Prejudice

I agree with Ken Hamblin I think that minorities sometimes segregate themselves. I do think that race can count against you though. But at the same time other things can count against you as well, such as clothing, age, sex and religion. However, I believe that no matter what obstacles people are faced with, they can overcome them. We have many examples of Americans that have risen above prejudice including: Ben Franklin, Malcom X, and Martin Luther King. Minorities might have to work a little harder but they can definately do it. The separate graduation at Texas State for minority students is a perfect example of minorities separating themselves. Some students brought up in class that if white students did that it would be a huge deal. It is true white students would be called racist. Minorities get away with seapareting themselves from the majority and it is not fair that they can get away with it.

My Definition of Beauty

Typically, the word beauty is used to describe physical characteristics. To me, beauty is the perfect word to describe Jacob Benn. At the tender age of fifteen, he has already accomplished so much. From participating in sports, to making “A’s” in all honors classes, to choosing to devote himself to Catholicism without anyone’s guidance, Jake truly defines the term beauty in all aspects. We have a unique relationship that no other brother and sister share. I can honestly say that I admire him and he is three years younger than I am.
Jake ran his first marathon last year when he was fourteen, and he placed sixth in his division. This was remarkable since all of his competitors were much older than he was. He has already earned an abundant amount of medals and ribbons solely from his freshman year. In middle school, he was inducted into The National Junior Honor Society, and last year, as a freshman he was inducted into The National Honor Society. During sport season, he maintains “A’s” in all his AP classes and has managed to obtain many academic awards along the way. He also makes time to volunteer at his school and assist any teachers with various tasks. This summer, he helped his vice principal stack books and label them. He also went to New Orleans the summer before to aid in the Katrina Relief Project.
I am extremely fortunate to have such a mature brother that is able to give me advice. When I started high school, I remember telling my brother about all the fun I was having going to parties. He was never too afraid to let me know that he disliked me going out all the time. His caring advice was straight forward and the best advice for me. We both have been through so much, but it’s hard to tell because he has never allowed these problems to faze him. It’s amazing how he has managed to stay focused this whole time through my parents’ divorce, and moving so often. Any other teenage boy would use these dilemmas as an excuse to get off track but my brother never has. I love how determined he is to succeed and help everyone else on the way.
We never grew up with a religion. My mom was Baptist and my dad Catholic but we didn’t practice either of these faiths as a family. My brother decided when he was fourteen to go to church to find his religion. He turned to Catholicism. Every Sunday he attended mass alone, and he realized that that was what he wanted in his life. He began to attend classes so that he could complete his first communion, which is something that most children finish at the age of eight. He told me he felt very lucky to experience this process at a more mature age because he knew that the kids that were completing these classes with him could not comprehend the purpose for being there. At his ceremony, Jake was the oldest kid out there, and I was so proud to see him, just knowing that he was up there by choice.
Did I mention how lucky I am to be related to him? On my 16th birthday he gave me $116.00 to spend on myself, which was all the money he received for his birthday a week before mine. He really is the type of person that would give anyone the shirt off his back. The qualities that he possesses and his maturity level are what make him beautiful to me. He has already begun to conquer life academically, physically, and spiritually. He is ready to take on the world and make a huge difference. Jacob Benn has proved to not only me but everyone who is a part of his life that he is a distinct person that will someday change the world.

