Homework [2.1]

James Baldwin is comparing American history to the world, the world is large, the world is beautiful, and the world could be terrible and so is American history. American history is long, there are beautiful moments and terrible moments, but the world does not belong to one man. If James Baldwin himself was, he would teach his students to think outside the box and stand up to inequalities,  in this case white people who have been treating African Americans poorly. When Baldwin says ”the world is larger”,  I think he means there are many opportunities  and openness in the world, many histories and cultures to learn about. Live freely, discover yourself, and don’t live for others. Don’t let other people control you and confront those that are oppressing you. 

A topic I wish schools can teach to students about is financial literacy. Many college students are in debt because they lack financial literacy, including myself. Recklessly spending money and poor budgeting are causes of being in debt. This is a topic I want to know more about because it could help me file my taxes, find jobs because most business careers requires knowledge about finance, planning retirement plans, and lastly build generational wealth and pass it down to my future kids. School is designed for you to work for someone else like a regular 9-5 job, learning financial literacy  will help you start your own business and work for yourself. Another reason why I want to learn about this topic is because there are times where my parents need me to translate mails from banks, but I couldn’t because I didn’t know what most financial terms meant.

Homework 2.1

READ AND ANNOTATE: “A Talk to Teachers” by James Baldwin. 

 WRITE:  Blog Post (at least 300 words) In “A Talk to Teachers,” James Baldwin writes:  

“I would try to make [the student] know that just as American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it, so is the world larger, more daring, more beautiful and more terrible, but principally larger – and that it belongs to him. I would teach him that he doesn’t have to be bound by the expediencies of any given administration, any given policy, any given morality; that he has the right and the necessity to examine everything. “

First of all, what do you think of what James Baldwin was saying? What do you think he means when he says “the world is larger?”

Secondly, what do you think you have the “necessity” to examine, or the obligation to learn more about? To put it another way: what do you wish had been taught to you in school that wasn’t? Why do you want to know about these topics?