I Just Want to be Average

The essay by Mike Rose made me really think about the purpose of education schools have to offer us. He talks about how a basic exam can determine your whole life; it made me really think about how accurate these tests really are. The purpose of this essay seemed to be how he feels students failures isn’t because of us, its because of the school system overall. He shares how the vocational track is basically portrayed as students who are not motivated to learn.

The question he makes us think about is, why are these students so unmotivated to learn? He states how for the most part the teachers are the ones who are not motivated enough to teach them. Basically the teachers have to be there because it’s their job, and from the moment of the student’s first grade the teachers automatically think that they’re UN teachable. Students believe whatever the teacher says so they start believing that their stupid and so they wont try.

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Later on in the book, Rose talks about Jack MacFarland. He descries him as a unique person, because even though he’s a teacher he puts work to make students understand that all teachers are not the same.

1. Roses’ life in Voc.Ed was a nightmare. R he teachers would basically talk to him like he’s retarded. Roses’ teachers were so unmotivated to teach him. They basically gave up on everyone who was in voc. Ed since day one.
2. Voc. Ed. Basically made everyone not want to learn anything. It affected them in a harsh manner because the students started to believe that they were never going to be anyone in life so they just stop trying all together. Math was a subject that Rose could never come to a full understanding of it because, it was his teachers’ unwillingness to make sure he continually learned this skill.
3. Students, who often see themselves in a negative way, see a negative impact on their schooling. Ken Harvey didn’t necessarily think he should being the Voc. Ed. pathway. He took it out on himself for being led to that pathway. At the end of the day, he knew he couldn’t change it, and other people’s opinions didn’t matter to him, He had to realize that in a classroom like his everyone had their own opinions that often did not match the likes of his. Students often let the opinion of others bring them down and affect them in their academics, but if you set your mind to it at the end of the day no ones opinions really matters accept your own.
4. Jack offers rose the help and support that roses’ teachers would not give him. I think anyone with Roses’ intelligence can succeed if they put their mind to it. Roses essay makes me think about the reality of this world. How the mistake of the school district can impact your life in a whole different way. How students who are placed in “slow” classes, basically get no help at all because teachers believe their UN teachable. Don’t people realize that makes a child’s life even worse?