It is clear from reading the two essays that both Michel Moore and Professor X's writings are heavily influenced by their backgrounds. Their message and style reflect how their experiences have altered their views. Michael Moore who grew up disliking school and never being motivated by it, believes that the school system needs a vast overhaul in order to increase what he sees as a sub par intelligence in America's youth. His research has dug up statistics that show by his standards a lack of education in the people who make up the country and those that run it(government figures).
Meanwhile Professor X is forced to deal with the bottom percentile of college students. Those that, for the most part, shouldn't be there. This causes almost a sense of despair for him as well as sympathy for his students. As a whole though his views on intelligence seem to be more towards his students rather than America as a whole.
In America one's expectations for the quality of education a child will receive from the public school system depends on location. The quality of the area where the children live generally dictates the quality of the school, its teachers, its supplies and its education. From college one can expect a universal quality education but still with varying degrees depending on the prestige of the university. It makes sense for them to be different because you are paying for a college education and the quality of educators present is better. In that sense then expectations should be different. As many people say, you get what you pay for. This doesn't mean that the public school system should be expected to fail you though, because low expectations will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, while expectations should be different, Americans still need to expect and demand a quality education for their children through the public school system.
Both essays reflect a condescending view on the intelligence of America, however, the different backgrounds of the authors change the degree of condescension.
Moore was raised by a valedictorian mother, was taught to read very early, and because of these advantages, was bored in school. This lead to him becoming the School Board President at eighteen and perhaps his many other successes later in life. Because of his higher "status," Moore is more harsh on our "idiot nation."
Professor X, on the other hand, holds a lower position, that is not prestigious and he holds no great awards. Because he also struggles (finding a second job) and works closely with the average American, he is more sympathetic towards the Ms. L, which is why his attitude is not as harsh, but more understanding towards the intelligence of America.
According to Moore, high school/the public school system is an "inmate holding pen." It's filled with "burned out teenagers," bad administrative faculty, etc. College according to Professor X entails more work. They should be different from another because one must pay to go to college, while it is required to go to high school.
From Moore's "Idiot Nation", we, as readers, are able to get a glimpse of the tragic inner workings that occur in public schooling. We learned that they are tragically underfunded and because of this have gone to different extremes to gain money, including allowing companies exclusive rights to advertise to the children inside. For the price of $100,000, schools have allowed the students they are supposed to be educating into knowledgeable free thinking adults become the loyal name brand customers of the company who met this price. Public schools aren't as concerned about the education of the children but are more concerned with the money that is needed to stay running and are willing to get it anywhere. Thus we conclude not to expect too much from public education.
In college however, people should expect a lot more from education. Students have to pay their own money, or that of their parents anyway, in order to get an education. Because of this difference,college universities aren't struggling for money as public schools are and can devote time to seeing to the success of the students attending. Unfortunately for Professor X, there are some students like Ms. L who aren't cut out for college work even though they pay good money to attend. The way I see it though is these students knew they weren't cut out for college which is why they didn't attend college right after high school. They only came back "because they need to graduate" to get a better higher paying job or "because they need a passing college grade to recieve a tuition reimbursement from their employer". Most students however have what it takes and should expect more from their college education.
What really struck me while reading these two excerpts was the fact that teachers are indeed incredibly undervalued in society. Individuals who devote all of their time and efforts into educating today's youth should be given an undying amount of respect. However, in many cases, it is quite the opposite. Teachers are often disrespected and accused of being biased. Many students hold the mentality that they are undeservingly being given low grades, and place the blame on their teachers rather than themselves. Aside from that, teachers receive very low salaries, and schools are constantly having to deal with budget cuts. This may be why many public schools have invested money into big companies, such as Pepsi and Nike, in hopes of improving their own condition. Schools are also often blamed for providing an inadequate level of education. Although in some situations this may be the case, students and parents fail to realize their own lack of hard work. There is a striking difference between eastern and western beliefs in regards to learning. While Eastern countries believe that intelligence can be achieved through studying and dedication, Western countries hold that an individual is either born intelligent or not. In other words, the latter places much less faith in an individuals own efforts. This may be why students in America are falling behind Eastern nations such as China and Korea. I personally feel that that drive is missing, the intense desire to excel is often absent in this country. That is not to say that all Americans are lazy, not at all! There is still the other end of the spectrum, those like Ms. L who work very hard to perform well, but still fall short of the mark. Instead of placing individuals like these in challenging college classes, it is more logical to teach them the basics first. What indeed is the future of America's schools? I feel that more attention and money should be put into improving teaching establishments. However, students themselves also need to "wake up" and realize that success comes only to those who work for it. A more engaging atmosphere is needed in the classroom, with student actively participating. The same can be said for colleges. The problem does not necessarily lie in the schools and colleges themselves, but the way they are viewed and treated by society. If more respect and value can be placed on an education, there is a bright future for American schooling and students.
It is much easier for Michael Moore to discount the intelligence of Americans because he is an intelligent man. His writing style is very direct, and at times I questioned his facts. For example, when he discussed corporate influence in schools, he mentioned Coca-Cola and Pepsi advertisements, but he never once mentioned 'Got Milk?', which was the only advertisement in my high school cafeteria. And later he mentions the horrors of Channel One, a program that I watched in middle school. "But out of the daily twelve-minute Channel One broadcasts, only 20 percent of the airtime is devoted to stories...That leaves a whopping 80 percent for advertising, sports, weather, features, and Channel One promotions" (142). The advertisements that he is referring to mainly featured Smokey the Bear telling us not to start wildfires as well as Above the Influence commercials. His point that we need more government funding in schools and should keep advertising out is definitely valid, but his eagerness to prove his point seems to prevent him from giving his readers a well-rounded argument. Michael Moore is an intelligent man, and most likely spends most of his time with other intelligent people, and only glimpses the lesser-educated part of the country through his writing. I got the impression that while he blames the government for the problems with our education system and sympathizes with the plight of teachers (both of which I strongly agree with), he does not really understand how difficult it is when the education system does fail you.
Professor X is also smart, but he deals more directly with the forty-four million American functional illiterates, which influences him to believe that those not prepared for college should not attend. "No one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass" (241). His opinion stems from viewing the effects of America's failing education system, and addressing the flawed logic of the idea that students should be expected to go to college after failing to be prepared for college beforehand. Professor X's dealings with students who do not have the necessary set of skills to pass his class have led him to believe that the jobs these students want may not require college degrees. While I disagree in part, I understand the frustration he must face when he is forced to fail the students who are really being failed by American education and the "gulf between academia and reality" (241).
One should expect more from the public education system than what currently exists. One should expect proper government funding to keep textbooks relevant and ceilings from dripping. I am a proud recipient of a public school education--but I am from a relatively well-off suburban neighborhood of Chicago. I don't know what it's like to be in a poor school district, but I have seen them on the news and I know that something has to change. I think everyone has the right to expect good teachers who care about students. Colleges are better funded because you pay to go, so that education should be a step up from public school, but public schools should prepare students to get there. Money isn't the key to happiness, but it probably is the key to improving education in America.
I think the backgrounds of the authors, Michael Moore and Professor X, directly affect the way they view the intelligence of Americans. One is a liberal extremist and the other is a college teacher interacting every day with “American intelligence.” Michael Moore condemns students, faculty, the government and parking for the reasons why America is so dumb. Remember, this coming from a guy who dropped out of college because he couldn’t find a parking spot for a test. I guess walking an extra block or two is just to hard, get him a Twinkie. His background is in making radical judgments about issues that are going on in current politics and policies. He is great at boiling peoples blood, e.g. Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko. Michael Moore is not what I would say is an “intelligent” person. He just does, well he has the people that work for him do, enough research to make a point on a topic and blow it out of proportion and stamp a liberal taste on it. Professor X has somewhat of the same view just with less of an annoying ring to it. He is a teacher that deals with the American intelligence daily, in his geographical area. I don’t really think he blankets what he feels over the entire United States, but he does feel that there are people that should go to college and some that shouldn’t. Like Ms. L, he knew she was going to have trouble with the assignment before she even started it but still tried, a little, to help her. He didn’t say that doing badly on the assignment was a sign that she wasn’t intelligent, just that she wasn’t ready for entry-level college courses. Professor X is an intelligent person, an English professor at more than one college, and deals with both sides of intelligent people, the highly capable and incapable. The expectations of the public school system should be higher than they are, or at least schools shouldn’t be holding onto books from when the school opened in the 1870’s, students shouldn’t have to sit on benches in large gymnasiums because the school is to crowded and the teaching staff shouldn’t be let go to use their positions to have sex with underage kids. But as for now that is what you can expect in some public schools around the United States. Colleges on the other hand you see books that are up to date or there is the ability to get those books with a minimal wait time, facilities are up to date with newer classrooms, computers and software, and teachers are there to help the students learn and move toward the life after schools is over, work. The difference between the two comes with the amount of funding available for both. Public schools have limited funding. People that don’t directly work in the schools and determine whether or not an extensive amount of their budget should be put toward that problem set them. Colleges on the other hand have the money to move toward projects that need to be upgraded. That money is assigned by people that work directly with the single school and not with 12,000 schools all around a state.
The author’s previous experiences largely influence their perspective on American intelligence. For instance, in Michael Moore’s narrative “Idiot Nation” he explains that while in school he “was bored beyond belief” (133) because he was more advanced than the other students and this twelve year negative event influenced him the rest of his life. This “dislike” (133) of school not only affected his own life, such as dropping out of college, but it also reflects his view on American intelligence. Michael Moore blames the education system and the people who fund it for the lagging intelligence of the American population. Michael Moore also had some very positive influences from the teachers who taught at his schools when he was younger. In first grade, his teacher recognized how smart he was and tried to get him into second grade. In addition, Michael Moore describes one of his principles as being “kind and generous” (135). Rather than blame the teachers who “are the politicians’ favorite punching bag” (135), he blames the American Government for America’s intelligence problem because they never give the public education system enough money. Michael Moore’s positive experiences with his educators influence his own perspective on who is the culprit in this critical situation. Professor X, on the other hand, gives very little background information about himself in his narrative “In the Basement of the Ivory Tower”. One of the few things you can discern from the text is that he has gone to school succeeded, now teaches part time English at community college and that he “loves trying to convey to a class [his] passion for literature,” (240). Despite his high level of education, Professor X’s outlook toward the intelligence in America is that some people just aren’t cut out for college and that “remarkably few of [his] students can do well in these [remedial college] classes.” (240). Professor X has a problem with the fact that “no one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass.” (241) which in and of itself is the problem. There appears to be a social standard, whether it be “financial” (241) or “social optimism” (241) which says college is a must for everyone. It is apparent based on the given facts that both authors are influenced by their pasts.
I believe that Michael Moore's experience in the school system has a major influence on his outlook on American Intelligence. The fact that he could not find any personal enjoyment in his learning caused him to become disengaged with the material he was supposed to learn. However, as disinterested as he may have been while in school he still managed to learn everything that he needed to learn in order to become successful. The problem that the school system faced as a collective whole was keeping him in a state where he was learning something challenging everyday instead of just cruzing by with ease. I find that this situation occurs way too many times in our educational system. As a result, students begin to drop out because they feel as if they are not learning anything or vise versa- not learning anything at all. I believe that this is where our professors and teachers fall into fault. The teachers and professors are supposed to try and convey their enthusiasim to their students with the hope that their students will become more interested in the class. In the story, "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower", you can conclude that the main character is a professor who loves teaching literature ans strives to convey his excitment to his students so that they too feel the same way. He takes an approach that simply says that not every student is meant to go to college despite the way the professor may or may not teach the class, and that not every should be pushed into going to college. He also believes that there is a bigger problem in the school system that has to do with admitting too many students in a class that are not qualified to take the class in the first place. Their past play a huge role in the way that they view American Intelligence wether it is a a social standard that deal with finances or social optimism. Some people feel students need to go to college to survive, but these guys have two very different outlooks on wether or not that is necessary.
