Year: 2019

Mia Carter

 

A Lab Rat in your classroom

 

Ever feel like a lab rat? When it comes to anything you do in life does your life feel like an experiment and you always have to test everything out. Or the things you do or been in are testing you. I know when I was in school grades k-12 I felt like a lab rat. When you were in school did you ever feel like a lab rat? When I was in middle school the principal and some other people would come into the classroom for the whole period and watch everything that happens. That made me feel like a lab rat. That my teacher was the scientist and I was the rat being used for the experiment. That was the idea schools are like science labs they study students and use students as experiments to see how the young minds will act by being drilled with information, habits, and attitudes. That they believe we will be used in society when we get older. Always feeling that you have to show off and make yourself and the teacher look good.

 

When I went to school it always felt like we had to put on a show. To make sure that you and your teacher looked good. I feel that schools do this on purpose for us to learn to work in a situation that would happen in the future while working. However when this happens kids feel like they’re doing something wrong. Seeing the person write on their clipboard and not say a word to you. But when they do talking to you they ask you questions like “do you understand the topic? Is the teacher helping you? Can you explain the topic to me?” And at that point, you wonder what should I really tell them. The true on whether I understand or not and is it going to get me or my teacher in trouble. Kids in this situation don’t know what to do. They feel under pressure to say the right answer. Is this suppose to be teaching or Preparing them to be scared when asked a question or on telling the truth.

 

Kids shouldn’t be lab rats. They’re there to learn not to be used as a experiment to see how well the teachers are, the types of teaching strategies they use or the main fact is did you learn something new and can prove it by taking a test. This is not teaching kids young minds information, habits and attitudes that they believe kids will be using in society when we get older. They’re teaching kids that everything in life is a test. Whether you like it or not you will always be tested. Making you out to look like those lab rats. Always having something new being tested on you whether you like it or not. That you have no say in what happens but that’s not true. Have a say in anything you do and that’s school. You have a say in how you want to learn, on how your teacher teaches you the topic on things that would help you understand it.

 

This is the truth when it comes to John Taylor Gatto’s article “Against School,” where he rates public schools intentions and there effectiveness of their education. As a teacher in the New York City school system were he grows to believe that the school system makes children oppose to education and preparing them to be responsible adults. Gatto mentions in the article, “ First, though  we must wake up to what our schools really are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.”(5) Based on this statement, the public school system is the place were kid go to be brainwashed by the educational system. Drilling habits and attitudes that we would need in society. Schools are like science labs they study students and use students as experiments to see how the young minds will act by being drilled with information, habits and attitudes they think that will be used in society.   

 

School is the place to learn not to feel scared that you are wrong for something. Students aren’t lab rats they’re kids. Just wanting to have fun while at school. Not wanting to feel scared that they will be watched or be affected if they answer with the wrong question. This is the time for kids to speak up and say how they feel and what they want from their education system. That they don’t want to feel wrong when answering a question with their true opinion feeling that it will affect someone badly. School is a place to speak your mind and to talk with other people about it. Not a place to feel trapped, iceolated or being able to tell the truth.

 

Works Cited:

Against School – John Taylor Gatto, www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm.

Mentor article

The Purpose of Education- According to Students. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/10/the-purpose-of-education-according-to-students/541602/

Publication: THE NEW YORK TIMES

 

From the article “against school”, we learned about all the concerns Gatto had about schooling in general. From have to go through for that long time is very difficult and were basically setup by a system in order to take advantage of kids in the long run. Furthermore, he also expressed his concerns about school system and how kid are prepared for a future labor force. Is that true and how come the vast majority of kids are still applying to school? It is obvious that school is a very convenient way of success nowadays and the department of education and teachers put a lot of effort for kids to learn and become better tomorrow. School is a bigger path no matter what one is planning to accomplish in his life. However, public schools still have a lot to do in order to improve the overall learning experience. In my opinion, Gatto probably experienced some of the worst school systems and generalizes his opinion accordingly.  The way classes are dispensed can seem overwhelming and this may give some students very different thoughts about school. However learning can be more interesting if the department of education and the teachers load more learning topics because one cause of boredom is repetition.

