Children in American schools face many challenges everyday. Two specific challenges presented in the movie that impacted the social development of the children is the excessive amount of work that they had to complete on a daily basis, including extra curricular activities because of fear of failure and the lack of equity in certain schools based on socioeconomic status.
These challenges discussed in the documentary are truly consistent with the research presented in class and readings because they show how the pressure to succeed and the environment in which children in America learn has greatly influenced their social development and lives. For example, in the article Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?, The New York times talks about a case of a young boy named Jake who attempts suicide
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A possible protective factor that could be used towards children who are afraid to fail is for adults, especially teachers and parents, to let children know that failure is alight from an early age. If adults let children understand that sometimes people fail in life, they will not suffer as much from depression because they will not feel alone. Moreover, it will push them to want to work even harder. Secondly, a positive protective factor for students who learn in lower income neighborhoods would be quality teaching. In the documentary as well as in lecture, it is clearly presented that when adults are more invested in the betterment of their students, they tend to succeed more. If there is more quality teaching in low-economic neighborhoods, it will protect them from worrying about their learning environment as well as prevent them from feeling like they do not receive the equivalent amount of education as those in higher-economic
For example, “the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. school districts spend nearly 10 times more than the poorest 10 percent, and spending ratios of 3 to 1 are common within states” (Darling-Hammond). In wealthier, suburban areas, most students have the resources available to benefit their educational needs, including; projectors, computers, and calculators. In contrast, “at MacKenzie High School in Detroit, word processing courses are taught without word processors because the school cannot afford them” (Darling-Hammond). For students coming out of lower income communities, it is more difficult for them to attend college, or excel because of the lack of academic preparation. Now not only are many Americans not getting a good education, but as a
In the first act of the podcast, an adolescent from the Englewood neighborhood advises participating in school to be able to stay away from home. This shows the importance of how a school can serve as a safe place for a multitude of students. This sense of security allows students at the school to have a sense of normalcy and allows them to experience regular teenage opportunities. Furthermore, the high school being a secure place grants the students of Harper High School to receive an education that allows them to develop their identities and interests. The school is a convenient resource, which is seen in Devonte’s case as he gains the benefit of counseling offered by the school.
In the story “Superman and me” by Sherman Alexie, Sherman showed his readers that people should not let obstacles get in the way of learning or their future. Sherman explains how his classmates did let obstacles get in the way “As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.” When being ceremonially accepted teens feel accepted of course so much that when they are in that situation of “ Is this equally identical to the rest of the kids?” they feel the need to let whatever obstacles come into life stop them, from learning and furthering their future education.
If they aren't receiving the same amount of learning as someone who can pay for it, It’s a problem because it's only causing our classes to stay. The education systems’ inequalities teaching in different social classes is drastic, In the end, it basically summed up to if they have money they'll get a better
There are thousands of kids in Chicago who do not have the opportunity for a fantastic education like I have had. From very early on, their parents do not have the financial stability to spend money on education and they slowly fall behind. Because of the circumstances that they were born into, many students are already far behind by the time they enter first grade and without the proper support system, there is no way for them to catch up. When they do reach high
In John Gatto’s essay “Against School”, he insists that modern schooling is crippling our kids. “I had more than enough reason to think of our schools – with their long-term, cell-block-style, forced confinement of both students and teachers – as virtual factories of childness.” (para 4). The US adopted its educational system from Prussian culture and it led to a downward spiral of boredom and fear in children. Children are singled out, judged, and never taught to be a grown up and be independent.
Students these days are shielded from real world issues. There is a misconception that young people are fragile, so reality is sugar coated. The truth is, life can be a test for survival. Jeannette Walls knows this all too well. Walls experienced a far-from-normal childhood with far-from-normal parents.
As Rashad, one of the main characters, observes, "The school is just a smaller version of what we see on the news every night" (Reynolds & Kiely, pg. 101). This statement highlights how the high school setting serves as an example of the larger social issues of racial injustice and police brutality. Additionally, it showcases the divisions that exist between the students
Children in America’s Schools tells the public that children that live in inner city/ urban areas do not have high goals for themselves. In a scene from the documentary, Jonathan Kozol interviews children from these impoverished communities on their views of their school and education in general. Some of the children responded by saying they do not see themselves as having a future and question the importance of being in school. Children who live in impoverished communities deal with crime on a regular basis, and believe that they will not amount to much. However, Children in America’s Schools also provides the public with positive views on teachers.
“And We Still Rise: The Trials of Tribulations of 12 inner City Students” Corwin records the lives of twelve incredible students during their high school years. Corwin takes us on an excursion in the lives of these young people who battles everyday life issues with some characters dealing with gang violence, to some dealing with domestic abuse. Corwin shows how they overcame their obstacles and went on to do great things as a student in their high school. The fact that these young people were able to rise above their terrible conditions, gives me inspiration and motivation to do my best in school and to fight for success and equality in life/society.
Poverty and education share a relationship with one another and in order to fix the problems associated with poverty the problems with education must first be addressed. Another way that economical factors play a role in education is the cost of college. Due to the high expenses that come with college, many families cannot afford to send their children to universities. This means students have to apply for loans, which can take years to pay off. By reducing the cost of tuition more students would be able to go to college.
I was amazed to read that in the affluent school, some of the children mention they will rather not be rich. Rich meant that they could not work and they will rather work since they liked working. In the executive school, I was bothered by the comment that a teacher stated. A teacher associated low-income children with discipline problems. I think that teacher generalized an observation he
Students who lack cultural capital have a harder time in school. They tend not do their homework and not to care. They also have a hard time speaking up. Students who live in these poorer communities tend not to have very schools. For example their schools do not have a lot of resources, they do not get a lot of funding and the students tests scores are lower than average.
In the movie the Breakfast Club, five teens are locked up in Saturday school for nine hours. All of these teens come from completely different backgrounds, and none of them truly understand one another. As the day progresses, the audience learns just how imperfect each of them are, and how tough life can be. Through this film, the director was able to capture the minds of young adults and how their childhood plays a direct role in the way they develop into adults. Three topics of development that were shown in the movie are imaginary audiences, peer pressure, and logical fallacies.
The movie does not exactly enlighten all the issues that adolescents are going through, but it provides a story of a boy who overcame the things that were holding him back. This movie can be used as a motivation for others who are dealing with similar situations. Conclusion Adolescents experience a large amount of change including puberty, high school, and romantic relationships.