Analysis Of The Dumb Kids Class By Mark Bowden

There are many problems with today’s education, but one of the main problems would be the topic of inclusion vs. self-contained classroom. Many people have different opinions on this topic. For instance, some believe that disabled children should be separated from non-disabled children in classrooms, while others believe they should not be separated. There are many advantages and disadvantages to both sides of this situation. The views of both of these choices are completely opposite. On one side something may have a positive outcome, but on the other side, it may result in a negative outcome. Choosing which one has more positive outcomes for students is not the easiest choice, but it is a choice that has to be made in order for students

Rose first explains how the educational system classifies a child’s class. He then proceeds to elaborate on how the vocational class works for those who do not do as well in school. He uses pathos so the reader feels emotional for the less fortunate student in the vocational class. Rose conveys his beliefs by using personal examples. He learns true qualities of people and shares the stories of Dave Snyder, Ted Richard, and Ken Harvey. Sharing the personal indications of what puts the students in the vocational class, gives the reader the notion that they have strengths that do not apply doing well in school. Rose ties the examples together in the end to confirm his opinion that one should never settle being defined as average.

Education is a necessity across the globe, from America to Africa to China. Some education systems, however, are more successful than others and hold differing views and approaches to education. Culture greatly impacts education, which in turn impacts further opportunity. As unfair as it may be, a child’s cultural background largely determines their level of success. The American education system is lacking when compared to various other world cultures, and this is causing the socioeconomic gap to grow. Because of this inadequate education, more and more families are dipping beneath the poverty line. This could be due to poor discipline as well as the diversity of students. The diversity of the students results in a wide array of needs that are not being met by the public education system. This issue could be minimized by working to create a more inclusive academic environment to ensure equality and success.

Not to mention, that this has given many disabled individuals chance to a quality education. This case has made congress take a closer look at the individualize needs that is acquired for students by mandating the school to find a program that will help students individual needs in educational system. “Power imbalances between parents and school districts cannot be eliminated, but the mandatory provision of information will go a long way” (Kotler, p.553, 2014). This help secure a people with disabilities a chance for a better future in educational system.

Then, he goes on to the differences between the smart and dumb kids. An example of pathos Bowden uses is the dumb kids were proud of their class placement and saw it like “a badge of honor” (6). He also uses logos to differentiate the characteristics of the kids in each class. Smart kids were focused on pleasing their parents and teachers, while dumb kids did not care. Additionally, Bowden uses enumeratio when he lists all the trouble the dumb kids got into, to exemplify how naughty they could be. Something that gives Bowden ethos is in the aspect of the naughtiness of the children is the fact he had a broken tooth, which made all the other kids respect him. Another reason for him to be respected was the fact that when he was chosen for a humiliating game played by the school bullies which also evokes pathos, he punched the bully in the face. Then he claims his “most valuable lessons were in the dumb kids’ class” (8) , which is contrary to what most would believe. Ironically after claiming this, he was switched into into the smart class, which he describes it a “the best of both worlds” (8) which is a bit cliche and could have been described better to describe the drastic change. In his new

Alison Kong EN 102 The education system in America is broken according to “Lives on the Boundary” by Mike Rose. In this excerpt Mike Rose gives the audience a greater understanding about the decline of the education system. Rose gives examples of how and why education should be equal for everyone. Also, that the importance of great books and a proper curriculum is very significant to our education system. Rose further explains to his audience that these “Great Books” don’t contain real experiences that students could eventually come across during their time at school.

The American education system has, since its inception, been subject to ridicule and disdain on the parts of many. Despite the fact that many scholars believe that the system has flaws, there has been no consensus as to what needs to be changed. Sam Chaltain, the previous National Director of the Forum for Education and Democracy and now an active participant in educational reform debates, argues that the system should shift its focus on standardization away from students and instead to teachers and schools. Nikhil Goyal, author of Schools on Trial: How Freedom and Creativity Can Fix Our Educational Malpractice, holds that we should do away with standardization altogether, giving children the opportunity to accomplish what they want with their education and allow them to flourish in a less stifling environment. Peter Gow, the author of a multitude of books about potential changes in school policy, focuses on fourth grade specifically, suggesting that a year in elementary school focused solely on cultivating reading skills would greatly benefit students in the future. Although this is a radical stance, Gow’s point remains valid; teaching

