John Taylor Gatto Sir Ken Robinson Analysis

In the article titled “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s”, Singleton proposes a solution to the crisis of American education. As he argues, the main cause of the poor quality

Barber uses logic in arguing for mass public education, quoting two of the most influential founders of our democracy, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Barber knows that in a democracy, the people decide what is best for the nation, and if the nation is uneducated they will make the wrong decisions. Jefferson and Adams warn about those “tyrannies” of an uneducated society, which is why Barbers claims are truthful that education allows people to “think critically and act with deliberation”(6). To answer the question of how a society achieves equality and opportunity for its citizens, one should totally disregard William A. Henry’s callous remarks and illegitimate claims in his essay, “In Defense of Elitism.” His reasoning for selective educational opportunities tries to divide our country, which will discriminate individuals, amplify class

2) Open Enrollment Public Schools gives more opportunity: Most of the American families will let their kids attend Neighborhood Public Schools, but this gives an opportunity for families

It defines the aspiration for all students in our school system. I would add that the best of what we see in public schools affords children of all backgrounds opportunities to explore learning in an authentic and purposeful way. Bureaucracies are constantly measuring students, teachers and schools -- how much we’ve learned, improved and how quickly and paint bleak a bleak picture of how inadequately prepared we will be for our future and how much we need to change to be better at everything. I will agree that many aspects of public school education can be improved upon. I will argue, however, that if you subject people or processes to constant scrutiny, measurement, and benchmarking, at any point in time, you will see failure.

In Carl Singleton’s article, “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” he argues that students aren’t receiving the failing grades they deserve. School systems are to blame for the lack of quality in America’s education. No other recommendation for improvement will succeed. The only way to fix the American education system is to fail more students. According to Singleton, the real root of the issue is with the parents.

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.

Against School by John Gatto is an essay that attempts to persuade the reader that public education fails to educate its students. The main way Gatto tries to persuade his audience is by presenting anecdotal evidence and by showing the historical narrative to the education system of the Untied States. Gatto attempts also attempts to reach out to his audience by referring to commonalities in the public education system that have been experienced by many people. Overall the essay is persuasive but lacks any practical authority. The first thing the author does is provide background, background on himself and the situation with education in the United States; and, this is what the author primarily does.

The Second Great Awakening, beginning in about 1790, influenced a reform movement that encouraged mandatory, free, public education. In 1805, the New York Public School Society was created by wealthy businessmen and was intended to provide education for poor children. In 1817, a town meeting in Boston, Massachusetts called for establishment of free public primary schools. Many wage earners opposed this proposal. Josiah Quincy, mayor of Boston, supported the idea that education should be a priority by saying, “(By) 1820, an English classical school is established, having for its object to enable the mercantile and mechanical classes to obtain an education adapted for those children whom their parents wished to qualify for active life, and thus

TED is one of the non-profit organizations that does help to share different ideas of different people to the world through their persuasive talk. Sir Ken Robinson, in his Ted Talk, discusses how systems of public education disregard the creativity as it is an important factor related with the growth of students, academically. Robinson does focus on the creativity by arguing through different examples, which does make audience, and other viewers to think on this issue and take action which is being ignored by public education system. The use of pathos, ethos, and logos while his talk regarding creativity in school makes the case of education system entertaining and understand, by giving proper examples with the use of humorous tone.

Mike Rose, in his excerpt from Why School?, questions the reliability of the educational system and its key focus on economic readiness. He states that schools stress the importance of economics, accountability, and compliance over previously sought over qualities like curiosity, intellect, and courage. Rose argues that education is spread mainly due to economic motivation; money motivates society more than dreams and desires. This economic focus is combined with assessments to calculate the number of students who do poorly in school and weed them out. Rose believes the economic motive merged with this assessment restricts what should be the main focus of school: development.

Gatto became a schoolteacher because according to him he had nothing better to do, he is an English teacher but he says the he doesn’t only teach English; he teaches school. His students learn seven lessons for life and they are things that can easily be criticized by others who do not understand them and make assumptions. The first is the lesson of Confusion. There is a lack of connection between the curriculum that students are taught and it’s just thrown at them. It causes great confusion in the minds of the kids.

The article continued to mention that schools are a form of social control. Schools give children a place to be and are thought how to

Everyone has ineffable difficulties in their mind. When we were children, most children learned the same things at school. But, why are their lives going in different directions? Children grow up in different families that have different family values. Students not only just study in schools, but also they learn

Despite the contrasting environment, private school students are no different than public school students. In an online manifesto, If You Send Your Kid to Private school you are bad, Allison Benedikt, an executive editor states, “But many others go private for religious reasons, or because their kids have behavioral or learning issues, or simply because the public school in their district is not so hot”. This proves that private schools are not filled with angels, but rather kids who have behavioral issues and need that extra help. In senior writer and editor John S Kiernan’s, online article, Private Schools vs. Public Schools - Experts Weigh In, Patrick J. Wolf, Ph.D, proclaims, “Private schools also are becoming more diverse, as their enrollments increasingly include minority and low-income students”. Similar to a public school, private schooling have their low, medium and upper class students.

“We concluded that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate, but equal’ has no place.” Education effects society. How we judge people is based on what we have been taught. There are 61 million kids are not enrolled in some sort of schooling. Education also helps with the health of others, if you are born to a mother with an education then you are 50% more likely to live past the age of five.