The Flaws in America's Compulsory Education

Compulsory Education in America can be disempowering to the American population in many ways. The seven long hours each day that students have to attend school can bore a child and cause them to lose focus. The standardized tests that students have to take every year can cause a lot of stress on students and make them not want to attend school. Embarrassment that teachers can put students through when they call on them for answers and make them present their work to the class can cause some students to loathe school. Also the fact that we can attend thirteen years of school for free but once we graduate we have to come up with our own resources to pay thousands of dollars for college.
If the government didn’t mandate every single thing that a teacher had to teach maybe the classes would be interesting. It is difficult for a child to stay focused for seven hours a day especially if they are learning the names of cooking utensils that most students already know. Family Development is an elective class that is supposed to teach us how to safely use kitchen utensils at home. Instead they teach us what a spatula is and where it came from. I know plenty of intelligent students that got so bored with reiterating the cycle of classes each day. In high school we have to pick elective classes that are supposed to be fun and give us a break, but Child Development, Cooking, and Sewing are just wastes of time. School wouldn’t be as dreadful if we didn’t have to take these types of classes or Physical Education. Yes, I think it’s great that the government wants us all to be a healthy weight, but the 35 minutes of slowly walking the perimeter of the gym doesn’t help shed pounds. After all we don’t have to pass a standardized test on walking.
A huge disempowerment for many students is the standardized tests that we all have to take. Aren’t our grades enough proof that we are learning? These tests are lengthy, strenuous, and not always accurate. Students that have test phobia don’t have a fair chance to prove their intelligence. We can’t even study for these types of tests. Much of the material that students are supposed to know is taken from material that they covered from up to three years before. Students are expected to remember and master the material from so long before. Many teenagers have so many other problems to worry about, and these tests just add to them. For example, one of my friend’s grandparents passed away two days before the TAKS test, and she had to try and take it anyway. The test was the last thing on her mind, but if she wouldn’t have taken it then she would have had to go to school on the weekend or during the summer. Actually three of my friends weren’t able to graduate because they failed the test. They all made good grades but they just couldn’t tackle the test. The test doesn’t give an accurate measure of any student’s knowledge. The law preventing students from graduating if they don’t pass the test is unfair.
Since America is such a free country, students are allowed to drop out once they turn eighteen. I know we are adults, but if the government insists on making us attend school until we are seventeen, why don’t they just make us attend until we graduate high school? They waste a lot of money trying to keep us in school to just let us fail our senior year. Teenagers take education for granted and assume it will always be available. If school wasn’t required, maybe people would realize its importance.
Mandated school is thirteen years long; if you manage to overcome the boredom and pass the tests you graduate. But then it’s still not over: you can’t do much with a high school diploma. It’s not easy getting your dream job with a high school education. So, you have to go to college. Well, college happens to cost thousands of dollars, so many people don’t continue going to school. Scholarships are available, and you can try to win them, but if you are not picked, you’re out of luck. Loans are always available, but students are often reluctant to accept them. These large amounts of money tend to scare students away because they know they will eventually have to pay them back with interest, especially students that come from poor families. In Germany, all education is free. The government really wants their citizens to become productive in their community. As a result, there are a large number of educated people in Germany. Their plan doesn’t seem like a bad idea. What would happen if America paid for everyone’s schooling? We too would have more intelligent citizens.
Many Americans can survive the long hours of boredom and stressful tests, but the economic issue isn’t something that everyone can find a solution to. A potential answer to the problem would consist of our government funding our college education too. The dropout rate would probably decrease because the students would know they still have more opportunity to better themselves. I believe attendance in schools would increase and the number of productive citizens would increase also. Some people might say that the working class is necessary to fill the minimum wage jobs, but high school and college students would do those jobs. There will always be a generation of teenagers willing to work for those wages.
The United States’ compulsory education is disempowering to the American population because the government prepares students for college but then informs us that it is not free. Grumpy teachers, long lectures, unnecessary classes and standardized tests are all disempowering issues that the government could fix. However they are not situations that citizens can’t overcome. Funding our education would be a necessary fix to our education systems disempowerment issues.

Question 1

It seems as if the mother is pushing her son to school but he doesn't want to go. His face looks sour and upset. Her expression is excited and anxious. You can tell that he isn't enjoying school and that he knows he has to go. Rockwell is trying to show that students the general attitude of students is that they dislike school. He has the mom encouraging the son in the background because maybe that's what her parents did for her. She probably remembers how much she ldreaded school. It seems as if Rockwell knows that students don't like school but we need someone there to push us through it. The way education is portrayed in this picture is that it isn't enjoyable but it is a neccessity.

No Space

I'm not pleased with the limited amount of parking available for the students. The other night I had to park at Strahan and it took me twenty minutes to walk all the way home. There was plenty of parking available but only for students with the red parking permit!

Education in America

I do agree with the statement that the government is spending too much money on other things less important than education such as war. However I think that Kozol and Moore are extremists. Although they do state true facts, when stating their opinions they tend to go overboard. Kozol says that the schools that are falling apart are mostly occupied by minority students due to racism, but in actuality one or two white students have to attend these same schools. Racism is not the case I think that the condition of the school is largely dependent upon the surrounding neighborhoods and residents. Also at these types of school the teachers may give up which make it worse for the students and more difficult for them to obtain an education.

High School

In high school I played basketball for two years. During those two years I became really close to my coach. She cared so much for all her players and tried to be there for us during basketball season and during off-season.She took us out to eat every time we received a great progress report; which would consist of all "A's". She devoted all her time to us since she was single and only had a cute dog named Tango. She continued to keep close contact with me even when I stopped playing basketball for my school. Coach Alvarado was a huge influence on my grades throughout high school. She often tutored me if I was struggling in any class. Antoher great thing about her was that she communicated with all of our parents on a regular basis. Her presence made my high school years much easier because I knew she was always there to help.