Backgrounds are a starting ground but not a path you cannot change. Professor X has formed his life upon a completely different view of the world than Michael Moore's. He works at a community college where students go solely for the degree and not for the gain of knowledge. This injects people of no desire or wit into his life who can barely read and write yet they are attempting to pursue a college degree. Theses people are simply just not smart and cannot cope with the modern world and his response so this is grief. Michael ,on the other hand, was raised in a family who taught him how to read by the age of four and where school was a main part of his life (even though he was bored). From here he proceeded onto to college where he dropped out but realized a completely different set of people he calls "idiots." He shows how more than half of the students who go to Harvard failed a high school level exam and how this relates into politics. He shows that even though you may have a fancy college degree to wave around you may not have any common sense.
Public schools should be completely different than college. For public schools there is some variety in classes but it is a foundation for the future and you may not know what's best for you right at that instance. In college you have the opportunity to select your own path which by this time you are ready for. In both, however, we should expect challenges in order for us to earn by overcoming them instead of just a simple route where we never go out of our comfort zone.
While both authors argue adamantly for their position on the status of higher education in America, I recognize that they are affected by their background and the context in which they grew up (particularly Michael Moore). This is less of a bias in the standard sense and more of a background that brought the situation to their attention while it is overlooked by others.
Michael Moore is clearly affected by his background; he outlines his education and the incidents in which he found himself to clearly illustrate to his audience that his current views are based upon the events of the past. Again, I want to stray away from the conventional term "biased", as he still repeatedly cites facts to support his argument. His background serves the purpose of getting him emotionally involved in the issue. For this reason, I would say that Moore's background is what motivates him to speak out against both education in America and the inferior intelligence standards for American citizens.
Professor X's background is also an important factor to consider. As an English teacher, he has firsthand experience with a wide range of students. This allows him access to primary material for his argument - that many students coming out of high school simply aren't ready for college. Similarly to Moore, this background affects his judgment less than it allows him to cite examples of his arguments and interact with the situation directly.
One should expect two different things from the public school system and college because of one crucial difference: funding. Students aren't paying $20,000 a year to go to high school, and because of the regular neglect that the public school system receives from the federal government, you should expect what you pay for. One of the primary examples of this is the disparity between Michael Moore's description of his high school and Professor X's description of his college campus. Moore describes the thousands of schools across the country that are in such poor condition that students can no longer be there for safety reasons. In contrast, Professor X describes his college campus as "[a] quite haven of ornate stonework and columns, Gothic Revival archways, sweeping quads, and tidy Victorian scalloping" (238). There is an obvious difference between the quality of the high school campuses and the college campus described here.
One should also expect different standards from the kind of work that teachers will accept. When Professor X describes the woman who simply could not write a coherent paper, he says that her writing probably passed as a C in high school, but the college expectations of her writing ability were brutally honest and she instead received a failing grade. This is no new concept, however; there are tens of thousands of cases of students expecting to be overly qualified for their first college classes and their midterm grades are a brutal letdown.
One should expect different things from public education and college, as the only similarity between the two is that you go there to learn. Everything else has been clearly indicated by these two authors to be vastly different in each setting. Simply by the definition of the two, one should expect a huge difference between public education and college; after all, you get what you pay for.
The difference in opinions of the two authors is dictated by the different environments the two men are exposed to on a daily basis. Moore includes points that are insightful and full of facts centered mostly around who is to blame for the education deficit and the hypocritical nature of most critics who can’t answer the questions that they claim as basic information upon exiting high school such as the Iliad and the Odyssey example (p 131). Moore places the blame for an “Idiot Nation” not on the students or teachers, but rather the lack of proper equipment needed to succeed in learning. Although Moore is undisputedly an expert on the topic of America’s education, (or, based on his argument, lack thereof) he has little current personal experience with the education system. Professor X on the other hand, deals with people going through his classes every day. This personal touch is evident in his description of the struggles of college for the students he teaches. Professor X does not place blame on any group of people for the natural struggles some people have with college. Instead he simply discusses the sad truth that although the opportunity to better oneself through college is available to everyone, not everyone is cut out and well prepared to better themselves. There is certainly a difference in college to previous schooling which should exist due to the difference in opportunities available between public school and college. The biggest difference is this availability of opportunities as well as expectations of both what is expected of the student, and what the student can expect to gain. Based on Moore’s article, a public school system can be expected to prepare a student the best possible, although not sufficiently due to lack of funding, for college. College, however, due to tuition payments, does not have this lack of funding. Naturally, due to a higher availability of resources, higher benefits and opportunities can be expected from college.
Michael Moore in Idiot Nation and Professor X in In the Basement of the Ivory Tower condemn the actions of outside influences for the public school system’s inability to provide for its students.
Moore first targets politicians as a negative outside influence. He confronts politicians for blaming teachers for the education problem and states “…the vast majority [of teachers] are dedicated educators who have chosen a profession that pays them less than what some of their students earn selling Ecstasy…”(135). Here, he questions the average annual pay—typically determined by state government--of a teacher, $41,135 (136). He then continues to attack politicians, specifically Richard Nixon and his administration for the change to “block grants” (138), for their decisions to cut funding to public schools and their libraries. “Kids deprived of access to good libraries are also being kept from developing the informational skills they need to keep up in the workplace”(137). Overall, Moore shows that political decisions cause the public school system’s deficiency in skilled teachers and resources like libraries.
Moore then identifies parents as a hindrance for school systems. He describes his beginning experience with school as “…bored beyond belief (133).” But when Sister John Catherine tries to alleviate his boredom by moving him to the second grade, Moore’s mother intervenes. Her worry that Moore would “…always be the youngest and littlest kid in class…(133)” prevented the school from educating Moore as a gifted individual instead of the standard student.
Professor X, in In the Basement of the Ivory Tower, blames authorities in career fields for the problems in public education. He says, “My students take English 101 and English 102 not because they want to but because they must (239).” The enrollment to college is not always driven by the individual but instead to “…become police officers… (239)“ or by necessity for “…municipal employees who require college-level certification to advance at work (239).” Professor X shows that he will continue to fail a student that essentially fits the description that, “…college is not for him…(246)” because the student’s motives are driven by certain authorities outside of the education system.
Since Moore mostly talks about high school in his piece and Professor X mostly about college in his, we can see that our expectations of the public school system and college cannot vary drastically. As identified, outside forces and influences hinder the success in both of these institutions. Therefore, I have started to consider that maybe the question is not what we can expect from the school system or college, but, perhaps, what can we expect from society?
Michael Moore has a very negative view of schooling based on his background. As a child who was placed in a lower grade than he deserved he grew bored with schooling and from that point on all he could see were the many faults in American education. By placing him below his true level all he could see were "idiots" who did not have as high an intelligence as he did. Because he grew bored with schooling and didn't have to put in any effort, he dropped out of college the second he had to do something challenging that is finding a parking place.
Professor X also sees American education as flawed, he has to deal with the aftermath of public school's problems. As a professor for night classes for college students who are not prepared for higher level education, he realizes that public school does not do a good enough job at teaching the students basic skills needed for an entry level college class. However, because Professor X is a part of the educational system he seems to have more sympathy than Moore for the failed student.
From the public school system, students should be able to expect a basic education that is good enough to prepare them for college. And students should expect something different from college. From college, students expect an in-depth education that goes beyond the basics and prepares them for a higher level career. As many of the people above me have mentioned, college is something you pay for and as such the college must provide you with an education worth its tuition. But also, college is voluntary. Because students are not mandated by the government to attend college the way they must go through some public schooling the classes should be deeper than they are in the public school system. In public schools teachers have to be able to provide a broad education to many different types of students, some who may be interested in a specific subject but also some who think that the exact same subject is extremely boring. In college, the professors are teaching a class of students who chose to pay for that specific class because the students want to learn more about that subject for their future career or simply because it interests them. We should still expect a good education from public schooling but from college we should expect an even better and more in-depth education.
After reading both "Idiot Nation" by Michael Moore and "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" by Professor X, it is clear that both of their backgrounds had a big influence on the way they each view America's intelligence.
Moore made it clear from the very beginning that the education system has many flaws that are mind boggling to him. Although Moore never went to college, it is evident how wise he is, especially in the subject of education. His personal experience with the school system helped to mold his view as to why it was so terrible, and he blames politicians for this. He brings up how hypocritical they are because they blame America's "stupidity" on teachers when education is really at the bottom of their list and they haven't made any drastic changes to fix the issues themselves when they are the ones with all the power.
Professor X's background also includes first hand experience with the school system and the way it is run. In the large scheme of things, most students are taking a course because it is required in order to get on with what they came to college to do. However, he realizes how unprepared most of his students are due to the lack of general education they received in the public school system. Professor X should not be expected to re-teach his college students what they should have learned previously and he should not be held at fault for that.
One should expect much different from the public school system than what is happening currently. High school should be a stepping stone into college rather than having to re-learn general education in the beginning of college. The students should expected to already have a general idea of the subjects they have taken before but are now taking at a higher level. College should be a time to learn more in depth about certain subjects and high school should prepare students with the basic knowledge in order for them to do just that.
Both Michael Moore and Professor X have similar views regarding the American school system; both are not very optimistic or approving and both of their backgrounds influence these similar opinions.
Michael Moore began criticizing American education as soon as he was not allowed to move on to a higher grade level, because he was too intelligent for his own grade. Since then, throughout his life he constantly disagreed with his various schooling systems, which eventually led to his drop-out in college. He had always felt superior and more intelligent than those around him.
Professor X on the other hand, shares similar views as Moore, although his views are consequences of his profession: teaching nearly illiterate college students the basics of college english. He are experiencing first hand the illiteracy and unintelligence of American students. Professor X goes on to question whether certain professions or people would be different if they had basic understandings of certain works of literature, such as a police officer being familiar with Invisible Man.
I believe we cannot expect the same things from public high school, versus college. Although both are optional to students, I believe only college is true option for students to attend. And as seen in "In The Basement Of the Ivory Tower," college is not for everyone- for some, they barely make it through high school, and then it's on to work a job that doesn't require post-secondary education. Therefore I think we should expect more from the public school system- to prepare these kids who don't go on to college for the real world. To educate police officers on Invisible Man. There is a different expectation for college because college is generally for students who WANT to be there. Who are looking for major careers.
The backgrounds of the two authors greatly affect their views on the intelligence of America. Moore believes that the education systems in America are inadequate due to the government not providing teachers and schools with the proper resources and tools they need to produce successful students. He blames the lack of student and teacher success on the political leaders. This belief is ironic to me because he is a college drop-out simply because he could not find a parking spot on a busy day. He is blaming the lack of student success on politics, yet he did not even find the motivation in himself to get to class on that busy day and further his college career. In that moment, HE was in charge of his success and he chose to leave school. No doubt, Moor seems to be quite intelligent because of his early ability to read and the increase in grade levels for a short time. He also seems to provide an extremely large amount of facts and studies to prove why America is an "Idiot Nation" due to politics and large corporations. His data partly influences me to believe that maybe the politicians are to blame. Yet, I still find it ironic to be reading an excerpt from someone who believes to be "above" all of this "nonsense," yet he couldn't finish college.
On the other hand, Professor X does not provide a whole lot of information to the reader in his writing, though you can conclude that he works at a community college full of students who are not anywhere near prepared for the work. He teaches an English class where his students are not mentally or physically prepared for the work load of college and the drive and motivation it takes to earn good grades. He recalls how some students can not even complete an intelligent sentence. He deals with "unintelligent" students on a daily basis, but he seems to be sincerely worried about them. He also recalls how he had to give a woman a bad grade on a paper because she did not choose the correct topic and could not write a college-level paper. Professor X seems to be genuinely disturbed by giving her this grade though, because he explains his sleepless nights thinking about the student. In my opinion, I believe that Professor seems to understand that not all students are at the same level of intelligence and that is due to their prior education in public schools. He does not pity the students, but merely understands their lack of intelligence. Ultimately, both Moore and Professor X seem to agree that the students of public schools are not educated accurately.
