Preview

I Just Wanna Be Average Summary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1261 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
I Just Wanna Be Average Summary
How do teachers get students in American to become motivated? How can teachers make students feel as though they can actually put their stamp on this world? How can teachers help students discover their deep potential that lies in everyone? One could argue that all teachers have to do is care. There’s a disconnect in the world today between the moderately literate, the most literate, and those that are just left behind. America’s educational system is deeply flawed and a perfect example is a very eye opening short story called “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose(1989).

Mike Rose explains his short stint in the Vocational track , where kids go who can’t quite make it in America’s public schools.The only reason why Rose ended up going to this school because his test scores were mixed with another student’s, which right there shows how scattered and out of sorts America’s educational system is. Rose went to school in a part of Los Angeles that has long been neglected by the most literate of America. In Jean Anyon’s, Social Class and the Hidden
…show more content…
It can’t be ignored any longer, America has deep problems within the lower class and the inability for these kids to get the proper teaching. For a change to happen it needs to happen from the top. Americans need politicians and those who hold the most literacy and power to make their agenda about helping those at the bottom. It is also required for much of America to become “critically literate” (Knoblauch, 1990, p.6) which means the citizens have to oppose the fundamental workings of America as a society, but those who have all the power don’t want that. The change has got to happen so these youth can have a chance. These young people are going to be running the country someday and it’s time to start acting like

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The book, Ain’t No Makin’ It, allows us to enter the world of two distinct peer groups in a low income housing project in America. Jay MacLeod takes us on a journey to explain why the attitudes, beliefs, expectations, and aspirations of these two groups of teenagers differ so greatly despite their similarities. One of the primary focuses is on education and the Hallway Hangers and Brothers experiences within Lincoln High School. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are important documents whose intention is to guarantee basic rights to all people, including children, regardless of where they live in the world. Both documents unequivocally state that education is an important and fundamental right for all. After reading this book, it is my belief that the United States falls short in fulfilling the educational rights set forth in these important declarations. The Brothers and Hallway Hangers were not granted an education that promoted tolerance, encouraged attendance, or provided equity in their education.…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Washingtn Univeristy psychologist, Richard DeCharms, held a yearlong study on sixth grade students that were recieving a new type of teaching method that was taught to their teachers. Teachers were instructed to “de-emphasize grades and time limit--lowering the pressure on kids—and distributed workbooks and other materials that prompted learning for its own sake”. In the same district other sixth grade students were taught with the usual methods. When spring test scores came in, according to the Iowa Test of Bsic Skill Scores, the students that participated in the study were a year and a half ahead then their peers. “Six years later, a follow-up study found that the “intrinsically motivated group” also graduated from high school at a higher rate”. The purpose for incorporating this study is to show that with built-in motivation students can achieve greater goals with new methods. Throught the appeal to logos they hope that these test results will encorage school districts to establish similar…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Shame of the Nation was written in 2005 by author Jonathan Kozol. In this book he discusses how underprivileged children in lower-income school districts are treated differently than the children in middle-class school districts. The middle-class children have easy access to pre-school but very few children in the lower-classes have access to pre-school. As a result, when lower-classes are finally able to attend school, they are below the grade level set by government, they are forced to deal with overfilled class rooms, unskilled teachers and inadequate resources. The children in financially restricted school districts must take and pass the same exams as the children who have had access to better schooling since they were a toddlers. He notes how tough it is for kids to do well under these circumstances and that those who do well are considered to have courageous talents. Kozol uses comparison and description to persuade the readers something needs to be done about the issues.…

    • 629 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    I did not pick up on this at the time but Mike Rose tells the elongated version of his childhood to show how an underprivileged child born to immigrant parents can easily struggle and be written off as a result. Mike Rose's parents were immigrants from Italy. Throughout Mike Rose's childhood they struggled financially and did not have the opportunity to get involved with his education, through no fault of their own. Mike Rose's interest in reading dissipated throughout his early teen years as a result of him being sent to the vocational track. He was surrounded by peers and teachers whose expectations of him were substandard. One day in vocational track the religion teacher brought up the topic of talents, achievement, and hard work. A student named Ken Harvey was asked to give his opinion on the matter and his response was one that has stuck with Mike Rose all these years: “I just wanna be average” (28). Mike Rose holds the belief that this is primary issue with the vocational track. As a result of these students being labeled as remedial they tend to shy away from school in general and just want to be mediocre. Mike Rose is attempting to open the eyes of teachers. He realizes that these students are not properly evaluated and that teachers need to do more to get through to their…

