Task Three

    Well I think that I am going to use the essay '' Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood '' by Leon Botstein.
     My focus will be on, how I disagree with Botstein when he says, that young people graduate at the age of 16, rather than 18. And that they should enter the work force next to adults.

Analysis

     I have been fortunate to never see a school system like Kozol describes in this story. I agree with Kozol, I do believe that the children in a savage environment that he writes about are very much innocent. They have done nothing wrong, but they are the ones that end up paying for it.

'Savage Inequalities; Children in American's Schools

     - Do you think our education system is effective, or do you think changes need to be made?
       My answer to this question is, I think that education can be effective if it is taught right, and by a teacher who is educated in the subject that they are trying to teach. By this I mean there are certain subject that need to be stressed upon. Those subjects should be taught at a level that everyone tha is being educated in that subject can understands it. There are a lot of students that pick things up real quick, and on the other hand , there are alot of students that have a difficult time at everything  that they try to learn or do. These are the students that fall behind, or do poorly in the class. Eventually these student tend to get frustrated and give up, either they drop out of the class or in some cases quit school altogether. Eduction is only effective if all the student can learn from it. I also feel that education is more effective when it is taught  in a stable environment. Not in a classroom where student have to worry about bomb threats, peer pressure,drugs and violence. These can only have a negitive affect on the students ability to learn, or this will sway them not to attend school at all.
       I think that changes should be made in some of the subjects that are being taught. Back when I was in high school I was taught a lot of things that I never used after graduation, such as American History, World History and math. Some of these subjects are manditory and I dont think that a student should have to waste their time and money learning them.

''Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood''

     2) What problems with U.S. high schools does Botstein assume the audience will understand and agree with? Do you think he is right in his assumptions?  That the American high school is obsolete and should be abolished. Team sports of high school dominate more than students culture. Giving the poor quality of recruitment and training for high school teachers, it is no wonder that the curriculum and enterprise of learning holds so little sway over young people. The primary reason high school doesnt work anymore, if it ever did, is that young people mature substantially earlier in the late 20th century than they did when high school was invented.
        I disagree with his comment, that American high school is obsolete and should be abolished. High school gets the students prepared for college, and the future. You have to learn how to crawl, before you can walk.
        Team sports dominate more than student culture is true, and they probably always will. In some school districts, its the sports that keep the schools alive. If you take away the sports, then you might have to close the school. About poor quality of recruitment and training for high school teachers. I disagree with that comment, back in the early eighties when I went to high school, the teachers were very educated in the subject or subjects they taught. And now I am attending college and I feel the same way, that the teachers are very knowledgeable in the class that they teach.
        The comment, that high school doesnt work anymore, because young people mature substantially earlier in the 20th century than they did when high school was invented is just wrong in my opinion. I believe that it is just the opposite from what Bolstein says. The young people are more immature and spoiled, they rely on their parent or someone else to take care of them or their issues. They have no concept of work or what it means to be responsible.

Where College Fails Us

What have been your experiences of college?
    I have only been going to college for about 7 weeks now. In my opinion it seems that about 40 percent of the kids here, have come to study and get an education to better their future. While the other 60 percent are going to college for the partys and " the college life ". Between classes I go to the library to do my work, and just like clock work, I hear the kids bragging about how much they drank or got stone the night before. Or their big plans for the weekend, which involves partying and getting stupid. It also seems like the kids spend more time on Facebook talking about each other, than doing their work. or studying.
Why are you in college?
   I always wanted to go to college after I left the military, but I could not afford it. Then I got married and started a family, so my first priority was to support my family, and that did not include going to college. Now my children are grown up and now I can do what I have been putting off for the last two decades. Also you need some type of college degree in order to get chosen for certain kind of jobs. Hopefully with my experience and college education I wont have a hard time landing a job in the field I choose.
Do you think college is worth the time, effort and expense?
   I am about 50/50 on that answer, I worked with people at Ford Motor Co. that had a four year degree and the had to work on the assembly line right next to someone that never graduated from high school. It just depends on the rate of pay and the benefits that the receive, it doesnt matter about your education you have. on the other hand some jobs insist that you have some type of college degree in order to work there. Right now from what I have experienced in life and seen in the society, I would say that you are better off spending the time, effort and money to go to college and get a degree.

self evaluation for Task Two

      What is the thesis for your paper?  My mother would like to share some of her education experiences that she received while growing up from the schools she attended, education stressed by nuns, and taught by teachers. She would also like to share her opinions on how she believes schools and education have changed over the years.
     List the main points you make in your paper? That nuns and teachers stressed education on the students. That my mother strived to be the best that she could be throughout school. That my mothers favorite subject in school was English, and that she loved to read books, so she could find out what was going on in the world at that time. How school has changed through modern technology...computers, calculators, and televisions. That schools are lacking discipline.
     What was the most helpful advice that you received from your peer review? That I need to indent when I am starting a new paragragh. Still having problems with fragment sentences.
      What was the most helpful info. you received in the class for your paper? The rule about 's, s, s'
      How many drafts? 3 drafts. When did you write them? Last week including the past weekend. I sent my mother questions thru email, she sent me the answers, then I formed an outline from the example I received in Writer's Workshop. And I wrote a lot of notes at several sittings.
     What would you do differently with this paper to make it more effectively. I was not comfortable with the thesis, or the conclusion. The body to me seemed very good, I gave a lot of info.
      What are you most pleased with about this paper? That I could put all my questions and answers together and write an essay, again I have never done this type of work before. We never did this type of work back in school.

How interview process went for Task Two

What questions still remain?
a. No questions remain for me right now, but I have called my mother 7 times in the last 3 days to get answers to questions.
How did it go?
a. It went good, my mother was very excited to hear from me, also more than happy to participate in the interview.
Where did you conduct it?
a. Well it started on the phone, then it moved to a question and answering session using Email, and then it went back to the phone.
What did you learn?
a.I learned a lot about my mother and her schools and her education. For some reason she never talked to me about it before.
How do you intend to transition to the writing process?
a. Very slowly, I have written 3 different intoductions and changed the thesis twice. I believe it will be a long weekend of writing.
What concerns do you have?
a. My biggest concern is fragment sentences, that seems to be my biggest problem in writing write now.
How do you expect to overcome them?
a. Right now I keep rereading every sentence I write, and hopefully that is enough. If not, you will mark ALL over my rough draft and I will go from there..

Becoming Educated.....A writers response?

  1. Education means to me? Having knowledge in certain subjects, being able to discuss a  subjects  in detail, and able to answer questions about that subject that people ask you. Having an education means that you are one step closer to getting that job you are trying for. Knowledge to get a certain job done or being able to train or lead people to get the job done. You have to have an education today in order to get anywhere in life or to advance in a job field. Having an education means that you are able to see when something is going wrong, and being able to fix problems when they do go wrong. Knowledge and education to me means power, being able to make that decision or being able to change the outcome. Without education people would be lost, they would be going in circles wondering where they are at. Education means security, making a good safe choice with what you know. Being educated in a certain field gives you the ability to understand people or their ways, being able to relate to their ways or customs. Education means possible saving a life or what it would take to save that life. Having an education makes you a leader and not a follower, someone that people can rely on or relate to. Having an education can also be a bad thing,  I have seen a lot of educated idiots in my days. These individuals think  they know everything about everything,or everyone but they just make a situation bad or worse than it was. A good example could be some of the politicians in office today. Education is a good thing if it is used in a good way.