The quality of public schooling systems should be much greater. In a lower class setting, one can typically expect an underpaid teacher, attempting to educate students and encouraging them to be successful with a great lack of resources and tools. In a middle/higher class setting, the teachers still seem to be underpaid and are attempting the same educational process but have a larger amount of resources. From my personal experience in public schooling, the teachers seem to genuinely care about the students' success and growth. On the other hand, in college, from my little experience as a first-year college student, the professors seem to lack the skills that the high school/elementary school teachers seem to have. The teachers in public schools seem to really care about whether or not the students are truly understanding the material. You do not receive this same student-teacher connection with the professors in college. This is most likely because of the extremely large amount of students in each class. I really do believe that the colleges should still teach the way that public school teachers do. I really wish professors would teach with a passion and really engage the students in the material. For goodness sake, we are paying thousands of dollars to attend this university, I want a professor to really be interested in what they are teaching. I would have much rather paid for my 4 years of high school than college!
This is awesome, period. I seriously enjoyed reading this, good job :) It kinda sucks because you took everything I was thinking and perfected it! Awesome though.
I believe that one should be able to expect the public school system to prepare kids for any path they choose to take, one of which being college. However, I don't think that one actually can expect that from the public school system in it's present state, in some areas of the country. There are clearly some high schools that actually do meet the standards demanded of them by Michael Moore or Professor X, as evidenced by all the successful college students out there.
Michael Moore seems to set his standards and expectations for the public school systems extremely high, and I suspect he does this just to make his commentary more shocking as the school systems fail spectacularly to meet his standards. For instance he places such a huge emphasis on his little pop quizzes of academic trivia to show how terrible the schools are doing as well as how stupid everyone he tests is. This is a ridiculous method that all but guarantees the failing results he seeks as I sincerely doubt anyone, including Mr. Moore himself, could name which African countries have a lower infant mortality rate than Detroit without having researched that specifically. I would discount much of his argument simply due to the extremist nature of the essay, however he does make an actual point about the lack of funding for schools being a government issue. This is really the issue that underlays the whole problem. If the schools had the money, they could meet anyone's expectations, no matter how high. So to tie up my thoughts on Michael Moore's expectations of the school system, i believe that he is simply being an extremist in his views on the school system because that is what he does for a living. His perspective on America is skewed violently because of this.
Professor X draws his perspective and expectations of the school system from actual first hand experience with the failings of said system. His experience lends credibility to his views. He is biased to cynicism though because of his teaching the bottom feeders of the college system. One has to wonder how his essay would have changed if he taught an honors class, or even just a regular college class as opposed to his night class of irregulars. He seems to expect perfect results from the public schools, when in reality any system of any type has a certain percentage of failure. Not everyone can be fully prepared for college by high school. One also has to wonder how much is the fault of the individuals as opposed to the schools. Would I be the student I was if I went to a run-down, poorly funded school? Would you? This is something else we should consider in the equation.
Both authors perspectives are skewed towards the negative from their negative experiences with the failings of students, in Professor X's case, or their extremist views on everything, which is Michael Moore. As a nation we should expect people to be adequately prepared for life after high school, but nothing is perfect and that has to be kept in mind.
In "Rereading America," Michael Moore blames the politics behind our education system for America's apparent lack of intelligence, by emphasizing that education is not on the priority list of our Nation's leaders. However, I didn't sense any arrogance is his tone, nor do I think he's mocking the average American IQ; however, he does point out ironies such as the news reporter who blamed teachers for student’s lack of knowledge about The Iliad and The Odyssey, when the reporter himself didn't even know. Furthermore, according to Moore, any lack of teaching on their part is probably a result of budget cuts and low wages. After reading his essay, I interpreted his overall message to Americans as "educate yourself." On the other hand, "Professor X," had a more empathetic tone in his essay "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower." He can relate to his students, and acknowledges the fact that they are there, just as he is with hopes to get ahead in life. In regard to the second question, I don't think it's a matter of expectation necessarily, but instead the amount of effort one is willing to put forth into their education.
Our personal experiences and endeavors greatly impact our perspective on life and the way in which we approach it. It is from these individual events and obstacles that our world- view is shaped. It is almost impossible to be unbiased about a given topic or issue due to the fact that we can usually relate our opinion back to a previous experience. I think that it is quite evident that both Michael Moore and Professor X were significantly influenced by their backgrounds. Michael Moore was raised in a rather privileged setting where he was given the proper means to receive a fulfilling education. He was bored in school having been taught to read at an earlier age and engage in learning from a more advantageous status. I think that his upbringing contributes to his harsh criticism of our government and political figures. It seems as if his education and experience in a higher status family has enabled deep critical thought and often extremely harsh criticism of our nation as an entity. Professor X contrasts heavily with Michael Moore as he deals with the lower end of college students. He evokes a sense of sympathy and empathy rather than harsh criticism. He appears to be compassionate and it seems like he understands the troubles and trials of the common man in America. Moore describes the public school system consisting of burned out teenagers and bad faculty. Public education should have high expectations for their students but the problem most primarily lies in the funding. Many areas that are economically suffering lack the proper funds to provide a rich education. Unfortunately, location drives a large part of what level of education students receive. With the proper funding, a school can hire excellent teachers, rich curriculum, and the proper learning environment for each student. The University and college level however should meet higher standards not only because of the level and degree of learning but also because of the criticalness of its effectiveness. Without excellent higher education, individuals cannot obtain prestigious positions and excel in the work force. There needs to be an emphasis on the importance of providing students with the proper education in higher learning institutions and strive to surpass these expectations!
Both authors seem to be extremely bitter about the education of America. One, (Michael Moore) tends to have a more cynically liberal tone, the other a more mellow sarcastic one. Moore’s background, a college dropout film activist, makes the argument that America needs to spend less time gawking at our poor test scores, and conjuring up ways to improve them, and spend more time integrating knowledge about our history, politics, world geography, etc. He feels that we are putting our energy into the wrong places. (Kids today are more likely to know who Snooki is than when the civil war took place) He states that many of us are not in fact ‘idiots’, but we care more about pointless pop culture than how we are being educated or even governed. Professor X’s background, an underpaid nighttime college professor, influences his opinions because he sees how certain students force themselves into debt for information they will not use for their future occupations. They are paying for classes they are forced to take, and the result is boredom.
Our expectations in the United States for public school are not highly merited ones. Many students dread high school because it’s been set up in such a way that what we learn is forced. It occurs too often that the teachers are just as uninterested in being present as the students are. As Moore indicated, the teachers are incredibly under appreciated, under paid, and have terrible budgets thanks to a continuously neglected system since Nixon was in office. Our expectations for college in our current society is not necessarily that much greater than public school. However, we find more students who truly want to be in college because of the investment. That does not mean that there is still a great number of people who landed in college. They have been pressured by society, their parents, grandparents, etc. Professor X said it himself, “Telling someone that college is not right for them seems harsh and classist.” It’s like it’s the only option. Even though landing in debt is a common issue, financial aid makes college seem much more doable when going into the ‘investment’ Our expectations for college and for public school should be different because we are personally budgeting the professors salaries, but doesn’t automatically mean that they are. College today seems to be the new high school.
At first glance at the reading it may seem as if both authors background effect their views on the intelligence of America. Both authors are able to bring us different aspects of our education system. Professor x was able to bring us into the core of the education system through his experience as a teacher and from the outside view from an extremist college dropout, Michael Moore.
Michael Moore’s background in my opinion does not affect his view on the intelligence of America. People automatically assume that just because Michael Moore grew up disliking school and was always well advanced than the other students it affects his view on intelligence in the education system. Michael Moore is strongly against the education system because he is a very intelligent man and has an ideal view on how our system should be. I believe we need more people like Mr. Moore to actually help education advance. He’s seen and has experienced the education system himself. He examines how poorly our teachers are treated and yet still high expectations are wanted of them. Doesn’t that come as a shocker? It is not his background that affects his view on intelligence it is the people who are ignorant enough to budget cut education funding’s and still blame our (what should be treasured) educators.
Professor x on the other hand is a whole different story. In this case his background has a lot to do with his view on the intelligence of America. He has experience as a college professor in a college that in simple terms is not what you would call a great college. He explained it was just a place where most of his students just happened to land in. His view is clear that not everyone is cut out for college. He was able to experience how most students don’t care about their education and the success of their future. Professor x tells us the story about the older woman who was incapable of obtaining the skills to write at a college level. He explains that it pained him to fail the poor women but he already determined in the beginning she would not be able to pass. His inability to believe and encourage this woman affected her greatly. Teachers should be able to be an inspiration and motivation for students no matter what the circumstances. His past experience affects his view on intelligence and that in the future will affect his ability to be the encouraging teacher that he needs to be.
One should expect public schools located in suburban areas as high class schools. In the areas not so suburban one should expect the schools to be falling apart with textbooks from the middle ages. People pay to go to college so that allows most colleges to be in better shape than our public schools. They should not be different because every child should have the chance to obtain the proper education just like those high class children do. Our education budget cuts are taking away opportunities for those who dream of having a proper education.
Michael Moore made it quite evident that his background had direct influence on his views today as he mentioned this fact in the majority of his essay. His issues with education began at an early age when the recitation of the alphabet became almost too much to bear just as parking would about 10 or so years down the road. When he was denied access to the 2nd grade, he cursed the stupidity that he was forced to live with and those who enforced it. Thus, throughout his early years, Moore developed a superiority complex and difficulty with authority (starting his underground newspaper and running for school board president). Eventually, Moore would come to realize that it is primarily the government's fault for the stupidity of Americans and neither students nor teachers are always to blame. His belief is that the stupidity of the elite is cause for the stupidity of America as a whole, like the blind leading the blind. He graduated from teachers and now his beef is with the most authoritative power in the world; the American government (well, mainly just republicans/conservatives and big corporations). P.S. I will never forget where Kosovo is on a map so long as I shall live.
Professor X, or Charles Xavier as I like to think of him as, gave little background to himself other than what he experienced himself as a teacher. I'm sure the situation with Ms. L was one of many over his years of teaching. This most likely was a major factor in his development of his view on the intelligence of America. He believes that some people are just not qualified for college which is sad but true. He sympathizes with his students because he knows deep down that they are not stupid, they were just poorly educated.
There should be no difference between the public school system and college. Whether you pay for it or not, you should be offered the best possible education. You should expect to get a diploma from college that is your magical ticket to a decent paying job. The only thing you can really expect to get from public school is head lice. Otherwise public schools vary. Take my highschool for instance. You can probably expect to hook up with a teacher at some point during your 4 years there or get stabbed. No big deal. The point is, our expectations of public schooling have gotten so low that it is almost required for any job these days to have some form of post-secondary education because apparently there's no way you learned a darn-tootin thing in those there public schools. Other countries don't have the luxury of being lazy like we've had and have since passed us in almost every way. But we still kicked their butts in the Olympics, eh? Because when it comes down to it, all that matters is sports. Sports and nukes. Don't mess with us. The bottom line is, we need to get our priorities straight as a country and spend more on education. Actually, this is the bottom line.
Both of these reading were reverent to a very problematic reality that exists within this country’s education system. For years now, the hot topic at any political debate has been centered on how little funding schools receive from the federal government. Moore brings up some troubling truths that are hard to turn your head away from. One particular point Moore points out in Idiot Nation is the fact that some forty-four million Americans do not have the ability to read or write above a fourth grade reading level. To me, this was a very troubling statistic. Here we are, America, the most powerful county in the world and 15% of the nation is basically illiterate. Moore goes on to stipulate that it is not only American citizens that are brainless, but also America’s political leaders. While reading, this came as no surprise to me. I have been fully aware of the many scandalous, shady actions politicians are best known for such as lobbying and the dirty deals made behind closed curtains. Professor X’s accounts of teaching English 102 parallel many of Michael Moore’s arguments. He states that many students are simply not prepared for college level curriculum. The author directs blame at the American educational system stating that its standards are not strict enough at times. Students are barely passed off in high school which sets up the stage for failure later in college.