In the article “against school”, John Taylor Gatto explains that public school system are meant to condition children to be gullible and mindless consumers. In my personal opinion, Gatto’s thoughts about school in general is exaggerated. Everyone has his own experience about school, and all I can say is that it is difficult and takes a long time. After all, there nothing easy about life and school is just one of the many paths available except that it is more likely “promising”. Not saying that one hundred percent of those who go to school succeed, but saying that they always get something out of it. They get education, they learn how to write and read they make friends, relations and many will build professional careers. As far as I’m concerned, schools, especially public schools need improvement. That is probably what Gatto should be expressing are way to make school more enjoyable for children instead of scarring young people. Gatto said that “School has done a pretty good job of turning our children into addicts, but it has done a spectacular job of turning our children into children”. In my opinion, this is a wrong perception of the main objectives of school. First, “addict”, I doubt that and considering how mature children get for going to school, it is safe to say that Gatto probably went  through some less common situation and it affected his opinion.

 

Furthermore, Gatto stated “Even if they hadn’t, a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve- year wringer our kids currently go through, and they turn out all right. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln?”, like I mentioned before, school is not the only way to succeed, but one of the best ones. One may be successful without this world most basic knowledge (good reading and writing skills), he will still struggle and be dependent to other people who went to school. Imagine the struggle of someone who doesn’t have good reading and writing abilities in this world where everything tend to be on paper and on the Internet. The jobs industry is now equivalent to paper work and have been to school is not just an advantage, it is also a requirement. Most of those in todays society without jobs or decent jobs are those with lower academic background. Some of those people might also be complaining that the society does not take them into consideration. But the reality is that nowadays in order to be a professional, one needs to have the required diploma which is only available after career completion.

In my personal opinion, I think that school prepare children to be better tomorrow, by making them go through challenging experiences which can be seen differently from one person to another. School is also a sort of security to young people. By that I mean instead of hanging in the streets, if they go to school, they will have a better chance of success. I mean, if they don’t drop off. The school system is here to guide children, not to use them. In fall 2018 more than fifty six and half million students will attend elementary and secondary schools. This show how parents are really willing to engage into it no matter how hard it can get later on. I encourage the department of education to keep assisting students and improving their learning experience.  Gatto has his own point about school that I believe is exaggerated and I hope he does not spread those thoughts to children because it may affect their feelings about school which can lead to them adopting the same thoughts about school and that is not a good thing for upcoming generations “academic education” wise.

 

 

Publication: The New York Times-Education section

Michael Pagan

Dr. Carrie Hall

Are Robot Teachers Our Children’s Future?

Imagine a world where children and students alike would need a special barcode would be etched into their skin in order for them to be registered as a student. Imagine sending your children off to school, and watching someone scanning your son or daughter, like an item. But, every students “barcode” shows an extensive learning history of him/her. Their strengths, weaknesses, preferred learning methods, and an overall grade. A grade solely compiled of numbers, nothing more. It would not take progress, or the will to actually learn. Now, most would find such a system not only unethical, but possibly illegal. This “dystopian” world is not as far-fetched as it seems. Within the decade, multiple studies deemed “innovations” have been introduced within NYC Public schools. These innovations ultimately would take the teachers role in educating children, and determine how their child should be taught. Granted, there has always been a natural inclination to advance current technology, in order to make life easier for everyone, with the ultimate goal being to benefit modern society. But, there is a limit to how far-how much rather we should depend on said technology. Technology already drowns humanity out, it quite literally is addicting. But to replace hardworking, dedicated people who have made teaching their profession, is not only insulting, to teachers as well as the entire foundation to teaching, but to pretty much every student who would have never even pondered such a thing growing up in school.

