homework 44

USATODAY article on two types of school:
This article brought up some very interesting ideas. In theory the school system where everyone is split into entrepreneurs and workers should work but I don't know if it end up a success . I would not be surprised if those who were put into the worker category revolted because they felt like it infringed on their ability to switch classes or "live the American dream" The author is basically accepting the idea that some people are employees and others are executives and that is normal but he is also rejecting the idea that you can change status. Saying that no employee can ever change their title this is wrong, it is possible for a mid-level worker at McDonald's to be promoted to corporate and know they can move up. The point where he says that everything in education will be done for sustainable growth and the development and safety of your country seems a little unrealistic. Yes this system works for the military but there is more incentive in the army to act solely for the sustainability of your nation. The idea that your actions greatly impact everyone around you is much more prevalent in the military then it is in business school.


Bar Ought To Be Higher NY Times article by Bob Herbert
I agree I think so much starts with the teachers, they can help the student as an individual. A standard across the board style curriculum tries to shoe horn students, fitting them all into one system but not all students have the same strengths and weaknesses. so if you have an individual oriented class where teachers have more control students should learn more.

It brings about the idea that there should be more applied learning. students should not be taught something because it is going to be on a test, they should be taught it and understand why its important and how they can better grasp the topic. A lot of Kenny's system is based around understand yourself and what you should do to help your community, i think this is key to becoming educated. This is another unexamined or unused role of school, if students are treated as individuals and are shown by their teachers how they can use what they learn and what they can do for the world school will become more meaningful.



Obama's speech:
I also read the Obama Speech transcript and there are some ideas that i do agree with along with others i am not in as much agreement. For one i agree that a good education is heavily reliant on the students themselves. Although students are given baby steps when they were in the younger grades, they cannot expect teachers to show as much compassion as they get older. Although I do think that a lot of what makes a good education system stems from the teachers care and how they help the individual student, student responsibility is just as important. Students should understand they need to prioritize their responsibilities. Which goes further into the idea of having a education system more focused on student accountability. The school provides teachers, classrooms, books, and computers for the students. If he (the student) still decides to watch T.V. instead of doing homework, he and his parents are at fault. Obama said "But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying." Every child in America has the right to an education an it is their responsibility to utilize it.

However the idea that going to school will allow you to accomplish amazing things like curing AIDS, or innovating new green technology seems a little far fetched and sounds like political fluff. Yes someone will do that but that really should not be the aspiration of every kid in a science class. It gives the impression that we all know that school teaches useless things but try to block that realization because it feels good to think what we're learning is going to help us all change the world. We won't all be like that but some will.

If school is supposed to be the place where the future leaders and innovators are born who will eventually change the world and help society then the curriculum matches. All the science and math and English we learn may only be used consistently by a handful of kids but those kids are supposedly the ones who are going to make the big leaps of progression.