I believe that both Michael Moore and Professor X’s backgrounds largely contribute to their opinions on American intellect. As mentioned in Idiot Nation, Michael Moore had a problem with authoritative figures since his childhood, questioning all who tried to tell him what to do. Professor X’s life story told us about the countless students he had failed over the years and how many of these so called “college scholars” could not even construct a sentence properly. Most people would agree that a person is largely defined by his upbringing/background.
There are many problems with our public education system and I would love to see many changes both at the high school and college level. For one, America needs to put a higher priority on educational funding. As brought up in the readings, the condition of many American schools is less than adequate. Students should not be forced to use fifteen year-old books or sit in old broken desks. Also post-secondary education should not be nearly as expensive as it is. Due to a horrible job market and the massive cost of college tuition in America, college might not even be a good idea for some people. With no job and no way to pay off student loans, college can leave a person financially ruined. Every country has its faults and America is no exception. Luckily we have freedoms that allow us to openly discuss the problems of America and American society so that we can eventually reach some solution.
In my opinion Michael Moore’s background has influenced his views on the intelligence of America much greater than Professor X’s background. There were not nearly as many alarming details from Professor X’s background that contributed to his views on the intelligence of America rather than Michael Moore’s article which included his thoughts from first starting school until the end of his schooling experience. From the actions Michael Moore took during the years he attended school and how the school legislators handled it, i think Moore has good reasoning to voice his opinion about how people in charge are not the more intelligent ones. On the other hand, Professor X has lived by the rules, books, and school, and then happened to become a school teacher. Professor X’s voice about intelligence is rounded from who does well in school and how they succeed in school. From the public school system the expectations should not be high; even though the schools are funded by the state, not nearly enough money is given to schools. The main problem public schools are suffering from now is how they are going to pay for the necessities, not how to better the school programs. Both public schools and colleges have given into advertising companies while teaching; therefor electronics are used in the majority of classes. I think it is acceptable for colleges to have advertisements in some cases only because an older age group attends college and should be able to still concentrate on the educations aspect of school not the outside advertisements. Exposing younger children to commercials and company advertisements not related to classes is distracting and is not fulfilling the purpose of why children attend school.
The background of each of the authors does in fact effect the point of view provided for each essay. Personal experience will always have a large impact on one's opinion. For the case of public schools, the education provided is not expected to be top of the line. It is assumed that teachers of a public school are expected to deal with a larger variety of students, a low government-provided income, and an array of other issues connected to low income with high class numbers. Teachers in public schools are not always the top candidate for the teaching position. Public schools search for solutions to an overpopulated school, and find themselves hiring teachers just to amend the problem. I am not completely sure but I believe I heard teachers only have to receive a "C" to pass a class and earn their degree to teach; even if it is their subject of expertise (-_-). Though this is not the discussion, I do not believe a private school, with high standards, would higher a teacher with poor history in a subject he or she is offering to teach. A public school, however, may not have the choice to reject the possible candidate. In the topic of a university the instruction should be of far greater standards, and offer greater resources than that of a public school. From current experience the greater resources has in fact proven greater, as well as the instruction. The genuine enthusiasm per subject is questionable but not all educators are created equal.
Both authors have problems with the current state of the educational system in the U.S., but concerning different parts. Moore, a notoriously opinionated director, targets the quality of the primary and secondary education structures, while Professor X bemoans the state of collegiate education, specifically that for adults. The difference in their backgrounds translates easily into the different styles with which they write. Moore, being a Hollywood man, is very up-front, using sensationalistic writing modes and ALLCAPS to make his point, spending the entirety of the excerpt very much up in the face of his audience. X, speaking instead from a position of authority within the post-secondary system, takes much more care for the structure of his argument, as well as respect for the stakeholders. So here we have X, who respects even the most incompetent of his writers, and does not consider their intelligence in strong terms, although he does imply that there is a definite lack of intellectual rigor in both his adult students and the normal college population of "beer pongers and facebookers" (That isn't actually a quote); We also have Moore, who loads opinions for a living, using very direct and strong language for what he thinks of the average American's intelligence. He named his book "Idiot Nation", to use a rather direct example.
The question of what should be expected of education in light of these two passages is tricky. Moore argues that we should at very least expect our educational systems to be competent, if not being given the very same level of political and fiscal respect the defense sector is given. He also rails against the manner in which schools are administrated, arguing for less pressure on students concerning personal expression, or more for the dismantling of perceived injustices in the rules and policies of high schools in general. So the Moore standard that education is held to is a sort of learning space where the young are educated not only in facts but in how to freely and, more importantly, intelligently form opinions on important topics. He also wants this space to be free of influence from those who have their own selfish interests at heart, as he lays out in his diatribe against the various ways in which corporations advertise and in other manners ingratiate themselves into the public education system.
Professor X raises a much different lens on what should be expected of the educational system, in this case colleges. She sees the effects of a society that now places far too much weight in collegiate education, dealing with those that are not in college to prepare for life, but expect to advance through it by clocking in the hours. Society here is too much focused on college as a package, a retreat that you buy, for which you are rewarded advancement up the economic ladder. College-Level education is seen as just another prerequisite, just cobblestone on the percieved path to "the good life." but this is not what X implies we should expect college to be. We should, as he says, expect college to be a place of critical thought, deep and cutting investigation, and genuine engagement with the material at hand. There is no easy path to expect from college, but it should be a place where the motivated and, to be a little snobby, competent, are able to improve themselves and explore their interests, gaining the skills and experience necessary to contribute materially to the field in which their interests lie. At very least, they should expect to work and to think hard about what they're working on.
Both of the authors are very different. The first author from 'Idiot Nation' seems to think he knows it all just because his parents taught him how to read at the age of 4. As a result, he believes he's smarter than all the politicians, even though he's a college drop-out. He has a satrical voice when he portrays how ignorant politicians are and believes that we should praise teachers, not put them down. The second author is more humble because I believe she can relate. She is working a second job teaching the english classes and feels remorse for the people who she must fail because of their writing "deficits". In conclusion, the background of both authors affect how they view the intelligence of America at two ends of the spectrum.
I believe that one can expect a mediocre education from a simple class in the public school system. Although, the truth is that one can only get as much information as one wants. Which means that knowledge is there but you have to choose to seek it. College is a lot better because it's not free so expectations are higher of the student. I don't think anything should be different, the system is fine. Public school is relaxed so that teens can have fun and let it out of there system until college comes around and it's time to sit down and study.
Michael Moore has real dark expectations for public schools, but he does make some good points. One should expect the public schools to be their foundation of knowledge. It is to prepare kids for their future. Of course, the qualities of schools depend on location. Some schools are able to buy new books, desks, etc. While most schools at this time are not aren't able to afford new materials. For instance, Michael states, “Materials in many school libraries today date from the 1960s.” The reason for this is our government continues to cut funding for education. Even teachers’ salaries are being cut although they are teaching the children of America. On the positive side, the teachers at public schools are often more dedicated to their job because they definitely are not there for the outstanding paycheck. I mean with how the government is treating teachers you can expect some of them to hate their job and be a terrible teacher. Honestly, from my experience in public schools I actually had a great time. I mean my school was crap and all our materials were ancient, but it was the teachers that made everything great. They prepared me for my further education and it was their dedication that has led me to college today. So I would say you should expect the worst from public schools, but be happy you are getting an education because others are not as fortunate. Now for college you should have some higher expectations. Since kids all have to pay for college, the quality of education is much better. The materials are all up to date. The campuses are generally nice and are taken care of. There are also many resources available to get help. There are tons of clubs and sports available for everyone. Although it may be nicer, you should expect to work harder. You are paying to go to school to learn and should be prepared to do so. As an example, Professor X had some people in his classes that weren’t there to learn, they just needed a certain number of credits before they could get a raise. Also, the professors often have more people in their class so don't expect them to hold your hand throughout college. Professor X understands this concept that students need to be able to manage themselves. That’s why when Ms. L was having trouble figuring out a topic for her paper; he let her try to figure out one when he could have easily just given her one. To add, college isn’t for everyone. Some people need the education to get to the job they desire, but a lot of success is based on how you apply your knowledge in your daily life. Just look at Michael Moore, he dropped out of college and became a famous director because he had the talent to make his films. In the end, if you do attend college, you should just expect to prioritize your work well. My blog is example of bad prioritizing because I waited to finish my blog until now. I think the principles of both public schools and colleges are good as they are. Public schools do a great job getting you ready for college. I don’t have much experience with college, but there are tons of colleges that are dedicated to prepare you for just about every job. The only thing I would change is how we as a country prioritize our public education. I agree with Michael Moore that we are cutting too much money for education. I mean the schools are turning into a prison taking away all the materials kids need to learn. Michael also makes a good point saying that schools have to sell themselves out to companies just to get money. Class sizes have gone way up because of budget cuts. In some of my classes, we had 30-40 people. We need to focus more on public schools because they are the future generation. Colleges on the other hand, I feel they are good as they are. Since people have to pay tuition to attend, they have the funding for all the materials they need. The only thing is I wish that classes were smaller so you would have an easier time to get to know your professor and get help.
In Rereading America, Michael Moorse published a essay entitled "Idiot Nation", which expresses this opinion on how the American school system is failing and making the current generation illiterate zombies control by the media and television. He believes that school system is being neglected by our politicians and government. He states how the schools should be more heavily funded and provided better with teachers and environment for students. He even blames corporations for the downfall of the public school systems. He also discusses for universities are not where they should be.
Another article in Rereading America, Professor X writes about his students and how some of them are not right for college. He uses his some student terrible essays as examples on how the universities let any one in, even if they are unprepared for college.
The backgrounds of both authors views of the "Intelligence of America" were quite different with their career and life experiences, but those experiences brought them together with the same views of America, that it's full of students who aren't meeting the requirements and that the ones to blame aren't the teachers but the politics and higher authorities like mr. Moore had explained.
Mr. Moore is a great example of why America is not smart in their standardize testing score, why? Not because he like them but it's because most American aren't like him. You can say your average Genius, he was a curios, thrill seeker, loves challenges, and hated to be controlled. Even though a may sound like he's not studios, he still define what a person that seek knowledge is. Yes he drop out of college but not because he couldn't handle it but he just wanted to do things a different way that work for him. He didn't want to become insane like we are doing the same thing over again, he actually made a sane decision by leaving college and now he's a Oscar winner. He should be a motivation to many students.
With Professor X being a professor in a community college. He shared with us what a professor really sees every semester in a college, students who pay so much money for tuition but still can't succeed in a ENG 101 or ENG 102 class because their to busy with text messaging and Facebook. In my opinion I think things like Facebook or Twitter are really hurting students, yes I understand it's a faster way to communicate with people from a distance, but some people just use it to get like on their photos and show off their life with out really accompanying nothing in life because really their failing for being on that social network to long. Just saying. Back to Professor X. Another thing I like about Professor X was he shared with us what every professor sees F's and how they really feel about them. Like X explained at some points he felt bad and wanted to help ms. L but he just couldn't because he knew if he did that little favor she will never be able to succeed. In my opinion sometimes failing is good when trying to become excellent at it, that way you can be sane and not repeat the same mistake again. So I believe that's why professor X was trying to imply by not giving her a passing grade. Hard Love.
• I think we can expect a change that will bring students to be more interactive with their studies in school, like they are with fact about sport statistics. I will hope high school students can get a hold of text books like the one we are reading now in this assignment, that way they can jump ahead and really know what college is expecting of them when they reach this level. Also I think the way teachers and student interact should be different too, what mr. Moore said about the teachers in high school some times loose faith on their student is highly true make it difficult for some students to have faith in them self. I agree some are inspiration to students. One more thing that I dislike was how student were being used as walking advertisements for SODA! I didn't like that at all. So definitely I think soda must go from every school that's from K-12, that way we can cut down some caffeine addicts down and also a couple of pounds that students gain from consuming these products.
After reading both "Idiot Nation" by Michael Moore and "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" by Professor X, you could tell that their backgrounds affected how they thought about our education system.
