The unit that is being focused on this week is the
myth of education and empowerment. I disagree with Gatto’s argument. School can
help a child learn to grow, not prolong their childhood. School can help
students socialize and meet new people. People gain experience and knowledge in
school. In school, students learn rules and boundaries. Students learn to
respect their elders. School can help shape a person into who they become as an
adult.
I do not think that
schools disable students to think critically. Students have to learn to push
themselves and work hard in order to succeed. Students can chose to take
challenging courses where they have to think critically. Students have a choice
to take challenging courses. I say this from my own experience in school. In
high school, my teachers challenged their students to grow and think
critically. Some teachers do not push students to think critically. But there
are teachers who go out of their way to help their students. In my senior year
of high school, my counselor pushed me to take more Advanced Placement classes
that I had originally planned. In those classes, students are challenged to
think critically.
Because
of a grant my school received, students who had certain Advanced Placement
classes had to go to Saturday sessions to receive more help with the subject.
My teachers wanted all of their students to succeed. My teachers give students
advice about college and sometimes just life in general. School can really be a
helpful experience that can allow a person to gain knowledge and figure out an
idea of what they wish to do in life.
I agree with what you said. I like how you said that students have to push themselves to think critically and that students have a choice in taking challenging courses. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I also had teachers who pushed me to go outside my boundaries and achieve more than I thought possible. I feel that the influence of my teachers and parents made me who I am today.
ReplyDeleteBecause I was home schooled I cannot speak from personal experience, but many of my friends feel that they did not receive a good education from their public school. It seems to me that both you and Gatto have good points because some schools are great while others are pretty bad. It is important to realize that everyone has different experiences in life and they usually form their opinions around these experiences.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to know that there are good teachers in the school system and that you had them. I know there are some great teachers (I had a couple myself) but a lot of teachers have lost their passion for teaching (which is probably the kind of teachers Gatto had). I don't think that all teachers can be generalized into a "good" or "bad" category, but it is all about the individual.
ReplyDelete