Media Portrayal Of High School

In order to grow and prosper in society, one must gain knowledge from a variety of subjects and apply the information in real life situations. High school is one source of education where adolescents are able to gain knowledge by attending classes. However, the school system has numerous flaws and fails to cultivate successful students who are driven to continue their education. Based on the texts in Conversation: Focus on the American High School and my own insight, two serious issues present in American high schools include the failure to reform the curriculum by integrating liberal arts and promoting artificial values in individuals which restricts growth.

High school, the best times of our lives. But in every situation others don’t experience it as the time of their lives. In specific, the so called, “Loser, Nerds, Outcasts." Sometimes the perception that most high school movies convey for this certain group are the reality. In this article "High school confidential: Notes on teen movies" by David Denby, He describes the functions of an everyday American high school. David Denby uses very effective language and rhetoric to provide the minds of the opposing side. A sample of the rhetoric skills he uses is stereotypes, ethos, and pathos.

High school opens our eyes to how cruel the world can be. It is an emotional four consecutive years of drama, homework, and bullying, but in my opinion, those are just obstacles that are strengthening us for the real world. Each and every vital aspect in a student's life is affected by the high school experience, if high school was easy and simple, it would not be beneficial for us.

In “Serve or Fail,” Dave Eggers dissatisfies the phenomenon that although college students have too much leisure, they are not willing to give a few hours doing community services. Eggers suggests that colleges should consider instituting a service requirement for graduation, and colleges are best-poised to create in their students a lifelong commitment to volunteering. He pointed out that there are even programs done by colleges and high schools in order to gain more than two million volunteer hours a year. Owning a lot of time, Being mature and able to handle wide range of tasks, and receiving the opportunity to discover a potential career, make Eggers believes that college students are uniquely suited to do volunteer work. Eggers admits

I think I speak for many people when I say high school is a critical point in one’s life. Coming into high school, things seemed to be tightly-knitted between my peers and I; those of us who had just

Going through high school makes a dominant impression on most teen’s lives. It’s a rite of passage that goes along with making mistakes and

High school is always considered some of the best years of life. Students live with their families, see their friends almost everyday, and participate in the activities they love with the people they love. It has enough freedom for the student to decide how hard they will try, but it also has just the right amount of restrictions that parents can step in to make the student work. High school also gives students many opportunities to succeed and keep letting them try again if they fail. For example, a math teacher may allow a student to retake two test throughout a semester, but if the student proves that they are trying in the class then the teacher may allow them to retake a few more tests. Also, schoolwork is not tedious or lengthy,

High School has obviously changed since the 1985 movie, The Breakfast Club, which portrayed different school stereotypes through five students, and how this made them reflect on their identity. In a way, this theme of different High School Stereotypes proves to still be evident in High School today when students

High school, for many students, is prison. A prison that holds us for seven hours every day, five days a week. This type of attitude is what ruins students. Students with huge potential and bright futures are falling victim to this epidemic every year. It is time we try and change that.

Although the schools portrayed in media were all different, they all had the same type of social set up. There were the evident jocks, the theatre kids, the nerds, the jokesters and more. I entered middle school and then high school, along with the rest of my generation, thinking that this was normal. The people you sat with in 4th grade began to divide. People began to develop cliques and groups. The “You can’t sit with us” became very

America’s school system is dramatically declining due to the lack of preparation that America’s High-school 's fail to deliver to its students. High-schools and their incompetent teachers do not adequately prepare students for jobs in Stem fields. STEM jobs are Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers that pay wages close to double the U.S average. STEM jobs are vital in order to obtain a thriving market of new ideas and inventions in the world. Without proper teaching from qualified teachers in these particular fields many students may lose interest, not enjoy their teachings, or not even properly understand what STEM jobs are. This leaves many students unsatisfied with their experience limiting their abilities to do something great. Teachers are frequently found lacking degrees in the particular fields they teach: “Almost 40% of high-school math teachers have neither a college major nor minor in math.” (Chang 345). American students learn from unqualified teachers, hindering their ability to get a job in the fast paced twenty first century. It is important to understand the direct correlation between the mastering of essential subject matter and the success of our students to better the country. Studies have been shown to prove that teachers can change the trajectory of their students’ lives. Teachers who lack complete understanding in the fields that they teach can greatly negatively impact students lives further down the course of their lifetimes. Therefore when

A true high school has no happy ending. There is no “happily ever after”, there is no good kid who stays out of trouble and ends up becoming the most popular kid in school. There is no ugly kid who ends up dating the most popular girl in school. All of that is a fantasy thought up to keep middle schoolers from being scared of growing up. Because no matter where you live, highschool is a dark place.

Americans today tend to believe that there is something that holding back teenagers in high school from achieving the proper education. The article “What’s holding Back American Teenagers?” states that “American high school, in particular are a disaster. What is it that makes these high schools a disaster?

High school…last steps we take before we ready the adult world, but are they really preparing us for it? What we need is more freedom and changing some school rules can help. During our lunch periods, we should be given more freedom like being able to leave school grounds and buying our own lunch.

High school…what is there to say about it? Many would tell you that it’s like a jungle of sorts, others say it changes you. Many students including myself, go through all four years of high school setting goals and standards for themselves after they graduate. Your teachers and your councilors tell you that it’s a bumpy road but “you’ll get through it”. Well I can personally tell you that high school was none of that.