Mr. Moore came off as kind of rude and bitter, but you could also see where he was coming from and why he was upset as the reading went on. He's a college dropout which i think really defined him as a person. It seems like he's out there to prove himself, that he's not an idiot and is in fact very intelligent. He makes many great points and some weak and highly questionable ones as well. His main focus though is on the lack of focus on education, coming from the government. His message of government accountability would probably have been much more convincing had he not lacked the simple motivation to go take his final and graduate college.
I think in Professor X's situation he has the true first-hand experience with his job as an English teacher to judge our youth. However, as he states, he sees the students whom the education system has failed them. The kids that are just not yet ready to move on to a whole different level. His views were greatly affected by the saddening amount of unmotivated people that came through his classes. It definitely shaped the way he thinks about the education system and especially the bottom percentile of students who he thinks should just not go to college.
I believe that the public school system is there to guide you and aide you into becoming a responsible adult whether or not you decide to go to college. At least I wish it did...College I believe is there for you to advance your knowledge and expand your skills to become a much more valuable part of society. People always say college is all about investing in your future and I believe that. however, if you’re not willing or don't think your capable of advancing your knowledge then don't invest your money in a schooling system you know you're going to fail out of. College is all up to yourself to decide if you want to do advance yourself, while public education you don't have a choice but to learn the essentials.
A major complication in seeking educational reform is that so many factors play into the effectiveness of an educational system. Even between two experts who have done research and have had personal experience with public schooling, the suggested fixes vary widely. Few agree on the right plan for fixing the public school system, so it may take quite a while for action to occur.
Michael Moore's interpretation is mostly associated with politics, with school policy, with the system. Colleges should not move their students through without teaching a foreign language, presidents should know proper grammar and be an example for students in the country, underfunded schools begin the year without crucial supplies or management (principals for example). He puts little emphasis on individual students because he believes the educational system itself should work for anyone who goes into it. This stems from his time as a mischievous student, making a mockery of his school rules and the system which forced them upon him. At that time he took himself out of the equation, focusing not on who was learning from the school, but who was doing the managing. It appears that that focus remained throughout his life.
Professor X on the other hand has the most experience with the school system as an educator. Therefore he sees not only the management of the school as a problem but simply the students who are allowed in. Had Moore been a professor I expect a similar viewpoint would have resulted. Seeing people who simply should not have been admitted to college does shine an unflattering light on the system which brought them there, but it also allows that individual people by their own merits, more accurately their lack thereof, fail themselves and are failed by their high schools.
In our idealistic American society, anyone should expect to go through the educational process and, having given their best, come out the other side a more intelligent, capable, worldly person able to tackle the challenges working life faces one with. Many factors could come into play when that does not happen, but all anyone can really do is try. Only a highly systematic analysis will ever reveal every problem, and solving them all will be an incredible undertaking. An overhaul like that is to be expected from the government, from school management, and from concerned citizens and students from the bottom up. These are the reforms people still wait for. Whether they come is paramount to maintaining American competitiveness in the global arena.
Michael Moore, a college dropout, the author of "Idiot Nation" states that most people in America use the teachers as the scape goat for the problems in education. Why is it that the teachers are the scape goats and why is it that if it isn't the teacher's fault, it is the politician's fault? If it is the politician's, then it is also the fault of every person that votes for him. The real reason for the burn out of teachers and the lack of proper education in this country rests solely on the shoulders of the students. If a student makes the decision that he or she will not learn the material presented, there is no teacher in the world that can force the child to learn. Professor X, the author of "In the Basement of Ivory Tower" has a backround of teaching at college-level classes. He believes that some students basically can't take college courses and will drop out of colleges.
I agree with VladMatveyev. I believe what he's trying to convey is that this whole thing is a cycle, we are the people who vote for the politicians and leaders who help run our city and towns. They are the people who help build schools and hire the educational mentors for our kids and students. I do somewhat believe that Michael Moore and Professor X somewhat contradicts each other in a way because one author is a college drop out psychologically talking about his own life but in a third person point of view faulting it on the teachers itself. The professor X, another author of the "Ivory Tower" is a college level professor who teachers college level courses, talks about how some kids/students aren't able to take courses because its just not for them.
Both Michael Moore and Professor X care about one thing and that knowledge. The only difference in this is that Michael Moore focused more on the fundamentals of the schools system rather than the students. He talked about how parents should cherish teachers more for their hard work and dedication to help their children grown as young adults, or the fact that the parents don’t motivate them to go to school. Just like in his case when he was thought how to read before he went to first grade and the school tried to place him in second and his mother didn’t approve. Then later on his school years when he first started high school he felt that they were not teaching him how to be smart. They were teaching him how to act like a robot, “Do this, don’t do that, tuck your shirt in, wipe that smile off your face, where’s you hall pass, THAT’S THE WRONG PASS! YOU- DETENTION! (134.Idiot Nation). Moore also focused on how teachers were getting paid less then what they should be getting paid. To make things clear Moore was focusing in High school level not college. Sense he dropped out of college when he could find a parking lot space. With to me is and unreasonable excuse. In the other hand Professor X focused more on the students. Sense he teaches in college he realizes that many students that are there are not really there. Sense their major’s are required to take his classes they look bored and become tired. He doesn’t really blame the system like Michael Moore did he blames the students. They are wasting their money to achieve their goal in life and yet they take it for granted. “Everyone wants to triumph. But not everyone can – in fact, most cant. If they could, it wouldn’t be any kind of a triumph at all”. Professor X is truly right it’s not the school, or the parents better yet the government. When a student wants to achieve in their life they find a way to do so.
It is clear from reading the two essays that both Michel Moore and Professor X's writings are heavily influenced by their backgrounds. Their message and style reflect how their experiences have altered their views. Michael Moore who grew up disliking school and never being motivated by it, believes that the school system needs a vast overhaul in order to increase what he sees as a sub par intelligence in America's youth. His research has dug up statistics that show by his standards a lack of education in the people who make up the country and those that run it(government figures).
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile Professor X is forced to deal with the bottom percentile of college students. Those that, for the most part, shouldn't be there. This causes almost a sense of despair for him as well as sympathy for his students. As a whole though his views on intelligence seem to be more towards his students rather than America as a whole.
In America one's expectations for the quality of education a child will receive from the public school system depends on location. The quality of the area where the children live generally dictates the quality of the school, its teachers, its supplies and its education. From college one can expect a universal quality education but still with varying degrees depending on the prestige of the university. It makes sense for them to be different because you are paying for a college education and the quality of educators present is better. In that sense then expectations should be different. As many people say, you get what you pay for. This doesn't mean that the public school system should be expected to fail you though, because low expectations will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, while expectations should be different, Americans still need to expect and demand a quality education for their children through the public school system.
Both essays reflect a condescending view on the intelligence of America, however, the different backgrounds of the authors change the degree of condescension.
ReplyDeleteMoore was raised by a valedictorian mother, was taught to read very early, and because of these advantages, was bored in school. This lead to him becoming the School Board President at eighteen and perhaps his many other successes later in life. Because of his higher "status," Moore is more harsh on our "idiot nation."
Professor X, on the other hand, holds a lower position, that is not prestigious and he holds no great awards. Because he also struggles (finding a second job) and works closely with the average American, he is more sympathetic towards the Ms. L, which is why his attitude is not as harsh, but more understanding towards the intelligence of America.
According to Moore, high school/the public school system is an "inmate holding pen." It's filled with "burned out teenagers," bad administrative faculty, etc. College according to Professor X entails more work. They should be different from another because one must pay to go to college, while it is required to go to high school.
From Moore's "Idiot Nation", we, as readers, are able to get a glimpse of the tragic inner workings that occur in public schooling. We learned that they are tragically underfunded and because of this have gone to different extremes to gain money, including allowing companies exclusive rights to advertise to the children inside. For the price of $100,000, schools have allowed the students they are supposed to be educating into knowledgeable free thinking adults become the loyal name brand customers of the company who met this price. Public schools aren't as concerned about the education of the children but are more concerned with the money that is needed to stay running and are willing to get it anywhere. Thus we conclude not to expect too much from public education.
ReplyDeleteIn college however, people should expect a lot more from education. Students have to pay their own money, or that of their parents anyway, in order to get an education. Because of this difference,college universities aren't struggling for money as public schools are and can devote time to seeing to the success of the students attending. Unfortunately for Professor X, there are some students like Ms. L who aren't cut out for college work even though they pay good money to attend. The way I see it though is these students knew they weren't cut out for college which is why they didn't attend college right after high school. They only came back "because they need to graduate" to get a better higher paying job or "because they need a passing college grade to recieve a tuition reimbursement from their employer". Most students however have what it takes and should expect more from their college education.
What really struck me while reading these two excerpts was the fact that teachers are indeed incredibly undervalued in society. Individuals who devote all of their time and efforts into educating today's youth should be given an undying amount of respect. However, in many cases, it is quite the opposite. Teachers are often disrespected and accused of being biased. Many students hold the mentality that they are undeservingly being given low grades, and place the blame on their teachers rather than themselves. Aside from that, teachers receive very low salaries, and schools are constantly having to deal with budget cuts. This may be why many public schools have invested money into big companies, such as Pepsi and Nike, in hopes of improving their own condition.
ReplyDeleteSchools are also often blamed for providing an inadequate level of education. Although in some situations this may be the case, students and parents fail to realize their own lack of hard work. There is a striking difference between eastern and western beliefs in regards to learning. While Eastern countries believe that intelligence can be achieved through studying and dedication, Western countries hold that an individual is either born intelligent or not. In other words, the latter places much less faith in an individuals own efforts. This may be why students in America are falling behind Eastern nations such as China and Korea. I personally feel that that drive is missing, the intense desire to excel is often absent in this country. That is not to say that all Americans are lazy, not at all! There is still the other end of the spectrum, those like Ms. L who work very hard to perform well, but still fall short of the mark. Instead of placing individuals like these in challenging college classes, it is more logical to teach them the basics first.
What indeed is the future of America's schools? I feel that more attention and money should be put into improving teaching establishments. However, students themselves also need to "wake up" and realize that success comes only to those who work for it. A more engaging atmosphere is needed in the classroom, with student actively participating. The same can be said for colleges. The problem does not necessarily lie in the schools and colleges themselves, but the way they are viewed and treated by society. If more respect and value can be placed on an education, there is a bright future for American schooling and students.
It is much easier for Michael Moore to discount the intelligence of Americans because he is an intelligent man. His writing style is very direct, and at times I questioned his facts. For example, when he discussed corporate influence in schools, he mentioned Coca-Cola and Pepsi advertisements, but he never once mentioned 'Got Milk?', which was the only advertisement in my high school cafeteria. And later he mentions the horrors of Channel One, a program that I watched in middle school. "But out of the daily twelve-minute Channel One broadcasts, only 20 percent of the airtime is devoted to stories...That leaves a whopping 80 percent for advertising, sports, weather, features, and Channel One promotions" (142). The advertisements that he is referring to mainly featured Smokey the Bear telling us not to start wildfires as well as Above the Influence commercials. His point that we need more government funding in schools and should keep advertising out is definitely valid, but his eagerness to prove his point seems to prevent him from giving his readers a well-rounded argument. Michael Moore is an intelligent man, and most likely spends most of his time with other intelligent people, and only glimpses the lesser-educated part of the country through his writing. I got the impression that while he blames the government for the problems with our education system and sympathizes with the plight of teachers (both of which I strongly agree with), he does not really understand how difficult it is when the education system does fail you.
ReplyDeleteProfessor X is also smart, but he deals more directly with the forty-four million American functional illiterates, which influences him to believe that those not prepared for college should not attend. "No one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass" (241). His opinion stems from viewing the effects of America's failing education system, and addressing the flawed logic of the idea that students should be expected to go to college after failing to be prepared for college beforehand. Professor X's dealings with students who do not have the necessary set of skills to pass his class have led him to believe that the jobs these students want may not require college degrees. While I disagree in part, I understand the frustration he must face when he is forced to fail the students who are really being failed by American education and the "gulf between academia and reality" (241).