    • 1578 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a child Rose grew up in a poor family in Los Angeles, during his high school years he was placed on vocational classes on accident, by mixed up test scores from another student with the same last name.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Barber’s “America skips school”, “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, written by Jean Anyon and “Literacy and the Politics of Education” by C. H. Knoblauch I learned a lot from them. In Barber’s “America Skips School” he describes how America’s schooling system has truly failed our children. Not because we don’t have the teachers who care, but because our politicians and government are not willing to put forth the effort in making any improvements. Barber explains how we should raise our teacher’s salaries and eventually they should be closer to a stock broker’s salary to show that as a society we value education. Another issue I learned, specifically from Ms. Anyon’s essay, is the need to make sure we don’t determine a child’s education based on their social class. Finding a way to educate our children equally will give them a chance to improve their livelihood or financial situation. I read that children raised in an upper class society have a higher percentage of becoming more successful or wealthy because of the education they receive for being from that social class. In my opinion it only keeps the rich getting richer and the poor getting…

    • 1883 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Waiting For Superman

    • 316 Words
    • 1 Page

    After watching this documentary I believe that the main argument is that our public school systems are failing. A great example from the documentary is Francisco. He is in a public school and his teacher told his mother he is at risk for repeated the grade because he can not read. But his mother strongly disagrees because she takes him to reading classes and the community college. Francisco’s reading teacher tells his mother he is on level. His mother tries to contact his teacher but receives no response. Francisco’s reading teacher told his mother to go above the teacher and go to the school district. I used this as an example because it is the teacher that does not care which is making the student fail because he isn’t getting the help he supposable needs.…

    • 316 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his essay, “I Just Wanna Be Average,” author Mike Rose says, “students will float to the mark you set” (164). From my past experiences, I completely agree that students will work harder if their teachers set the standards high. Generally, teenagers do not have high goals or standards for themselves, so it is up to the teachers to encourage and push the students towards success. Throughout his excerpt, Rose shows through numerous examples that teachers are a vital part to a student’s success in life.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mike Rose is a critically acclaimed writer and professor in the School of Education at…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose is an excerpt from his book Lives on the Boundary about his time in Our Lady Mercy High School’s education system. He went into Vocational education because of a mix-up in his tests with another student. With this mix-up and teachers who would not put in the effort to help him succeed occurring, Rose lost all motivation in studying in his classes. Rose finally found a teacher who cared about his success in school and helped Rose get back into regular college-prep classes. This motivation from one teacher helped Rose in going to college and being successful. Where were Rose’s parents when all of this happened? Did they not have a conference with his teachers, or try to help him out with his schoolwork, or did they just not care about their child’s education. Parents are an important role in a child’s education and there are many reasons as to why…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the US there is an unfortunate reality that exists among low-income K-12 public schools. This national tragedy is the failure to teach children of poor families the necessary skills to make it in the real world. Samuel Casey Carter’s No Excuses, states that roughly 20 million lower than average income children exist in the K-12 public school system. Of this number, 12 million are not learning the most fundamental skills (1). His opposition claims that the environment these students experience dooms them to a having a substandard education and as a result a life of poverty.…

    • 2823 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Students lack motivation because they are not inspired to learn more literacy skills. Motivation is a person’s desire to act in a positive way. Students may lack motivation because students think that studying for a test and doing their school work can be boring. The only student should make short term goals and aim to achieve them. For example, my short-term goal is to complete my history assignment before the deadline on Saturday by midnight. Students should be social in education. Participating in class and communicating with classmates can be very helpful and develop new friends along the way. In addition,…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    School to Prison Pipeline

    • 2888 Words
    • 12 Pages

    In 2001, then-president George Bush sought to save the children and reverse poor educational trajectories with what seemed to be a well thought out plan. The ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act would save our youth and close the gap between urban youth and wealthy children and the way they are taught from birth to college. This act would allow all children to receive the education they deserved no matter their race, gender, social class, or US citizenship. Through a standardized test based curriculum, these children would, in theory, have equal opportunity to receive top-notch education by highly qualified teachers in great schools. Higher test scores would lead to increased funding and more resources, thus perpetuating a cycle of change for the better. The very name was held up as an emblem of equality and hope for many poor, immigrant urban or otherwise marginalized children and families, who without this act would be left to fend for themselves in a failing system. No Child Left…

    • 2888 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I Just Wanna Be Average

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages

    that all 7th and 8th graders would have to read. I think this would give some of them the hope that…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The purpose of education in American schools is to prepare children for a specific career, teaching students lifelong values, discipline, and to explore new ideas and to think independently; in other words, education helps to build good citizens. However, as argued by Jean Anyon (Anyon, J., 1980) and John Taylor Gatto (Gatto, J., 2003) in their articles, this is far from the truth. Jean Anyon confirms this by conducting an investigation of the education in different social classes while John Taylor Gatto uses his experience as a teacher. The two authors expressed similar opinions of the outcomes of American schools. Anyon and Gatto both found that in America, the method and extent to which students are educated is entirely based on their social class. In Anyon’s article, “From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” (Anyon, 1980) she specifies that there is no question that schools in wealthy communities are better than those of poorer communities, and…

    • 2556 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays