Urban Legends Essay

Margaret Heffernan once said, “For good ideas and true innovation, you need a mix of human interaction, conflict, argument, and debate.” In the article it is debated if there is any benefit in monetary rewards for students. Teachers, and parents alike are always trying to find the best way to reward and inspire there students to do well in school. Matthew G Springer is a professor of Public Policy and Education at Vanderbilt University. He is also the director of the National Center on Performance Incentives. He wrote this article to display his research and studies.

America had never taken the topic of education as seriously as before, showing its want and need for education more than ever. In the 1850’s many immigrants from Europe had migrated to America to begin a new life. Moving because of famines or revolutions in the 1840’s, America was home to around three-million immigrants in total between 1850 and 1860. This massive wave of immigration caused a nativist feeling to spread over America. Americans began viewing immigrants as inferior to them and required them to go to school to “Americanize” them.

In this article the author, Eric Priceman, argues that rewarding accomplishments is part of the education processes it only creates a problem when we let it. I feel as though his argument is in fact persuasive and reaches his intended neutral audience. Priceman starts by giving directions in differentiating the terms award and reward. These words are commonly used synonymously and Eric makes an underlying statement that if one is to make this argument, for or against, they must first define these two words. In addition to his initial definition Priceman establishes ethos when he brings up the fact that he has 3 adult children. His credibility is shown because his kids are no longer growing up, they have grown up and he has went through these

Education in America is not as valued nationally as the current culture wants the societies of the world to think. There are occupations that are valued above educators, but our civilization wants to imply that our educational system is well advanced and tries to emphasize that we are a country of well-educated people. Unlike in Leonid Fridman’s “America Needs Its Nerds,” and Benjamin R. Barber’s “America Skips School”. Everywhere in this country we hear the government say how our schools are the future of this country, but if we listen carefully we will hear little in our civilization over education financially and how poverty mixes in with this issue.

This angst lead government officials to invest in education as an attempt to preserve this English and Christian culture for future generations. Initially, education in America began as an entity restricted exclusively for affluent white men. This dogma changed when governing American leaders recognized that in order to preserve and sustain their ideal American culture, including their elevated status, they must disseminate their cultural principles upon the masses. The transmission of culture came in the framework of an education system. According to Perkinson, the first educational policies began as “Revival meetings, free bibles, and tracts that were used to socialize young immigrants into moral, upright, Christian citizens” (Perkinson, pages 12-14).

In the early colonies of /Eastern America, education was vital to the civilization of their new world. As immigrants from Europe, they heavily relied on their own intellect, or the common knowledge of their own country. All the ideas and intellectual knowledge of their home country was typically the only education they can fully trust as they begin their journey to a new civilized country.

America is ranked 14th in education. People may ask, “Why is that?” Well america is one of the few countries that requires money for college. Not enough people make enough money to send themselves to college for the job they are going to school for.

The reason is that the reward is not the main thing that is backing up the action; but something else that could be self-develop, peace, etc. An example is a boy does his homework just because he was told by his parents to do his homework. Based on that the boy believes that his parents know what is best for him to do.

We have all heard of strange and gory stories that are supposedly true, experienced by a friend of a friend. Whether true or not these so called "urban legends" tend to circulate throughout society thriving on each individual's fears and curiosity. What most people don't realize is, within these tales lies the attitudes and values of a community. These tales do not survive throughout the years solely on the basis of their entertainment level, but due to the fact that they reflect society's fears and anxieties. In dissecting these tales one can indefinitely find the social fallacy against females that has existed for decades, as well as the fears women have against men. However, more importantly, the values that society hold are

This type of motivation is influenced heavily by rewards and external incentives. It also implies the notion that “I have to do something” in order to be compliant with what someone else wants me to do. It is a motivation that is primarily influenced by the hope of attaining tangible items such as prizes, special privileges, or money. Although Drive implies the heavy use of Motivation 2.0 by the corporate world, Pink also draws attention to the fact that schools typically operate under this mode, as well, and that it can have detrimental effects on our students and on learning, in general. Motivation 2.0 is also referred to in the book as the “Carrots and Sticks Approach”, and although it may yield positive results in the short-term, the repeated or incorrect use of extrinsic rewards can actually work against what educators are trying to achieve in terms of truly motivating their students.

This urban legend, with its narrative polish and how recently it has taken place, seems to have had its start in 1980s, when a Turkish man sold his kidney, but had told officials that it was stolen. Later it was proven that he offered to sell his kidney from a newspaper advertisement. This story became famous with its adaption to the TV crime show Law and Order. With its new found fame, many people adapted the plot to better fit their needs upon retelling it, such as changing the location. Locations started in distant countries, for instance, Brazil and the Caribbean, then moved closer to Mexico, and even within the US, New York and Las Vegas (Fine and Ellis, pg. 179-180). The major points that follow the legend through its various forms include: hotel rooms, an unknowing victim, traveling to new places, confusion and pain.

A reward is a high extrinsic motivator. The reward can be monetary, gift certificate, day off with pay, a two hour lunch, or working for two hours on anything but work. All entice performance and competition in the workplace. A gold star, being the teacher’s helper for a day, no daily

The most important thing about the rubix cube is that it constructed with a perfect symmetry. If you like to know how to solve a rubix cube, than this information will help you very much, in fact the symmetry of the cube is the winning key for the solution.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela. Without education, there is simply no telling of what this world would be like. There wouldn’t be doctors, lawyers, businesses etc. Life and everything around us would be fatuous. Schools and education give us a plan in life and help guide us. Throughout the years education has changed tremendously. It had its improvements throughout the decades, and it also has had its falters as well. Education in America is an issue in this country and it definitely needs to be tweaked and improved. Education is what makes us people who we are and what we will be. Nelson Mandela had it right, there is no weapon more powerful than education.

In the text "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", Christopher Boone suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism (QUOTE). This means he can be sometimes a handful for his parents. It is because of his condition that his mother leaves and his relationship with his father breaks down. But its not just Christopher's fault his parents are having a hard time. They them selves make some bad decisions that lead to each of them feeling frustrated and even forcing themselves to do some morally bad things (QUOTE). It is these things that Christopher parents do that we, the readers, cannot accept, despite Christopher's