One should expect more from the public education system than what currently exists. One should expect proper government funding to keep textbooks relevant and ceilings from dripping. I am a proud recipient of a public school education--but I am from a relatively well-off suburban neighborhood of Chicago. I don't know what it's like to be in a poor school district, but I have seen them on the news and I know that something has to change. I think everyone has the right to expect good teachers who care about students. Colleges are better funded because you pay to go, so that education should be a step up from public school, but public schools should prepare students to get there. Money isn't the key to happiness, but it probably is the key to improving education in America.
I think the backgrounds of the authors, Michael Moore and Professor X, directly affect the way they view the intelligence of Americans. One is a liberal extremist and the other is a college teacher interacting every day with “American intelligence.”
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore condemns students, faculty, the government and parking for the reasons why America is so dumb. Remember, this coming from a guy who dropped out of college because he couldn’t find a parking spot for a test. I guess walking an extra block or two is just to hard, get him a Twinkie. His background is in making radical judgments about issues that are going on in current politics and policies. He is great at boiling peoples blood, e.g. Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko. Michael Moore is not what I would say is an “intelligent” person. He just does, well he has the people that work for him do, enough research to make a point on a topic and blow it out of proportion and stamp a liberal taste on it.
Professor X has somewhat of the same view just with less of an annoying ring to it. He is a teacher that deals with the American intelligence daily, in his geographical area. I don’t really think he blankets what he feels over the entire United States, but he does feel that there are people that should go to college and some that shouldn’t. Like Ms. L, he knew she was going to have trouble with the assignment before she even started it but still tried, a little, to help her. He didn’t say that doing badly on the assignment was a sign that she wasn’t intelligent, just that she wasn’t ready for entry-level college courses. Professor X is an intelligent person, an English professor at more than one college, and deals with both sides of intelligent people, the highly capable and incapable.
The expectations of the public school system should be higher than they are, or at least schools shouldn’t be holding onto books from when the school opened in the 1870’s, students shouldn’t have to sit on benches in large gymnasiums because the school is to crowded and the teaching staff shouldn’t be let go to use their positions to have sex with underage kids. But as for now that is what you can expect in some public schools around the United States. Colleges on the other hand you see books that are up to date or there is the ability to get those books with a minimal wait time, facilities are up to date with newer classrooms, computers and software, and teachers are there to help the students learn and move toward the life after schools is over, work. The difference between the two comes with the amount of funding available for both. Public schools have limited funding. People that don’t directly work in the schools and determine whether or not an extensive amount of their budget should be put toward that problem set them. Colleges on the other hand have the money to move toward projects that need to be upgraded. That money is assigned by people that work directly with the single school and not with 12,000 schools all around a state.
The author’s previous experiences largely influence their perspective on American intelligence. For instance, in Michael Moore’s narrative “Idiot Nation” he explains that while in school he “was bored beyond belief” (133) because he was more advanced than the other students and this twelve year negative event influenced him the rest of his life. This “dislike” (133) of school not only affected his own life, such as dropping out of college, but it also reflects his view on American intelligence. Michael Moore blames the education system and the people who fund it for the lagging intelligence of the American population. Michael Moore also had some very positive influences from the teachers who taught at his schools when he was younger. In first grade, his teacher recognized how smart he was and tried to get him into second grade. In addition, Michael Moore describes one of his principles as being “kind and generous” (135). Rather than blame the teachers who “are the politicians’ favorite punching bag” (135), he blames the American Government for America’s intelligence problem because they never give the public education system enough money. Michael Moore’s positive experiences with his educators influence his own perspective on who is the culprit in this critical situation. Professor X, on the other hand, gives very little background information about himself in his narrative “In the Basement of the Ivory Tower”. One of the few things you can discern from the text is that he has gone to school succeeded, now teaches part time English at community college and that he “loves trying to convey to a class [his] passion for literature,” (240). Despite his high level of education, Professor X’s outlook toward the intelligence in America is that some people just aren’t cut out for college and that “remarkably few of [his] students can do well in these [remedial college] classes.” (240). Professor X has a problem with the fact that “no one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass.” (241) which in and of itself is the problem. There appears to be a social standard, whether it be “financial” (241) or “social optimism” (241) which says college is a must for everyone. It is apparent based on the given facts that both authors are influenced by their pasts.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Michael Moore's experience in the school system has a major influence on his outlook on American Intelligence. The fact that he could not find any personal enjoyment in his learning caused him to become disengaged with the material he was supposed to learn. However, as disinterested as he may have been while in school he still managed to learn everything that he needed to learn in order to become successful. The problem that the school system faced as a collective whole was keeping him in a state where he was learning something challenging everyday instead of just cruzing by with ease. I find that this situation occurs way too many times in our educational system. As a result, students begin to drop out because they feel as if they are not learning anything or vise versa- not learning anything at all. I believe that this is where our professors and teachers fall into fault. The teachers and professors are supposed to try and convey their enthusiasim to their students with the hope that their students will become more interested in the class. In the story, "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower", you can conclude that the main character is a professor who loves teaching literature ans strives to convey his excitment to his students so that they too feel the same way. He takes an approach that simply says that not every student is meant to go to college despite the way the professor may or may not teach the class, and that not every should be pushed into going to college. He also believes that there is a bigger problem in the school system that has to do with admitting too many students in a class that are not qualified to take the class in the first place. Their past play a huge role in the way that they view American Intelligence wether it is a a social standard that deal with finances or social optimism. Some people feel students need to go to college to survive, but these guys have two very different outlooks on wether or not that is necessary.
ReplyDeleteBackgrounds are a starting ground but not a path you cannot change. Professor X has formed his life upon a completely different view of the world than Michael Moore's. He works at a community college where students go solely for the degree and not for the gain of knowledge. This injects people of no desire or wit into his life who can barely read and write yet they are attempting to pursue a college degree. Theses people are simply just not smart and cannot cope with the modern world and his response so this is grief. Michael ,on the other hand, was raised in a family who taught him how to read by the age of four and where school was a main part of his life (even though he was bored). From here he proceeded onto to college where he dropped out but realized a completely different set of people he calls "idiots." He shows how more than half of the students who go to Harvard failed a high school level exam and how this relates into politics. He shows that even though you may have a fancy college degree to wave around you may not have any common sense.
ReplyDeletePublic schools should be completely different than college. For public schools there is some variety in classes but it is a foundation for the future and you may not know what's best for you right at that instance. In college you have the opportunity to select your own path which by this time you are ready for. In both, however, we should expect challenges in order for us to earn by overcoming them instead of just a simple route where we never go out of our comfort zone.
While both authors argue adamantly for their position on the status of higher education in America, I recognize that they are affected by their background and the context in which they grew up (particularly Michael Moore). This is less of a bias in the standard sense and more of a background that brought the situation to their attention while it is overlooked by others.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore is clearly affected by his background; he outlines his education and the incidents in which he found himself to clearly illustrate to his audience that his current views are based upon the events of the past. Again, I want to stray away from the conventional term "biased", as he still repeatedly cites facts to support his argument. His background serves the purpose of getting him emotionally involved in the issue. For this reason, I would say that Moore's background is what motivates him to speak out against both education in America and the inferior intelligence standards for American citizens.
Professor X's background is also an important factor to consider. As an English teacher, he has firsthand experience with a wide range of students. This allows him access to primary material for his argument - that many students coming out of high school simply aren't ready for college. Similarly to Moore, this background affects his judgment less than it allows him to cite examples of his arguments and interact with the situation directly.
One should expect two different things from the public school system and college because of one crucial difference: funding. Students aren't paying $20,000 a year to go to high school, and because of the regular neglect that the public school system receives from the federal government, you should expect what you pay for. One of the primary examples of this is the disparity between Michael Moore's description of his high school and Professor X's description of his college campus. Moore describes the thousands of schools across the country that are in such poor condition that students can no longer be there for safety reasons. In contrast, Professor X describes his college campus as "[a] quite haven of ornate stonework and columns, Gothic Revival archways, sweeping quads, and tidy Victorian scalloping" (238). There is an obvious difference between the quality of the high school campuses and the college campus described here.
One should also expect different standards from the kind of work that teachers will accept. When Professor X describes the woman who simply could not write a coherent paper, he says that her writing probably passed as a C in high school, but the college expectations of her writing ability were brutally honest and she instead received a failing grade. This is no new concept, however; there are tens of thousands of cases of students expecting to be overly qualified for their first college classes and their midterm grades are a brutal letdown.
One should expect different things from public education and college, as the only similarity between the two is that you go there to learn. Everything else has been clearly indicated by these two authors to be vastly different in each setting. Simply by the definition of the two, one should expect a huge difference between public education and college; after all, you get what you pay for.
The difference in opinions of the two authors is dictated by the different environments the two men are exposed to on a daily basis. Moore includes points that are insightful and full of facts centered mostly around who is to blame for the education deficit and the hypocritical nature of most critics who can’t answer the questions that they claim as basic information upon exiting high school such as the Iliad and the Odyssey example (p 131). Moore places the blame for an “Idiot Nation” not on the students or teachers, but rather the lack of proper equipment needed to succeed in learning. Although Moore is undisputedly an expert on the topic of America’s education, (or, based on his argument, lack thereof) he has little current personal experience with the education system. Professor X on the other hand, deals with people going through his classes every day. This personal touch is evident in his description of the struggles of college for the students he teaches. Professor X does not place blame on any group of people for the natural struggles some people have with college. Instead he simply discusses the sad truth that although the opportunity to better oneself through college is available to everyone, not everyone is cut out and well prepared to better themselves.
ReplyDeleteThere is certainly a difference in college to previous schooling which should exist due to the difference in opportunities available between public school and college. The biggest difference is this availability of opportunities as well as expectations of both what is expected of the student, and what the student can expect to gain. Based on Moore’s article, a public school system can be expected to prepare a student the best possible, although not sufficiently due to lack of funding, for college. College, however, due to tuition payments, does not have this lack of funding. Naturally, due to a higher availability of resources, higher benefits and opportunities can be expected from college.
Michael Moore in Idiot Nation and Professor X in In the Basement of the Ivory Tower condemn the actions of outside influences for the public school system’s inability to provide for its students.
ReplyDeleteMoore first targets politicians as a negative outside influence. He confronts politicians for blaming teachers for the education problem and states “…the vast majority [of teachers] are dedicated educators who have chosen a profession that pays them less than what some of their students earn selling Ecstasy…”(135). Here, he questions the average annual pay—typically determined by state government--of a teacher, $41,135 (136). He then continues to attack politicians, specifically Richard Nixon and his administration for the change to “block grants” (138), for their decisions to cut funding to public schools and their libraries. “Kids deprived of access to good libraries are also being kept from developing the informational skills they need to keep up in the workplace”(137). Overall, Moore shows that political decisions cause the public school system’s deficiency in skilled teachers and resources like libraries.
Moore then identifies parents as a hindrance for school systems. He describes his beginning experience with school as “…bored beyond belief (133).” But when Sister John Catherine tries to alleviate his boredom by moving him to the second grade, Moore’s mother intervenes. Her worry that Moore would “…always be the youngest and littlest kid in class…(133)” prevented the school from educating Moore as a gifted individual instead of the standard student.
Professor X, in In the Basement of the Ivory Tower, blames authorities in career fields for the problems in public education. He says, “My students take English 101 and English 102 not because they want to but because they must (239).” The enrollment to college is not always driven by the individual but instead to “…become police officers… (239)“ or by necessity for “…municipal employees who require college-level certification to advance at work (239).” Professor X shows that he will continue to fail a student that essentially fits the description that, “…college is not for him…(246)” because the student’s motives are driven by certain authorities outside of the education system.
Since Moore mostly talks about high school in his piece and Professor X mostly about college in his, we can see that our expectations of the public school system and college cannot vary drastically. As identified, outside forces and influences hinder the success in both of these institutions. Therefore, I have started to consider that maybe the question is not what we can expect from the school system or college, but, perhaps, what can we expect from society?
