Essay #2

Here’s my latest essay. I turned it in last night, but we get to turn in a portfolio of all of our work, including all drafts and any revisions at the end of the course. Any significant revisions are taken into consideration for my final grade. I wrote this in one draft. I didn’t have time for anything else. Writing takes a lot out of me, it really does. I don’t think I’ll have anything to add to this one. I don’t have time with all the reading I have to do and the writing of the next essay. I can’t wait for this class to be over. So far so good. As long as I keep doing what I’m doing, I should finish with an A so my GPA won’t suffer. Oh yeah, I didn’t do the MLA references right, but he’s not grading that strictly this time around.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this essay are not necessarily my real opinions. I just tried to fulfill the requirements of the assignment which were to pick any topic related to the primary texts we’ve read and use them for support. I left plenty of room for argument, that’s for sure. No research or personal experience is permitted for this essay. So, you’ll see references to stuff from the anthology we’re reading, and I’ve probably relied too much on my audience having already read the same pieces but oh well       As the U.S. state highway system was superseded by the interstate highway system as the backbone of the country’s commerce and a symbol of prosperity, it is time for the country’s education system to be redesigned to meet the needs of this young and powerful country. When the education system was designed in the 19th century, it met the growing industrialized country’s needs. However, since then, successes in foreign wars and advances in technology have allowed the country to grow from the fledgling nation of the 19th century into a global superpower that intends to act as a role model for the rest of the world. Citizens of other, less fortunate nations look to the United States as a land of opportunities, including the opportunity to seek higher education. With such status comes responsibility. No longer should the cracks and potholes merely be patched to keep things rolling along within the system. The system needs to reflect a commitment to international and cultural awareness, to live up to the promises of freedom and equality the country was founded on.

       School is a place where children begin to learn about the world outside of their home life and local community. Their view of the country and its history is shaped in the classroom. Never should a student have a memory of school such as this: “I had never forgotten how when my class, me and all of those whites, had studied seventh-grade United States history back in Mason, the history of the Negro had been covered in one paragraph.” (Malcom X 226) History lessons have since improved significantly, but striving to teach the most fair and objective view as contemporary knowledge allows should always be a top priority. Though the education system has its origins as a tool of the government to create and maintain patriotic Americans, the country is no longer in need of masses of such citizens to hold it together. Instead, well-informed, objective citizens who are patriotic for love of how their country has treated them and the opportunities they have been given should hold it together. Not for the bias, misinformation, or outright lack of information found in school.

       In addition to learning more about the country of which they are citizens, they should be more exposed to the international community. We cannot afford to continue to raise citizens with little or no appreciation for other cultures and countries. As much as the country has to be envied by citizens of other countries, that envy can also turn to hatred if we do not show the rest of the world proper respect. One idea for accomplishing this is to use the Internet as a tool for learning about other cultures and interact in an environment where a student’s view of the world need not be influenced by physical boundaries. In “Empowering Children in the Digital Age,” Jenkins points out that, “Exchanging stories about popular fictional characters and situations can allow children to compare notes about their lives, their politics, and their fantasies. Here, we can tap into the powerful marketing of popular culture to provide a ‘common framework’ of shared cultural reference points to facilitate communication across other kinds of cultural difference.” (289)

       Another downfall of the education system is the notion of the “real world” vs. school. This distinction “implies that there is something insubstantial or artificial about school.” (Mori 254) School should, instead, be a part of the real world. With the wealth of knowledge available today, school should be ongoing throughout our lives. Aspects of the real world that have entered into school are not positive. Students are often faced with social class barriers, stereotyping, and racism.

       The different educational tracks in the system, such as Vocational and College Prep, are obsolete and do more harm than good to the potential of students. All students should be given the same level of courses and be able to choose their path based on what they have accomplished. That way, instead a student being placed in the Vocational track and stagnating there, he would have the opportunity to go on to the same courses as a student in the College Prep track. That way, no student is stuck in a particular track based on placement tests as Mike Rose told us because, “such a shift [in tracks], as one report put it, is virtually impossible.” (167) The use of tracks also opens students up to the stereotype of being slower or less intelligent than other students. (166)

Continued…