“Teachers are themselves products…trapped inside structures even more rigid than those imposed on the children.”(1) These were words written by John Gatto, author of ‘Against School’. Gatto doesn’t seem to be making the argument of technology over teachers per se, but is somewhat referring to teachers, as well as students, as zombies, or a robot of sorts. What Gatto is saying is that school is a factory, essentially, pumping out brainwashed, conditioned kids, by teachers who are just as bored as the students! Teachers who apparently have not much a choice.  Now, most people would scoff at such a statement. This is because most students who have made it as far as to college especially-would attest to the fact that they are in fact not zombies. Who could’ve guessed it?

I always considered myself a self-dependent student. I knew from a young age that if I wanted to get something done right, I had to do it myself. I didn’t really rely on other people to “guide” me. In high school, I had a teacher that truly opened up my eyes to the way I view not only education, but also how I viewed learning in general.  She showed me the true impact that a teacher can have on your life. Being “self-dependent” meant that I tended to not ask so many questions regarding material being covered in class. I thought I could figure it out myself. I figured if using this method got me through elementary and middle school, what would be so different about high school? Yeah, my methods had worked-at first. My “don’t ask now, and try to figure out” routine only got me so far.  See, there would be days when, for whatever reason, I wouldn’t get all of the key points mentioned in a lecture. Or, perhaps, we would be given an essay with a specific prompt that I wasn’t familiar with. It was at these times that I realized that the way I was reading these assignments, and school as a whole was distorted. So, I did something that I had not done in a very long time. I went to my teacher and asked her a question. And to my surprise, she wasn’t mad at me. In fact, she told me that she encouraged questions about a topic. I had explained that the reason I never really asked many questions was because I had thought that it would seem as if I wasn’t paying any attention during the class period. But, she told me that it showed her the exact opposite. She explained that it shows genuine interest, and that she actually takes them as compliments. When she told me this, it quite literally opened up my eyes to how drastic things can be in reality, compared to the so called “facts” you may have of something. She gave me a whole new meaning of perspective.

Like aforementioned, though I do believe that real teachers should always take priority over “robot” teachers; this doesn’t mean that technology doesn’t have its place. I was born in a generation where computers were integrated into school life from an early age. From desktops, to eventually SMARTboards, technology changed how we learned, for the better. In the article, ‘Learning (Your First Job), by Robert Leamnson, we are given a thought that pretty much every student can relate to somewhat. “…Learning is not something that just happens…You cannot be ‘given’ learning, nor can you be forced to do it.”(1) Now, Leamnson is making the point that it is up to each individual student whether or not they actually want to learn. You could have the best teacher in the world, but if a student is genuinely disinterested, all of the teachers efforts would be futile. But, Robert doesn’t seem to say anything about encouragement. Technology has been proven to generate interest into pretty much any topic. This is as long as it can be related to something thats actually interesting.

This paper might make it seem like I am bashing technology, criticizing the effectiveness of a real teacher, as opposed to a robot teacher. But, it is quite the contrary. I believe firmly, that technology has, and always will have a place in our daily lives, especially when it comes to schooling. But, there are boundaries when it comes to how we are teaching our children. Our children are not guinea pigs, testing new teaching methods, in favor of the ones that provide the best results. I believe that an ultimatum could be reached. One where we could use methods that these teaching programs utilize to improve students grades, and for teachers to  implement some of those same methods. If we use technology to our advantage, and don’t let it take over our lives, I think our future may be brighter than it seems.

Mentor Article:

Davidson, Cathy N. “What Role Do Teachers Play in Education?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/books/review/andrea-gabor-after-the-education-wars.html.

Works Cited:

Against School – John Taylor Gatto, www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm.

Leamnson, Robert. “Learning (Your First Job).” MA, Dartmouth, Dec. 2002.