Michael Moore has a very negative view of schooling based on his background. As a child who was placed in a lower grade than he deserved he grew bored with schooling and from that point on all he could see were the many faults in American education. By placing him below his true level all he could see were "idiots" who did not have as high an intelligence as he did. Because he grew bored with schooling and didn't have to put in any effort, he dropped out of college the second he had to do something challenging that is finding a parking place.
ReplyDeleteProfessor X also sees American education as flawed, he has to deal with the aftermath of public school's problems. As a professor for night classes for college students who are not prepared for higher level education, he realizes that public school does not do a good enough job at teaching the students basic skills needed for an entry level college class. However, because Professor X is a part of the educational system he seems to have more sympathy than Moore for the failed student.
From the public school system, students should be able to expect a basic education that is good enough to prepare them for college. And students should expect something different from college. From college, students expect an in-depth education that goes beyond the basics and prepares them for a higher level career. As many of the people above me have mentioned, college is something you pay for and as such the college must provide you with an education worth its tuition. But also, college is voluntary. Because students are not mandated by the government to attend college the way they must go through some public schooling the classes should be deeper than they are in the public school system. In public schools teachers have to be able to provide a broad education to many different types of students, some who may be interested in a specific subject but also some who think that the exact same subject is extremely boring. In college, the professors are teaching a class of students who chose to pay for that specific class because the students want to learn more about that subject for their future career or simply because it interests them. We should still expect a good education from public schooling but from college we should expect an even better and more in-depth education.
After reading both "Idiot Nation" by Michael Moore and "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" by Professor X, it is clear that both of their backgrounds had a big influence on the way they each view America's intelligence.
ReplyDeleteMoore made it clear from the very beginning that the education system has many flaws that are mind boggling to him. Although Moore never went to college, it is evident how wise he is, especially in the subject of education. His personal experience with the school system helped to mold his view as to why it was so terrible, and he blames politicians for this. He brings up how hypocritical they are because they blame America's "stupidity" on teachers when education is really at the bottom of their list and they haven't made any drastic changes to fix the issues themselves when they are the ones with all the power.
Professor X's background also includes first hand experience with the school system and the way it is run. In the large scheme of things, most students are taking a course because it is required in order to get on with what they came to college to do. However, he realizes how unprepared most of his students are due to the lack of general education they received in the public school system. Professor X should not be expected to re-teach his college students what they should have learned previously and he should not be held at fault for that.
One should expect much different from the public school system than what is happening currently. High school should be a stepping stone into college rather than having to re-learn general education in the beginning of college. The students should expected to already have a general idea of the subjects they have taken before but are now taking at a higher level. College should be a time to learn more in depth about certain subjects and high school should prepare students with the basic knowledge in order for them to do just that.
Both Michael Moore and Professor X have similar views regarding the American school system; both are not very optimistic or approving and both of their backgrounds influence these similar opinions.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore began criticizing American education as soon as he was not allowed to move on to a higher grade level, because he was too intelligent for his own grade. Since then, throughout his life he constantly disagreed with his various schooling systems, which eventually led to his drop-out in college. He had always felt superior and more intelligent than those around him.
Professor X on the other hand, shares similar views as Moore, although his views are consequences of his profession: teaching nearly illiterate college students the basics of college english. He are experiencing first hand the illiteracy and unintelligence of American students. Professor X goes on to question whether certain professions or people would be different if they had basic understandings of certain works of literature, such as a police officer being familiar with Invisible Man.
I believe we cannot expect the same things from public high school, versus college. Although both are optional to students, I believe only college is true option for students to attend. And as seen in "In The Basement Of the Ivory Tower," college is not for everyone- for some, they barely make it through high school, and then it's on to work a job that doesn't require post-secondary education. Therefore I think we should expect more from the public school system- to prepare these kids who don't go on to college for the real world. To educate police officers on Invisible Man. There is a different expectation for college because college is generally for students who WANT to be there. Who are looking for major careers.
The backgrounds of the two authors greatly affect their views on the intelligence of America. Moore believes that the education systems in America are inadequate due to the government not providing teachers and schools with the proper resources and tools they need to produce successful students. He blames the lack of student and teacher success on the political leaders. This belief is ironic to me because he is a college drop-out simply because he could not find a parking spot on a busy day. He is blaming the lack of student success on politics, yet he did not even find the motivation in himself to get to class on that busy day and further his college career. In that moment, HE was in charge of his success and he chose to leave school. No doubt, Moor seems to be quite intelligent because of his early ability to read and the increase in grade levels for a short time. He also seems to provide an extremely large amount of facts and studies to prove why America is an "Idiot Nation" due to politics and large corporations. His data partly influences me to believe that maybe the politicians are to blame. Yet, I still find it ironic to be reading an excerpt from someone who believes to be "above" all of this "nonsense," yet he couldn't finish college.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Professor X does not provide a whole lot of information to the reader in his writing, though you can conclude that he works at a community college full of students who are not anywhere near prepared for the work. He teaches an English class where his students are not mentally or physically prepared for the work load of college and the drive and motivation it takes to earn good grades. He recalls how some students can not even complete an intelligent sentence. He deals with "unintelligent" students on a daily basis, but he seems to be sincerely worried about them. He also recalls how he had to give a woman a bad grade on a paper because she did not choose the correct topic and could not write a college-level paper. Professor X seems to be genuinely disturbed by giving her this grade though, because he explains his sleepless nights thinking about the student. In my opinion, I believe that Professor seems to understand that not all students are at the same level of intelligence and that is due to their prior education in public schools. He does not pity the students, but merely understands their lack of intelligence. Ultimately, both Moore and Professor X seem to agree that the students of public schools are not educated accurately.
The quality of public schooling systems should be much greater. In a lower class setting, one can typically expect an underpaid teacher, attempting to educate students and encouraging them to be successful with a great lack of resources and tools. In a middle/higher class setting, the teachers still seem to be underpaid and are attempting the same educational process but have a larger amount of resources. From my personal experience in public schooling, the teachers seem to genuinely care about the students' success and growth. On the other hand, in college, from my little experience as a first-year college student, the professors seem to lack the skills that the high school/elementary school teachers seem to have. The teachers in public schools seem to really care about whether or not the students are truly understanding the material. You do not receive this same student-teacher connection with the professors in college. This is most likely because of the extremely large amount of students in each class. I really do believe that the colleges should still teach the way that public school teachers do. I really wish professors would teach with a passion and really engage the students in the material. For goodness sake, we are paying thousands of dollars to attend this university, I want a professor to really be interested in what they are teaching. I would have much rather paid for my 4 years of high school than college!
This is awesome, period.
DeleteI seriously enjoyed reading this, good job :)
It kinda sucks because you took everything I was thinking and perfected it!
Awesome though.
I believe that one should be able to expect the public school system to prepare kids for any path they choose to take, one of which being college. However, I don't think that one actually can expect that from the public school system in it's present state, in some areas of the country. There are clearly some high schools that actually do meet the standards demanded of them by Michael Moore or Professor X, as evidenced by all the successful college students out there.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore seems to set his standards and expectations for the public school systems extremely high, and I suspect he does this just to make his commentary more shocking as the school systems fail spectacularly to meet his standards. For instance he places such a huge emphasis on his little pop quizzes of academic trivia to show how terrible the schools are doing as well as how stupid everyone he tests is. This is a ridiculous method that all but guarantees the failing results he seeks as I sincerely doubt anyone, including Mr. Moore himself, could name which African countries have a lower infant mortality rate than Detroit without having researched that specifically. I would discount much of his argument simply due to the extremist nature of the essay, however he does make an actual point about the lack of funding for schools being a government issue. This is really the issue that underlays the whole problem. If the schools had the money, they could meet anyone's expectations, no matter how high. So to tie up my thoughts on Michael Moore's expectations of the school system, i believe that he is simply being an extremist in his views on the school system because that is what he does for a living. His perspective on America is skewed violently because of this.
Professor X draws his perspective and expectations of the school system from actual first hand experience with the failings of said system. His experience lends credibility to his views. He is biased to cynicism though because of his teaching the bottom feeders of the college system. One has to wonder how his essay would have changed if he taught an honors class, or even just a regular college class as opposed to his night class of irregulars. He seems to expect perfect results from the public schools, when in reality any system of any type has a certain percentage of failure. Not everyone can be fully prepared for college by high school. One also has to wonder how much is the fault of the individuals as opposed to the schools. Would I be the student I was if I went to a run-down, poorly funded school? Would you? This is something else we should consider in the equation.
Both authors perspectives are skewed towards the negative from their negative experiences with the failings of students, in Professor X's case, or their extremist views on everything, which is Michael Moore. As a nation we should expect people to be adequately prepared for life after high school, but nothing is perfect and that has to be kept in mind.
In "Rereading America," Michael Moore blames the politics behind our education system for America's apparent lack of intelligence, by emphasizing that education is not on the priority list of our Nation's leaders. However, I didn't sense any arrogance is his tone, nor do I think he's mocking the average American IQ; however, he does point out ironies such as the news reporter who blamed teachers for student’s lack of knowledge about The Iliad and The Odyssey, when the reporter himself didn't even know. Furthermore, according to Moore, any lack of teaching on their part is probably a result of budget cuts and low wages. After reading his essay, I interpreted his overall message to Americans as "educate yourself." On the other hand, "Professor X," had a more empathetic tone in his essay "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower." He can relate to his students, and acknowledges the fact that they are there, just as he is with hopes to get ahead in life. In regard to the second question, I don't think it's a matter of expectation necessarily, but instead the amount of effort one is willing to put forth into their education.
ReplyDeleteOur personal experiences and endeavors greatly impact our perspective on life and the way in which we approach it. It is from these individual events and obstacles that our world- view is shaped. It is almost impossible to be unbiased about a given topic or issue due to the fact that we can usually relate our opinion back to a previous experience. I think that it is quite evident that both Michael Moore and Professor X were significantly influenced by their backgrounds. Michael Moore was raised in a rather privileged setting where he was given the proper means to receive a fulfilling education. He was bored in school having been taught to read at an earlier age and engage in learning from a more advantageous status. I think that his upbringing contributes to his harsh criticism of our government and political figures. It seems as if his education and experience in a higher status family has enabled deep critical thought and often extremely harsh criticism of our nation as an entity. Professor X contrasts heavily with Michael Moore as he deals with the lower end of college students. He evokes a sense of sympathy and empathy rather than harsh criticism. He appears to be compassionate and it seems like he understands the troubles and trials of the common man in America. Moore describes the public school system consisting of burned out teenagers and bad faculty. Public education should have high expectations for their students but the problem most primarily lies in the funding. Many areas that are economically suffering lack the proper funds to provide a rich education. Unfortunately, location drives a large part of what level of education students receive. With the proper funding, a school can hire excellent teachers, rich curriculum, and the proper learning environment for each student. The University and college level however should meet higher standards not only because of the level and degree of learning but also because of the criticalness of its effectiveness. Without excellent higher education, individuals cannot obtain prestigious positions and excel in the work force. There needs to be an emphasis on the importance of providing students with the proper education in higher learning institutions and strive to surpass these expectations!
ReplyDeleteBoth authors seem to be extremely bitter about the education of America. One, (Michael Moore) tends to have a more cynically liberal tone, the other a more mellow sarcastic one. Moore’s background, a college dropout film activist, makes the argument that America needs to spend less time gawking at our poor test scores, and conjuring up ways to improve them, and spend more time integrating knowledge about our history, politics, world geography, etc. He feels that we are putting our energy into the wrong places. (Kids today are more likely to know who Snooki is than when the civil war took place) He states that many of us are not in fact ‘idiots’, but we care more about pointless pop culture than how we are being educated or even governed. Professor X’s background, an underpaid nighttime college professor, influences his opinions because he sees how certain students force themselves into debt for information they will not use for their future occupations. They are paying for classes they are forced to take, and the result is boredom.
