Everything academic revolves around the year-end state testing to the point that other subjects are usually neglected. Reading, math and writing are the main thrusts of schools, and are obviously important. However, critics state that children are not receiving well-rounded educations because of the emphasis on these subjects
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a very important story for every high schooler to read. Although it does a little more then slightly hint at the racism in that time period, it also teaches readers. It shows racism in such a horrible light, that nobody could revert to such a thing. Our past isn’t always the nicest thing to look upon, but it’s still there. The difference is what we do in the future, and this novel teaches us that everyone is equal and shall be treated as
Making it on your own At times people tend to work well while they are under pressure. To others they simply must be under pressure to get work done and give their full effort. In her article In Praise of the F Word, Mary Sherry argues “Flunking as a regular policy has just as much merit today as it did two generations ago. We must review the threat of flunking and see it as it really is- a positive teaching too.” By making it clear to students that flunking can definitely be a result of them not putting in the time and effort in assuring they pass their class will make them more determined to learn and earn their good grades, it will also help stop those students who choose not to even try in their classes. Also by making students fear failure it will not only motivate them
When students are required to learn a long list of facts, they lose the freedom to choose what, or how, they will learn. When presented with high content standards, students’ differences in ability, learning styles and interests are often marginalized. As Alfie Kohn states, “The current approach taken by the proponents of Tougher Standards is incompatible with personalized learning and with the interests of kids at the margins, and, ultimately, I think it is incompatible with excellence.” (Kohn, 1999) A typical content standard begins, “All students will be able to . . .” so, even before you look at the expectations, you see that the standards are uniform.
Some students who are labelled as not being intelligent will work really hard to ensure that they move up or achieve more than was expected of them. Labelling also creates competition, this works with setting and streaming as students constantly try to get into the next set up or maintain their place in their set as it is ‘not safe’. Finally, sociologists may disagree as they would say that there are many factors as to why a student may underachieve. They would say that there are other things that are more important including the home background of the child. If the child’s parents are not educated then it can be said that they may not understand the school system and may not support the school.
2). Instead of searching for a better educational environment, students look for better tests numbers. Lang Wood goes on by stating “Students can easily become discouraged and negative about education in general, which affects their learning ability” (par. 2). In addition to what Lang Wood believes, Stephens claims, students who are taking the test suffer from stress in result of worrying about passing it.
Laura Lefkowits, in her article From Equity to Adequacy adds... “An important first step for education leaders and policymakers is to help their communities define not only what they want students to know and be able to do, but also how much they are willing to pay to achieve these goals.” How much are we willing to pay? The bottom line is really the front line. When schools struggle to keep books on shelves, struggle to attract and maintain quality staff, while simultaneously fighting off censure and upheaval due to poor historical performance, all in a dilapidated building with overcrowding issues, it is impossible to consistently have adequate outcomes much less high ones. These factors, when interpreted by an ever wisening populous, become a catalyst for the neighborhood’s ambivalence toward the school’s stated mission. So pervasive does this ambivalence become that citizens turn away from the idea of classical education as a real means of upward mobility.
Erica Goldson Valedictorian Speech Response Erica Goldson brought up a very controversial and very interesting topic about our current education system in the US. She states that students are so focused at memorizing data and getting good grades, that they miss out on the whole idea of learning and being educated. I agree with her, students should be learning and absorbing the material, instead of memorizing for the next big test and just forgetting about it later on. Graduating seems like the top priority in students nowadays, and to me that is just upsetting. And the students who are very talented and are very motivated to learn and be driven in a non-academic subject seem to have a more negative image than the people who are driven by academics.
Like my professor says “ A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I agree that dress codes will not make public schools perfect, but i can guarantee that it will make a big difference. Dress codes will keep the students more focused on the studies rather than worrying about what other students were saying about clothing. It will definitely decrease gang fights, which are taking place because of the different colored
To many, out attitudes and mannerisms appear rude but directness is a way of life for us. This is probably mostly because of the way we value time. To Americans 'time is money' and speed is a major advantage. Our mindset is to work fast so we can relax later, where many places people would rather work at a easier pace for