6 functions. Finally, he talked about how the schools teach students to perform certain tasks in the future, how mandatory schooling made students not think about what

All Americans want their future generations to be well educated—at least, all Americans should. When it comes to the topic of education, critics attack it by claiming that there are issues with how our American students are being taught. Some believe that education is too focused in an argumentative culture and that environment narrows our perspective, while some argue that the issue is in the commercialization of our educational system. Collectively, educational value is destroyed. Authors Benjamin Barber, Deborah Tannen, and Gregory Mantsios all agree that our educational system is flawed. In spite of this, they do not necessarily agree on what the most important issue is with education. Nonetheless, it all boils down to this: our educational system is flawed and it must be examined and re-evaluated by teachers and administration in order to best serve our democratic arrangement; it is necessary that the argumentative culture be disbanded and that we focus on creating opportunities for students to flourish through a civic education.

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.

China has always had a reputation for having a rigorous education system, as it is characterized by heavy emphasis on rote memorization of texts and the ignorance of critical disposition and rational reasoning. In ancient China, the Civil Service Examination served as a system for the most talented scholars to obtain an official position in the palace. Education has been perfected throughout the years and when Mao Zedong, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, rose to power, he altered policies and standard ideologies. The Cultural Revolution, which was mobilized by Mao to reassert his authority and eradicate reactionaries, affected several facets of

Education has importance in life because it gives people the skills and tools they need to be successful. Reading, writing, calculating, and communicating would not exist without education. People would also not be able to perform jobs competently, accurately and safely. In “America Skips School” by Benjamin R. Barber, Barber believes America needs to get their act together. People need to stop making excuses and calling their problems an “education crisis.” They need to take a stand, make a change, and start caring about education. The value of education determines the amount of effort expressed towards education.

It is illustrated that some children are raised in the homeless shelter when they are undeveloped. For instance, Eric and Christopher had both grown up in homeless shelters with their family and younger sisters who needed them to go out in the streets to panhandle for enough money for food. Because the place where the boys were living were full of drugs, and what they sense and see was affecting them to become most embittered and distrustful of adults (“Jonathan Kozol”2012). These children are American, but they cannot enforce their authority on going to school as for gaining more episteme. Because we know education opportunity is created for all kids. The best escalator to opportunity in America is schooling (Wendy 2012). According to an investigation from a magazine, this escalator is broken. They expect each generation to do better, but currently, much more young Americans have less access to education, about twenty-nine percent than their parents than have more education about twenty percent, and as recently as 2000, the United States still ranked second in the share of the population with a college degree, but now they have dropped to fifth (Borosage and Vanden 2011). A basic element of the American dream is the equal access to education as the lubricant of social and economic mobility. As we know, more and more children have not taken the opportunity so far because the society they live in cannot facilitate them to achieve their essential American

In the “Against Schools” article, author John Gatto describes the modern day schooling system and its flaws. He uses several rhetorical strategies in trying to prove his point. He successfully uses all three types of rhetoric in writing this article, which includes ethos, pathos, and logos. He establishes these strategies very early, and often throughout the article. He believes one issues with today’s schooling system is boredom, and that there is a distinct difference between what it means to be educated and schooled. He uses his experience as a public school teacher in his effort to exercise this opinion that he has, which establishes his first rhetoric strategy.

In Carl Singleton’s article, “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” he argues that students aren’t receiving the failing grades they deserve. School systems are to blame for the lack of quality in America’s education. No other recommendation for improvement will succeed. The only way to fix the American education system is to fail more students. According to Singleton, the real root of the issue is with the parents. Since the parents believe their children are passing, they don’t take an interest in their child’s studies. They allow the child to spend little time on homework and more time on other activities, such as watching television. When a child comes home with an F, then the parents will take notice. Only then will parents take an active role in their child’s education, instead of letting the schools do it all. The schools are failing the students by giving them passing grades they don’t deserve. Singleton doesn’t believe an increase in salary or a merit raise will improve the situation. The only solution is to fail students who do not master the material. Only then will parents take notice in their children’s education and will school boards take notice, since holding a child back and having them repeat a grade cost twice as much as passing them on to the next grade.

In 2015, a poll was taken from over 1500 National Education Association members, and more than 70 percent of those polled believed that standardized testing is not useful and helpful to students in developing any skills (Walker). Standardized tests have been taken since the early 1900s in many age groups. A standardized test is any sort of test that has both the same questions and the same answers to all people it is given to. They are usually given over wide areas, such as states or even whole countries, and can be used to see what knowledge a general population has gained from their educations. Some major standardized tests are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT). These tests are taken by people that are

As a child, high school seemed like a place that was miles away. Everything about it- with the exception of the graffitied bathroom stalls-lit up my eyes with the dream that I would one day be walking down its halls as a student. Although high school felt so far away, Montville High School itself was no stranger to me. When I was younger, my mom tortured me by sending me to the Chinese program held there every Sunday. I also used the school’s athletic facilities from joining the recreation track program, which I stopped going to after two weeks from discovering my antipathy for physical activity. From all of this, I quickly became familiar with what others would think as the overwhelming layout of the school. For some reason, I had always felt

Public school is one of the primary sources of education for many children in the United States, therefore it should be the school 's sole purpose to teach them the essential elements they need to succeed in life. This means more than teaching math, science, history, and English. A school, primarily high school, must provide courses that focus on a student 's future career plans, courses that challenge a student academically, and courses that help a student navigate their life as adults.

I drive my white Nissan maxima over the speed bumps probably a little too fast as I leave the parking lot. Once I reach the stop sign, I take a moment to turn around and look at the beautiful school building behind me. Rigby High School—I can’t believe I go there. To me, that beautiful building is almost as breathtaking as the work out I just finished; running over and over through the halls of the school because it’s too cold to run outside. What used to be a small school when I was young has seemed to grow to be competitive and quite big, and seems to grow bigger each year. I’ve lived here ever since I was three. I have a very balanced and happy life here in Rigby and successful career as a student at Rigby High. I run up to ten miles each day in the fall and spring to become an exceptional athlete in both track and cross country in which I’ve had victorious seasons. I go home to three or more hours of homework each night to get straight A’s in all my classes including AP and college courses. Somehow I have found the time to go to sporting events, parties, and service projects where I have made so many friends that are indeed true characters of strength, joy, and goodness. I have worked very hard to obtain the

The two articles presented have impacted my post high school education experience and my college experience in very obvious ways. When I was in high school, the main goal for the teachers and educational government was not that students learned the subject, but that he/she passed the test. Moreover it was all about passing the test and not learning. This experience can relate with Ravitch’s article because what she was trying to explain is that the government started to care more about the test score than the knowledge gained by the students. Greene’s article is moreover talking about how social factors can poorly impact student’s performance in school. Also, strategies like, accountability, choice, early intervention can effectively improve

Quincy came out of school today upset. Now this is nothing new, but what had him upset is. At first all I got out of him was, "Mommy I wasn't bragging, I was just so happy." Later it was, "I was so happy because I never win. They said I was bragging, but I was so happy my heart sang." He goes on to inform me that, "I felt so guilty for being happy I threw out my prize.......... I never get to go to the lolly pop tree because I am so clumsy I drop my paper....... I go last almost every time in games, and this is the first time I got something special."