Amanda Ripley's The Smartest Kids In The World

The Game of School: Why We All Play It, How It Hurts Kids, and What It Will Take to Change It by Robert L. Fried is a great tool for identifying challenges in school systems and planning school reform. This book explains in great depth the problems faced by students and educators in schools today and ends with a call to action for solving these problems. Some major concepts that arise frequently throughout the book are time being wasted, students feeling powerless and the prioritization of test scores over authentic learning. Time is wasted by everyone in school and is wasted in various ways, for example students are given busy work and teachers rush through a curriculum while students learn nothing. Students, while they are the most important stakeholders, feel as though they have no control over their education.

The common assumption that America is the leading nation in the world takes a hard hit in Amanda Ripley’s The Smartest Kids in the World, a book that explores the top education systems throughout the world, which are not that of the United States. After reading the book, it comes off with strong viewpoints, and makes you think critically about our education system. It highlights the PISA tests, both praised and criticized for their ability to calculate the knowledge and creativity and individual possesses. The book also features a unique narrative style involving three students from America embarking on journeys as “correspondents” to three of the tops ranking PISA countries.

Did you know that the United States ranks 17th in education performance? That is a huge drop from 1980 when the United States was ranked 1st. Clearly, our education system has gone in a downward spiral and is struggling to keep up with other countries. The documentary, “Waiting for Superman” by David Guggenheim, and the article, “Idiot Nation” by Michael Moore, discuss the weaknesses in our education system. Although both authors offer compelling arguments, “Waiting for Superman” contained a better argument because of its abundance of rhetorical strategies, whereas “Idiot Nation” contained some logical fallacies.

Smart People is a contemporary play by Lydia R. Diamond that is set in Harvard University. It is directed by Chuck Smith. The play circulates around the lives of four racially diverse characters: Brian White, a cynical Harvard professor specializing in neuropsychiatry; Jackson Moore, a hot-headed surgical intern at Harvard Medical school; Ginny Yang, a shopaholic Harvard psychology professor; and Valerie Johnston, a tenacious actress and part-time research assistant. Obviously, all of the characters are intellectuals who deal with racial issues and quarrelsome romantic relationships. Smart People is a play that created meaningful spatial relationships through four different levels, strategic distancing, and subtle changes to represent issues

The educational policy is for teachers to teach children and teenagers in all states the same curriculum, with a purpose for everyone to not fall behind in the area of attending college and have the skills for their career (Evers, 1). Although this may seem to be the best solution, students are not doing any better in learning the materials because teachers are only teaching the standards that are on the examinations. In the article “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, Jean Anyon argues that in the working class schools and middle class schools, students are expected to solve a problem with minimal decision-making and get the right answer through finding it in teacher’s notes and textbooks (163-79). Anyon’s studies are not accurate because her data does not show the entire U.S population; however, her studies do show the problems within working and middle class schools (DeNavas, and Proctor,

Many people think that most American schools are satisfactory. That is far from what is actually happening. The harsh reality is that schools that are unsatisfactory do exist. In Jonathan Kozol’s “Fremont High School”, he points out the flaws of a high school located somewhere in Los Angeles. This helps shine light on differences in the quality of education in various areas of the country.

In the “Against Schools” article, author John Gatto describes the modern day schooling system and its flaws. He uses several rhetorical strategies in trying to prove his point. He successfully uses all three types of rhetoric in writing this article, which includes ethos, pathos, and logos. He establishes these strategies very early, and often throughout the article. He believes one issues with today’s schooling system is boredom, and that there is a distinct difference between what it means to be educated and schooled.

The essay, The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher, by John Taylor Gatto addresses educational curriculum with a cynical truth that transpires around the United States. His brutal honesty grasps the reader by using common sense and a hint of sarcasm to appeal to humor. The main point of his argument in my perception, states that we must develop children to be critical thinkers and not always agree with authority. By allowing the schooling in a child’s development expecting them to not question an adult’s words does lead to a population that has accepted being dumbed down. Following what has been indicated, a direct quote positions people deprived forever of finding the center of their own special genius (Gatto, part III, pars 3).

As a freshman in highschool, I had never heard of Jane Harper, or read any of her books before this. My English teacher challenged me to pick up a book and read it. Instantly, the cover caught my eye. The book looked like a very compelling novel, so I decided to read it. It just came out in September of 2016, so it is a very new book.

Imagine if you were whisked away from your normal life and were enrolled in an elite CIA spy school without a choice. This is what happened to Ben Ripley, an average twelve year old who gets his big break in the world of espionage. In Spy School, a novel set in Washington, D.C., Ben Ripley gets the opportunity of a lifetime when the CIA offers him a scholarship to an elite spy school, but this big break throws him into the daily life of a spy, and he struggles to stay alive. In Spy School, the author shows the similarities and differences between Ben and Erica, another student at Spy School. In Spy School, Ben and Erica show some differences with the way they handle pressure.

Schooling for the students Schooling systems have been the same since anyone could remember. What might need to change for students to get the equal amount of education as the “gifted” students? Will students still benefit from the lack of renewal in the education system? According to the authors from chapter 4 "How We Learn" Alfie Kohn, John Taylor Gatto, Bell Hooks, and Kristina Rizga, explaining in their essays published in "Acting Out Culture" by James S. Miller.

If not in a safe classroom environment, where is a better setting to expose children to real world issues and behaviors. While there is heavy emphasis placed on the importance of breaking the status quo and the law in particular, such behaviors demonstrated in "Fahrenheit 451" encourage problem solving and individual thinking in the minds of students. As stated by Grace Chen, "The attempt to expose students to challenging topics and issues, as many teachers support, is not intended to force students into a certain mode of thought; moreover, the books are to serve as opportunities for students to think, theorize, question, and explore(8). " Books like "Fahrenheit 451" truly foreshadow this future of complete censorship and lack of individual thinking. Huckleberry Fin demonstrates critical thinking, and promotes the understanding of the time period it is set it.

She is ridiculing society and its limitations of women in higher

Mamamia also states that “The 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures the numeracy, literacy, and science skills of half a million 15-year-olds around the world… Australia’s ranking fell in all subjects from 15th to 19th in Mathematics, 10th to 16th in Science and 9th to 14th in 2009.” This shows how far we are falling behind other countries, whereas Asian countries like China, Singapore, Korea and Japan are pulling ahead of Australia. Our students of the 21st Century aren’t getting smarter.

Albert Einstein once said, "Everybody is a genius... But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid". Unfortunately, most school systems depict this quote. They judge a significant amount of the population by their ability to answer a few questions. They rate them with letters and numbers, and force students to be represented by these letters and numbers for the rest of their lives.