 

 

 

 

Britney Lilly
Dr. Hall
1101
New York, Times- Parenting section

I recall walking down the steps at 72nd St and Central Park West train station thinking that the best thing for me to do would be to jump jump before the oncoming train. I remember how difficult it was for me to control myself as I called my father. I had kept repeating to myself that I didn’t want to be that person who caused train delays; I wanted to kill myself in an unselfish way. By the time my father answered I was in a panic, I had begged him to pick me up because I knew I wanted to
end my life. By the end of that day, I put myself in a mental institution for two weeks and only to return to my bedroom windows on the 14th floor all barred up, privacy taken away, family therapy, and being watched closer the ever before. The sad thing is this wasn’t the first time that I’ve tried this stunt, I had tried three times prior in all different, however ways but I am proud to say this was my last attempt.
As a young adult, I had a lot of stress going on between school, good grades’, a social life, and family life. With the inadequate feelings as though I’m never going to succeed, even though like most, I had a lot of help from those around me. The stress was slowly festering in my head creating huge pockets of doubts in my mind of whether someone like me is worthy of being alive. We are living in a state where suicide is an epidemic. A large contributor to that is school induced suicides. The suicide
rate among young adults, ranging from ages 15-24, has tripled since the 1950s and is currently the second most common cause of death among college students.
After suicide, traffic accidents are the next leading cause of death amongst college students. For many of young adults, it is their first time living away from home, country, support, and comfort that the young adults were accustomed to and what they received from friends and family. The life change can create a culture shock for some students, especially those who don’t make friends easily or who have difficulty meeting the demands of challenging college courses and the stress of living alone.
Students
working under intense grueling schedules and expectations can cause disrupted sleep, lack of eating, and a poor exercise pattern that couple with depression, anxiety, social disorders, and/or learning disorder which creates a stressful situation. Feelings of self deprivation, loss of motive and self worthlessness, is slowly worming its way into the young adults psyche creating a tunnel visioned view to the world.
Many students see this as a no way out situation. To them, grades are everything. With their hopes for a new career and good financial standings later in life, you could hardly design a more stressful atmosphere when depression or other mental health issues enter the picture. Here in 2019, it is about time for this epidemic to be taken care of by the people making a caring society. It is time to see if it is possible for a more hands-on or relaxed approach to education where the mental stability
is taken care of. While reading John Taylor Gatto article “Against school” I came on the conclusion that the American schooling system is a failure to building up a student self-esteem. The educational system falsely creates a reliant atmosphere while using a system that categorizes students from grades, which ultimately can cause students to divide amongst themselves based on the standings of the social ladder. From what I had seen then, the public-school system had helped
inadvertently influence children into believing that they were incapable of many successes. Even though the students wanted and worked for their education, students weren’t seen as smart enough to keep up with what is being taught. “Students want to be motivated encouraged to have the qualities to succeed in life they don’t want to feel like they are being force to learn material that society thinks they have to.”(Gatto 5).
Being able to compare high school to College has been a real an eye-opener because even though students aren’t being spoken down to or ignored when learning, they are being left, there on their own devices when it comes to handling such a large change in life. Almost every, college and university has a campus counseling center which students can go to or be referred to if faculty or friends believe they are heading towards a downward spiral both academically and/or emotionally. Though
sometimes, for more severe ongoing services, students can be referred to outside sources such as therapists. The number one cause of suicide for college student suicides (and all suicides) is untreated depression. Going to college can be difficult where many young adults feel lost, lonely, confused, anxious, inadequate, and stressed. These problems may lead to a more pressing matter of a mental illness or chemical imbalance. And again, untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide.
School should not be a system used to categorize people based on what they claim is intelligence. It has too much of a focus on a stressful academic life than helping nurture and guide young adults in creating a stable lifestyle both mentally, physically, emotionally, and knowledgeably. We as a community need to figure out a way that we can incorporate mental health awareness into our education systems. There needs to be a check in period where those in a higher position, or family member
can stop in and check with the students letting them know that they are always available to help when needed. Asking open-ended questions or listen carefully to their tone as well as the words of the responding texts. Skyping (forms of video calling) or just a simple phone call. Make sure to avoid judgments, criticisms, and threats. Any of these can push the student into an inescapable corner. You might even be able to share the struggles you had as a student.
Works Cited
Wolverton, Brad. “As Students Struggle With Stress and Depression, Colleges Act as Counselors.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/education/learning/mental-health-counseling-on-campus.html.
Gatto, John Taylor “Against School

”

Deonarine Karan

English 1101

Revision One

Can Education be bought?

