I Just Wanna Be Average, By Mike Rose

Alfie Kohn’s Article “How Not to get into College” analyses many key factors of how the current school system does not work and how we as members of society need to work together extensively to remodel the system to ensure the success of future students by valuing education over grades. By looking at how students only join clubs and and worship numerical grades only to impress colleges; students facing pressure from parents, teachers, and society to get good grades and succeed in life; and how students live through many mental health implications due to a multitude of factors surrounding their educational life, we can determine that systemic factors of this society have turned students of this generation into grade grubbers.

In the story “I Just Wanna Be Average” the author Mike Rose argues that society very often neglects and doesn’t see the full value and potential of students.

In the student essay “It’s Hard Enough Being Me” written by Anna Lisa Raya, the author portrays herself as a credible source for understanding the role of identity in an educational setting. Raya then appeals to an audience of Latinos and other minorities through her emotions such as stating, “I had never questioned who I was or where I was from” (Raya 121). In the end, she resolves the life-longing issues of identity crisis and cultural shock by staying true to herself and “Soy yo and no one else…Punto” (Raya 122). The author asserts the idea of “not only experienced culture shock, but for the first time I had to define myself according to the broad term “Latina”” (Raya 121) throughout the essay. Raya then appeals to her audience through

Education means something different for everyone. According to Mike Rose, “a good education helps us make sense of the world and find our way in it” (33). The truth to this is that education affects us in every aspect of our lives. Rose emphasizes the value in the experience of education beyond the value of education for the purpose of custom or intelligence; he explores the purpose of going to school in terms of how he defines himself and his personal growth in the stages of his academic career. In Rose’s exploration of the purpose of school, he also reflects on his personal experiences and how those experiences gave him tools that are applicable to his daily life. Mike Rose’s Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us persuades his audience of the importance of education beyond the classroom, emphasizing how those experiences become crucial to one’s personal growth and potential.

Many are quick to disregard education’s role outside of the classroom. According to Mike Rose, “a good education helps us make sense of the world and find our way in it” (Rose 33). Rose emphasizes the value in the experience of education beyond the value of education for the purpose of custom or intelligence; he explores the purpose of going to school in terms of how he defines himself and his personal growth in the stages of his academic career. By reflecting on his personal experiences and how those gave him the tools applicable to his daily life, he emphasizes why education should never be overlooked. Rose’s use of referencing relatable experiences in a logical manner makes his argument persuasive to the readers and he succeeds in making the readers reconsider why education matters to them. Mike Rose’s Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us effectively persuades his audience of the importance of education beyond the classroom, which proves true in our everyday lives because the essential aspect of education is what we do with it and how it helps develop one’s personal growth.

In my life, the bar of standard has always been set exceptionally high. With a high-achieving sister, I knew that I needed to strive for greatness. Things that came to her easily, such as math, always seemed harder for me to obtain. Being quiet a child and more introverted than other kids, I was always in the background. To

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.

Many are quick to disregard education’s role outside of the classroom. According to Mike Rose, “a good education helps us make sense of the world and find our way in it” (Rose 33). Rose emphasizes the value in the experience of education beyond the value of education for the purpose of custom or intelligence; he explores the purpose of going to school in terms of how he defines himself and his personal growth in the stages of his academic career. By reflecting on his personal experiences and how those gave him the tools applicable to his daily life, he emphasizes why education should never be overlooked. Rose’s referencing relatable experiences in a logical manner makes his argument persuasive to the readers and he succeeds in making the readers reconsider why education matters to them. In his book Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us, Mike Rose effectively persuades his audience of the importance of education beyond the classroom, emphasizing how those experiences become crucial to one’s personal growth and potential in our everyday lives.

In “I Just Wanna Be Average,” Mike Rose goes back to his years in school, in which he also referred to them as bottom level classes. Throughout his schooling, he was placed in low-ranking classes by

Teachers and parents have dedicated their time to tell children that they are smart and talented every time they get a good grade. Praising children this type of way has had an impact on their lives. Dweck said “many students believe that intelligence is fixed, that each person has certain amount and that’s that”. Students with fixed mindset only care about how smart they look or how smart they appear. By having this fix mindset, they turn down the ability to learn new things. They believe that if you study hard, you are not smart enough, and that if you were smart things will come to you with no effort. This has made students lose their belief in oneself when they face complicated circumstance. Dweck says that the reason for kids to have a fixed mindset is “intelligence

Mike Rose in his piece I Just Wanna be Average and Richard Rodriguez in Achievement of Desire approach the subject of education from the view point of the uninspired and highly motivated student respectively. Both authors examine the importance of teacher expectations on achievement, and the role school and home environment plays in academic success.

In the article titled “Memories from the Other: Lessons in Connecting with Students” the author Thomas Knestrict affords an autobiographical lens into the benefit of positive connections, as well the consequences when absent. Knestrict’s backstory is one in which he illustrates an educational system that creates the ‘other’ and works to marginalize ‘at risk’ students due to learning differences (Knestrict, 2006). As a result of these learning differences, he was placed on a slower academic track, which he suggests resulted in feelings of marginalization early in life. Educators would ultimately reinforce these feeling with such words as your lazy, your not a capable student, your learning disabled, and you 're not college material. The author states, “The overwhelming message I received every day was that I was different, not as good, and defective” (Knestrict, 2006, p. 3). The internalization of the negative messages hindered Knestrict’s construction of self because he held these messages to be true; thus, his self-image would ultimately reflect such belief.

Why should we improve if we can just be average ? That’s how Mike Rose felt in school everyday as a kid in story called "I just want to be average".Ken Harvey was placed in vocational classes which the teachers made him feel as if he shouldn’t even improve but to lower your intelligence. None of his teachers gave him that inspiration to go even further than the average student. Rose goes of explaining how he was in environment that really didn't keep that flame lit inside of him to want to keep learning. All he wanted to do was to just get by like any other regular person going into class copying and just being straight up simple minded.

While reading Too Cool for School by Ellis Cose I have became aware of various aspects of my ‘schooling’ experience. I realized that I may not have had the best schooling experience, but I never pushed up against the system to get any better. Throughout my life I have attended over 10 schools some very high end others bottom of the barrel. Like Cose, I always knew my intellectual abilities, but I was always so dissatisfied with my situation I didn't make the best of it. Instead of soaking up as much knowledge as possible and making a lesson out of my situation I became complacent. I started to slack off and allow myself to become stagnant to what I knew my abilities were. I allowed myself to be a product of my environment when I should I have

“I am an intelligent, classy, educated woman who just happens to be crazy old me.” by Anonymous. This is one of my favorite quotes because it describes me. I have many, many different hobbies and personalities that describe me. I love reading and listening to music. Another aspect of my personality is my hard work and dedication. Lots of people tend to stereotype me on one aspect of my personality. In this essay, I hope to show you differently.