In Grant Penrod’s essay called Anti-Intellectualism: Why We Hate Smart Kids he starts by talking about his high school football team and that they won the championship again this year. He says the speech and debate team also won the championship this year. The football team continues to receive mass amounts of praise and attention even after their win, while on the other hand the academic teams that won receive miniscule amounts of recognition. The academic teams might get a shout out at the end of an assembly, but never the amount of praise that the football team receives. The educated kids have the label of nerd and with this label; social norms become more difficult for them. Penrod says that even celebrities make it look like dropping out

It also showed us that value in education comes in different forms. For example, students like DeAndre valued education but didn’t think the education he was receiving was the best approach for him. It may appear the DeAndre was uninterested in learning but in reality he was interested in learning things that could help and resonated with his cultural history. I was enlightened by the way this article helped to highlight different types of students in a positive light. I resonate with this article because I went to a high school where students were labeled as noncompliant or “acting white”. I fell that more educators should read this article to get a well-rounded view of all their students especially those in the minority community. Furthermore, after reading this article I began to brainstorm alternatives to making school more appealing to all categories of students. According to the Boston Globe a new idea called community schools are entering discussions about better school models. The Boston Globe defines community schools as “both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities”. This idea sounds great to me because not only does it address the needs of the student

Mr. Clark used pathos by builds the trust by making the kids more comfortable and knowing of what can come if they don’t take high school serious. He let the kids know that they don’t have to follow the stereotypes of their school, that because they go to the school they are already dumb and worthless.Clark made the teachers feel bad about their lack of motivation in teacher and failing these poor helpless students instead of teacher the students in a different way, which helped them get pity into doing better. Before the students took their exams Mr.Clark had a few words that he said to the students. “We sink. We swim. We rise. We fall. We meet our fate together.” Mr. Clark made the students feel more comfortable knowing that they are not alone, that they are all going through the same thing.

Diane ravitch speaks on multiple issues dealing with students who do well in school. She found that students who do well in school are the ones to be teased and singled out the most. Also that ravitch discusses how peer pressure is another tactic to persuade a student from doing well. Then she also expresses the controversy’s with state tests scores regarding race and gender. While the main iniqury is which one of these topics stands out more than the others.

Our students come from different backgrounds, race, language, and culture. Let us not deny any child of a quality education, an education that can change their lives.

In Grant Penrod’s “Anti- Intellectualism: Why We Hate the Smart Kids” essay, he argues that academic achievements should be acknowledged equally just as an athletic achievement. Smart kids do not receive the acknowledgment that they deserve since society has a negative look regarding smart kids. Anti- Intellectualism is hostile feelings towards intellectuals or intellectual thoughts. Society tends to celebrate non-intellectuals. The essay talks about smart kids being labeled social outcasts for the reason that average kids have separated themselves from kids smarter than them. Smart kids feel as if they should retain their intelligence just to fit in a judgmental world. Penrod’s argument is effective because his topic is still relevant to today’s time and his use of examples that he incorporated throughout the essay.

Public school systems need to be more sensitive to their students. Parents play the major role in determining a child’s academic outcome, but the school system needs to notice children who don’t necessarily acknowledge their gift. These children need guidance -- I believe it is the schools’ responsibility to provide it to them. I have been through a situation that makes me feel strongly about the subject. My example is an indisputable case in point.

In this case study, a third year first-grade teacher was faced with the dilemma of whether or not to talk to the principal about her concerns. One of her concerns was that two of the other first – grade teachers (who were very good friends with the principal) were always getting the high achieving students that came from wealthy backgrounds in their classroom. Her other concern was that these two teachers always had higher test scores because of the high achieving students that were placed in their classroom. This made her scores look bad because she always received the students that struggled to perform. The third year first- grade didn’t mind teaching the struggling learners but she did feel that ALL students would benefit from mixed classrooms. Therefore, she was faced with the following questions: Should I talk to the principal or not? Should I talk to the other first grade teachers? Should I talk to someone else? Or, should I just ignore the situation to keep things from getting worse?