We are trapped in a society that if we have no education people look down upon us and treat us unfairly. Many people think they could buy their way through education. We should bring real reforms that make sure we have a good teacher in every classroom and gives parents the option of where they send their kids to take the steps they need in order to be successful. A good teacher has a strong relationship with their students and show they care and they  make time for students when they’re in need of help. “The federal government throws dollars at the state, the state throws dollars at local school boards and the local boards throw dollars at schools”, which shows money affects the way schools operate because if they don’t do what they are told the money schools get could be affected. So, schools have no say in education because their primarily focus is the “money”, the positive is making the school better but on the other hand the  government controls every aspect of education. “Buying education” by Robert Ware is connected to people cheating their way through education because they are afraid of failing.

According to Robert Ware, the school board should develop a SWOT analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) which shares reports with other schools to help each other. A SWOT analysis for schools is a tool that can provide prompts to the governors, management teachers and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective in the schools systems and procedures. A SWOT analysis could be used for planning activities which could impact future finances. The best way for SWOT analysis to work is teamwork.

Many teachers don’t enjoy their jobs because students are focused on passing the class and not really caring about learning but you can’t blame us we are afraid to fail in this society so we have to turn to cheating to succeed. But if we get a education and not a schooling like John Taylor Gatto states students would try their best to succeed in school rather than cheating or buying their way through school. The difference is that “schooling”is something that kids have to do for twelve years, and five days a week for nine months and “education” is only if a kid really wants to. Is it possible that George W. Bush accidentally spoke the truth when he said we would “leave no child behind” (Gatto 2), students want to be motivated to be encouraged to have the qualities to succeed in life they don’t want to feel like they were forced to learn material that society thinks they have to. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women (Gatto 5), which shows the solution that we should be able to manage our life ourselves rather than depending on anyone. We could encourage the best qualities of the youthfulness- curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight by being more flexible about time, texts, and testing (Gatto 1), these methods would be more meaningful for a students learning life span that would help them grow, develop, and succeed. Education should be something you are really passionate about. Stick yourself onto a subject that you really like, when I was in high school I enjoyed history and English class because I did my best work on short responses.

For example, when I say do something you’re passionate about don’t go out your way and do something that’s not you. Many people experience cheating or someone they know cheating because they are afraid of failure. Recently, on my essay I used another author’s writing piece and put it onto my essay to seem as I wrote it but it wasn’t in my words or my ideas. I learned from that experience that cheating is not worth it because you don’t only fail the assignment you fail yourself because you could of done a better job doing the assignment yourself. In my opinion, people cheat to get out of something they’re not good at. But sometimes they are so afraid of failure they don’t even try at all.

In Robert Leamnson article “Your First Job”, he shows the difference between the two components of learning and understanding. “So it is that we can understand something quite clearly, and some time later not be able to remember what it was we understood” (Leamnson 3) which shows we didn’t keep the information we learned because we feel like we don’t need it in everyday life. “The reason something must be said about so commonplace a thing as the classroom is that too many students see it incorrectly and so they waste a highly valuable occasion for learning” (Leamnson 3), many students see the classroom like a jail cell that has you locked away from society with no place to move or be free. In other words there’s no space for a student to spread his wings and fly independently and show their true worth. They need experiences to keep succeeding in life, and the only way to gain this knowledge is to learn about life, to see and experience how to manage them in life. Education is best described as a privilege that not many have but we should use it as our advantage to succeed and learn from personal experiences.

Citation:

Ware, Robert. “Reader: You can’t buy an education.” Reader: You can’t buy an education | News, Sports, Jobs – The Intermountain. 2019. 04 Apr. 2019 <http://www.theintermountain.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2019/03/reader-you-cant-buy-an-education/>.

Chemistry Lab Picture

 

Flame Experiment Picture 

Publication: Student Handbook or Manual, The Companion for the First Year at City Tech

Nina Darbonne

Dr. Carrie Hall

English Comp 1 1101-D355

4 April 2019

Guide to Success in School

“College is super easy, I pass all of my exams, my GPA is sitting pretty at a 4.0, I don’t have to study after class, and my social life is flourishing!” said no successful college student ever. Being completely candid, more often than not, failing grades, long hours pouring over textbooks and class notes, along with turning down offers to turn up with friends are common college experiences. College life is not an easy task, students often must overcome problems both in and outside the classroom. The struggles that arise tend to negatively affect schoolwork. A common misconception is it is the teacher’s responsibility to take extreme efforts to combat the issues that arise. Students need accountability to persevere and seek help when necessary. Education is not a passive process it takes time and considerable amounts of effort.

Ideally education should be a process that involves almost equal amounts of effort from both the student and the educator. Dr. Robert Leamnson wrote “Learning (Your First Job)”, which describes the components of the learning process (understanding and remembering) and several methods to aid this process both in and out of the classroom. Many of Leamnson’s learning strategies ring true. One example from the text Leamnson writes, “…we have to practice what we understand. Without rehearsal, that fantastic circuitry that enabled our understanding will gradually disintegrate and we can no longer reconstruct what we once understood.” (Leamnson 3) This stresses that without repetition, the initial learning that was achieved will be forgotten. Leaving the learner unable to access the knowledge. The teacher can help the student with the initial understanding portion. But in order to truly learn and commit the information to memory, the student must then put in the effort to review and deepen their understanding of the material. Leamnson goes on to write, “… bright students… understanding what they hear or read. But… get very poor grades and sometimes drop out. The reason is, they neglect the second part of learning, which is remembering.” (Leamnson 2) In essence, despite being able to understand different material, students that do not commit the information to memory will not be able to perform well academically. Great comprehension ability can not help a person if they are unable to later draw forth and make use of the information.

It may seem as though some subjects or classes can be self taught, which leads some individuals to question the role of teachers. However, a vast majority of students require guidance and clarification by educators. John Taylor Gatto taught in the New York City school system for thirty years. He grew to believe the public school system hinders children as opposed to educating and preparing them to be responsible, productive adults. Gatto identifies his major gripes with the public school system in his article “Against School.” Some of the concepts Gatto mentions in the article I previously never gave much thought to and took for granted. A prime example being, Gatto mentions in the article, “1. To make good people. 2. To make good citizens. 3. To make each person his or her personal best. These goals are still trotted out today… as a decent definition of public education’s mission.” (Gatto 2) Based on this information, the public school system should aim to mold each young mind into morally good people that strive to achieve their best and are productive members of society upon graduation from high school. At the age of eighteen, approximately the same age many complete “the twelve-year wringer,” many aspects of the world transform and opportunities open up to individuals. For instance, eighteen marks the age when people are considered legally adults with the capacity to make their own decisions and be held accountable for said decisions and actions, enlist in the military, and the ability to vote is available.

Personally, I never attended public school. However, through my experiences in Catholic schools I feel the parochial educational institutions I attended have strived to instill the objectives of the public education’s mission in their students. This was done through requiring volunteer work, stressing the importance of the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”), and rewarding good behavior and academic success while conversely reprimanding negative behavior and poor academic effort. The academic institutions I attended ensured we were aware of current events through a myriad of assignments that emphasized news articles while excluding sports and celebrity tabloids.

In my school experience, I encountered several teachers that sought to keep the classroom interesting and students engaged by challenging students to fact check in order to possibly correct the teacher for various incentives, the chance of getting extra credit or a gift card was more than enough to capture the attention of the entire class. On several occasions, I found myself reeled back into lessons after zoning out giving more thought to impending lunch over the “golden nuggets of wisdom” tumbling out of my teacher’s mouth. I can recall the moment in my education that sparked my curiosity and effectively tethered me to Science. An interest that made obtaining my Bachelor’s of Science in Biology truly a labor of love. Sophomore year of high school, my Chemistry teacher converted lab class into a veritable fireworks display conveying the whimsical applications of the Science.

Most of my learning experiences have been and continue to be positive, although not necessarily remarkable. However, as I sat in my high school’s Chemistry lab nearly fifteen years ago, I was not expecting the lesson of the hour to impact me so greatly. It was third period, I sat wondering what was in store for us in the darkened lab. As I looked around at the closed windows and shut off lights, I heard Mr. Mallia drone on about chemical reactions as he set up for the experiment. But being completely honest, I didn’t catch a word of what he was saying, I was far too distracted by the hushed whispers of my classmates, trying to catch up with the latest gossip, and the sounds of lacrosse drifting in from the field right outside the window. I was staring at my closed lab manual and notebook in front of me and fiddling with the pen between my fingers. Suddenly my attention was ripped away from the dark lab bench by a brilliant white flash in the center of the room. All heads, eyes, ears, and attention were focused on Mr. Mallia who stood behind a bunsen burner decked out in safety gear, tongs, and strips of Magnesium. Mr. Mallia capitalized on the moment of undivided attention to explain how fireworks function while highlighting the importance of Chemistry. He didn’t settle on telling us the different color reactions that result from burning various elements. He demonstrated with samples of Boron, Calcium, Copper, Iron, and Lithium creating flames that ranged from green, red, teal, and orange.

Although teachers can greatly impact how information is presented and explained to their students; ultimately, students are equally responsible for digesting and absorbing the material. Leamnson writes, “You cannot be ‘given’ learning, nor can you be forced to do it. The most brilliant and inspired teacher cannot ‘cause’ you to learn. ” (Leamnson 1) A good teacher can not force a student to learn it is the student’s responsibility as well. Conversation is not one sided neither is the learning process. Jacqueline West wrote about her experience returning to college as an adult and balancing responsibilities. She stresses the importance of time management in being successful. West writes, “…figure out how much study time you need. (A formula from DePaul University is to study two hours per credit hour in an easy class, three hours per credit hour for an average class, and four hours per credit hour in a difficult class.)” (West) This break down for time outside the classroom that should be dedicated to studying is commonly spread around academic campuses in one form or another. This emphasizes the importance of the student taking time to make an effort on their own to digest and absorb information from classes.

A person’s achievements are not based solely on their educational background but their motivation and perseverance are major components. That being said, some careers, such as medical doctor, require substantial schooling that would seem unattainable without the “twelve-year wringer” as a adequate base to build upon. School systems, teachers in particular can help spark curiosity in a given subject by escaping the humdrum routines. Whether it’s bringing the lesson to life in new and unexpected ways or offering incentives to ignite passion in the material, teacher are integral parts of the education process.

 

Works Cited

Gatto, John T. “Against School.” Against School – John Taylor Gatto, wesjones.com/gatto1.htm.

Leamnson, Robert. “Learning (Your First Job).” MA, Dartmouth, Dec. 2002.

West, Jacqueline. “Making Time to Study.” Back to College, www.back2college.com/time.htm.

 

Zevanya

Carrie Hall

English 1101

April 4, 2019

Too Cool for School

“ Hey! Can I copy your homework? I was really busy yesterday.”
Busy? But your Snapchat story says you were at the karaoke.

“ Why is our math teacher mad all the time? Does she know we all have a life?”
Why? Probably because 95 percent of the class never submits the homework.

“ I can’t believe I failed!”
Why is it hard to believe you failed when you put zero effort into studying and cheated off someone else?

Must be nice living under a three-story house with three maids and not worry about anything because mommy’s credit card got you covered. Honestly, why are you even in school? Why are you guys so proud of wearing branded clothing from head to toe when your parents were the ones who paid for it anyways. Instead of wasting time on trivial things like “should I buy Coach or Gucci”, start thinking about your future. Stop being spoiled teens that take education for granted because there are thousands of kids in Indonesia that are willing to die for one.

Before I moved to New York, I attended an international school in Indonesia. My school adopted Singapore’s education system and we also followed the Cambridge examinations curriculum. In this system, we were taught solely based on textbooks and worksheets. I don’t entirely agree with this method of teaching as it creates a closed discussion on other possible answers and theories. Nevertheless, the school was still known to excel students in academics and human skills. We were taught advanced mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics during the eighth grade. Later on, during the ninth grade, we were split into two majors: business and science.

I admit that the school gave us a very narrow choice but regardless of which major we chose, all of us entered college with our own desired majors instead of just “business and science.” In fact, I was able to use my knowledge from my science classes into my hospitality courses. I was able to ace my college math class and understand some food science theories thanks to my biology class. My friend, Yolanda, experienced the same thing when she drifted to interior design in college. She was able to understand certain interior design concepts that were related to physics. Sometimes I look back and think to myself “what if our school had already planned everything? What if they knew that these two majors would be beneficial in any field the students go to?”

I can’t say this is or will be the same case for every student that goes to my school because it depends entirely on the student. I’ve had numerous classmates that couldn’t care less if they had to repeat the same grade because well, their parents could afford it. Seeing them waste not only their parents’ money but also their hard work really bothered me. Earning money isn’t easy regardless if your family owns their own company or manages their own business. It still takes hard work and dedication to keep the business alive. On the other hand, I can’t entirely blame the kids because their parents were the ones who raised them to become spoiled. They’ve always given their kids the easy way out and never taught them how harsh and competitive the real world is.

In Indonesia, numerous children around the age of five to thirteen are unable to receive an education. They had no choice but to help their parents earn money by selling water, tissues, and cigarettes. Also, you would find numerous kids on the streets in Jakarta playing the role as an unofficial parking ranger. Keep in mind that the government does not pay these kids, they receive their income from small tips from people riding cars, motorcycles or trucks. Around four years ago my mother’s company held a volunteer work trip. My mother asked around ten kids what their future goals were and every one of them replied the same, they all wanted to go to school, wear uniforms and learn something. In the article “Children at Work” by Sharon Bessel, a 14-year-old girl said, “my parents are dead, I have to support myself, how can I go to school when I must work?” This proves how even if these kids wanted to go to school they simply can’t. The article also mentioned that “factory children, usually girls aged between twelve and fourteen years, routinely work eight to fourteen hours a day, six days a week.” In other words, these children have no choice but to give up being a kid and start living as an adult. Do you guys know what it’s like? Of course not. The only struggle I’ve seen you guys had was choosing between iPhone X and iPhone 8.

It broke my heart to hear that these kids only wanted something so simple but was something most of us took for granted. Gatto states that “your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.”(5) I am aware that not all schools are like my school and private schools are indeed not on the affordable side but I was able to have a more meaningful life because I actually learned. Not only did my school help students excel in academics, but they also promoted fund-raising events to help the less fortunate. We would visit orphanages and hold talent shows where the students themselves would put on small shows like singing or acting. We would also come to school earlier to make packaged meals for the kids and staff. It was also the school’s idea to chip in a few extra changes from our pocket money to donate for families living in the villages that needed assistance for giving their children a chance of receiving a proper education.

My classmates that were “too cool for school” never really participated in these events so they weren’t able to visually see what the less fortunate were going through. The teachers thought holding activities and events like this would open the students’ minds and for those who actually did participate, it built a whole new perspective for us. I matured sooner than most people my age, learned to appreciate more for what I have than what I don’t and applied what I learned in high school into college and the real world. I’m not asking you to change the world or donate all of your parents’ income to these kids but small things really do make a change. We live in a world where one way or another we depend on each other. We millennials blame Gen Y for passing down the chaos that we have to fix yet we’re doing the same to the generation after us. I’m not filthy rich but my school showed me how sharing my knowledge and wisdom helped these kids. It gave them hope.

The Jakarta Post Academia Opinion

Works Cited:

Gatto, John Taylor “Against School”

Bessel, Sharron. “Children at Work.” Inside Indonesia, www.insideindonesia.org/children-at-work.

REVISION 1 ESSAY