ReplyDeleteOur expectations in the United States for public school are not highly merited ones. Many students dread high school because it’s been set up in such a way that what we learn is forced. It occurs too often that the teachers are just as uninterested in being present as the students are. As Moore indicated, the teachers are incredibly under appreciated, under paid, and have terrible budgets thanks to a continuously neglected system since Nixon was in office. Our expectations for college in our current society is not necessarily that much greater than public school. However, we find more students who truly want to be in college because of the investment. That does not mean that there is still a great number of people who landed in college. They have been pressured by society, their parents, grandparents, etc. Professor X said it himself, “Telling someone that college is not right for them seems harsh and classist.” It’s like it’s the only option. Even though landing in debt is a common issue, financial aid makes college seem much more doable when going into the ‘investment’ Our expectations for college and for public school should be different because we are personally budgeting the professors salaries, but doesn’t automatically mean that they are. College today seems to be the new high school.
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ReplyDeleteAt first glance at the reading it may seem as if both authors background effect their views on the intelligence of America. Both authors are able to bring us different aspects of our education system. Professor x was able to bring us into the core of the education system through his experience as a teacher and from the outside view from an extremist college dropout, Michael Moore.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore’s background in my opinion does not affect his view on the intelligence of America. People automatically assume that just because Michael Moore grew up disliking school and was always well advanced than the other students it affects his view on intelligence in the education system. Michael Moore is strongly against the education system because he is a very intelligent man and has an ideal view on how our system should be. I believe we need more people like Mr. Moore to actually help education advance. He’s seen and has experienced the education system himself. He examines how poorly our teachers are treated and yet still high expectations are wanted of them. Doesn’t that come as a shocker? It is not his background that affects his view on intelligence it is the people who are ignorant enough to budget cut education funding’s and still blame our (what should be treasured) educators.
Professor x on the other hand is a whole different story. In this case his background has a lot to do with his view on the intelligence of America. He has experience as a college professor in a college that in simple terms is not what you would call a great college. He explained it was just a place where most of his students just happened to land in. His view is clear that not everyone is cut out for college. He was able to experience how most students don’t care about their education and the success of their future. Professor x tells us the story about the older woman who was incapable of obtaining the skills to write at a college level. He explains that it pained him to fail the poor women but he already determined in the beginning she would not be able to pass. His inability to believe and encourage this woman affected her greatly. Teachers should be able to be an inspiration and motivation for students no matter what the circumstances. His past experience affects his view on intelligence and that in the future will affect his ability to be the encouraging teacher that he needs to be.
One should expect public schools located in suburban areas as high class schools. In the areas not so suburban one should expect the schools to be falling apart with textbooks from the middle ages. People pay to go to college so that allows most colleges to be in better shape than our public schools. They should not be different because every child should have the chance to obtain the proper education just like those high class children do. Our education budget cuts are taking away opportunities for those who dream of having a proper education.
Michael Moore made it quite evident that his background had direct influence on his views today as he mentioned this fact in the majority of his essay. His issues with education began at an early age when the recitation of the alphabet became almost too much to bear just as parking would about 10 or so years down the road. When he was denied access to the 2nd grade, he cursed the stupidity that he was forced to live with and those who enforced it. Thus, throughout his early years, Moore developed a superiority complex and difficulty with authority (starting his underground newspaper and running for school board president). Eventually, Moore would come to realize that it is primarily the government's fault for the stupidity of Americans and neither students nor teachers are always to blame. His belief is that the stupidity of the elite is cause for the stupidity of America as a whole, like the blind leading the blind. He graduated from teachers and now his beef is with the most authoritative power in the world; the American government (well, mainly just republicans/conservatives and big corporations).
ReplyDeleteP.S. I will never forget where Kosovo is on a map so long as I shall live.
Professor X, or Charles Xavier as I like to think of him as, gave little background to himself other than what he experienced himself as a teacher. I'm sure the situation with Ms. L was one of many over his years of teaching. This most likely was a major factor in his development of his view on the intelligence of America. He believes that some people are just not qualified for college which is sad but true. He sympathizes with his students because he knows deep down that they are not stupid, they were just poorly educated.
There should be no difference between the public school system and college. Whether you pay for it or not, you should be offered the best possible education. You should expect to get a diploma from college that is your magical ticket to a decent paying job. The only thing you can really expect to get from public school is head lice. Otherwise public schools vary. Take my highschool for instance. You can probably expect to hook up with a teacher at some point during your 4 years there or get stabbed. No big deal. The point is, our expectations of public schooling have gotten so low that it is almost required for any job these days to have some form of post-secondary education because apparently there's no way you learned a darn-tootin thing in those there public schools. Other countries don't have the luxury of being lazy like we've had and have since passed us in almost every way. But we still kicked their butts in the Olympics, eh? Because when it comes down to it, all that matters is sports. Sports and nukes. Don't mess with us. The bottom line is, we need to get our priorities straight as a country and spend more on education.
Actually, this is the bottom line.
Both of these reading were reverent to a very problematic reality that exists within this country’s education system. For years now, the hot topic at any political debate has been centered on how little funding schools receive from the federal government. Moore brings up some troubling truths that are hard to turn your head away from. One particular point Moore points out in Idiot Nation is the fact that some forty-four million Americans do not have the ability to read or write above a fourth grade reading level. To me, this was a very troubling statistic. Here we are, America, the most powerful county in the world and 15% of the nation is basically illiterate. Moore goes on to stipulate that it is not only American citizens that are brainless, but also America’s political leaders. While reading, this came as no surprise to me. I have been fully aware of the many scandalous, shady actions politicians are best known for such as lobbying and the dirty deals made behind closed curtains. Professor X’s accounts of teaching English 102 parallel many of Michael Moore’s arguments. He states that many students are simply not prepared for college level curriculum. The author directs blame at the American educational system stating that its standards are not strict enough at times. Students are barely passed off in high school which sets up the stage for failure later in college.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both Michael Moore and Professor X’s backgrounds largely contribute to their opinions on American intellect. As mentioned in Idiot Nation, Michael Moore had a problem with authoritative figures since his childhood, questioning all who tried to tell him what to do. Professor X’s life story told us about the countless students he had failed over the years and how many of these so called “college scholars” could not even construct a sentence properly. Most people would agree that a person is largely defined by his upbringing/background.
There are many problems with our public education system and I would love to see many changes both at the high school and college level. For one, America needs to put a higher priority on educational funding. As brought up in the readings, the condition of many American schools is less than adequate. Students should not be forced to use fifteen year-old books or sit in old broken desks. Also post-secondary education should not be nearly as expensive as it is. Due to a horrible job market and the massive cost of college tuition in America, college might not even be a good idea for some people. With no job and no way to pay off student loans, college can leave a person financially ruined. Every country has its faults and America is no exception. Luckily we have freedoms that allow us to openly discuss the problems of America and American society so that we can eventually reach some solution.
In my opinion Michael Moore’s background has influenced his views on the intelligence of America much greater than Professor X’s background. There were not nearly as many alarming details from Professor X’s background that contributed to his views on the intelligence of America rather than Michael Moore’s article which included his thoughts from first starting school until the end of his schooling experience. From the actions Michael Moore took during the years he attended school and how the school legislators handled it, i think Moore has good reasoning to voice his opinion about how people in charge are not the more intelligent ones. On the other hand, Professor X has lived by the rules, books, and school, and then happened to become a school teacher. Professor X’s voice about intelligence is rounded from who does well in school and how they succeed in school.
ReplyDeleteFrom the public school system the expectations should not be high; even though the schools are funded by the state, not nearly enough money is given to schools. The main problem public schools are suffering from now is how they are going to pay for the necessities, not how to better the school programs. Both public schools and colleges have given into advertising companies while teaching; therefor electronics are used in the majority of classes. I think it is acceptable for colleges to have advertisements in some cases only because an older age group attends college and should be able to still concentrate on the educations aspect of school not the outside advertisements. Exposing younger children to commercials and company advertisements not related to classes is distracting and is not fulfilling the purpose of why children attend school.
The background of each of the authors does in fact effect the point of view provided for each essay. Personal experience will always have a large impact on one's opinion.
ReplyDeleteFor the case of public schools, the education provided is not expected to be top of the line. It is assumed that teachers of a public school are expected to deal with a larger variety of students, a low government-provided income, and an array of other issues connected to low income with high class numbers. Teachers in public schools are not always the top candidate for the teaching position. Public schools search for solutions to an overpopulated school, and find themselves hiring teachers just to amend the problem. I am not completely sure but I believe I heard teachers only have to receive a "C" to pass a class and earn their degree to teach; even if it is their subject of expertise (-_-). Though this is not the discussion, I do not believe a private school, with high standards, would higher a teacher with poor history in a subject he or she is offering to teach. A public school, however, may not have the choice to reject the possible candidate.
In the topic of a university the instruction should be of far greater standards, and offer greater resources than that of a public school. From current experience the greater resources has in fact proven greater, as well as the instruction. The genuine enthusiasm per subject is questionable but not all educators are created equal.
Both authors have problems with the current state of the educational system in the U.S., but concerning different parts. Moore, a notoriously opinionated director, targets the quality of the primary and secondary education structures, while Professor X bemoans the state of collegiate education, specifically that for adults. The difference in their backgrounds translates easily into the different styles with which they write. Moore, being a Hollywood man, is very up-front, using sensationalistic writing modes and ALLCAPS to make his point, spending the entirety of the excerpt very much up in the face of his audience. X, speaking instead from a position of authority within the post-secondary system, takes much more care for the structure of his argument, as well as respect for the stakeholders. So here we have X, who respects even the most incompetent of his writers, and does not consider their intelligence in strong terms, although he does imply that there is a definite lack of intellectual rigor in both his adult students and the normal college population of "beer pongers and facebookers" (That isn't actually a quote); We also have Moore, who loads opinions for a living, using very direct and strong language for what he thinks of the average American's intelligence. He named his book "Idiot Nation", to use a rather direct example.
ReplyDeleteThe question of what should be expected of education in light of these two passages is tricky. Moore argues that we should at very least expect our educational systems to be competent, if not being given the very same level of political and fiscal respect the defense sector is given. He also rails against the manner in which schools are administrated, arguing for less pressure on students concerning personal expression, or more for the dismantling of perceived injustices in the rules and policies of high schools in general. So the Moore standard that education is held to is a sort of learning space where the young are educated not only in facts but in how to freely and, more importantly, intelligently form opinions on important topics. He also wants this space to be free of influence from those who have their own selfish interests at heart, as he lays out in his diatribe against the various ways in which corporations advertise and in other manners ingratiate themselves into the public education system.
Professor X raises a much different lens on what should be expected of the educational system, in this case colleges. She sees the effects of a society that now places far too much weight in collegiate education, dealing with those that are not in college to prepare for life, but expect to advance through it by clocking in the hours. Society here is too much focused on college as a package, a retreat that you buy, for which you are rewarded advancement up the economic ladder. College-Level education is seen as just another prerequisite, just cobblestone on the percieved path to "the good life." but this is not what X implies we should expect college to be. We should, as he says, expect college to be a place of critical thought, deep and cutting investigation, and genuine engagement with the material at hand. There is no easy path to expect from college, but it should be a place where the motivated and, to be a little snobby, competent, are able to improve themselves and explore their interests, gaining the skills and experience necessary to contribute materially to the field in which their interests lie. At very least, they should expect to work and to think hard about what they're working on.
Both of the authors are very different. The first author from 'Idiot Nation' seems to think he knows it all just because his parents taught him how to read at the age of 4. As a result, he believes he's smarter than all the politicians, even though he's a college drop-out. He has a satrical voice when he portrays how ignorant politicians are and believes that we should praise teachers, not put them down. The second author is more humble because I believe she can relate. She is working a second job teaching the english classes and feels remorse for the people who she must fail because of their writing "deficits". In conclusion, the background of both authors affect how they view the intelligence of America at two ends of the spectrum.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one can expect a mediocre education from a simple class in the public school system. Although, the truth is that one can only get as much information as one wants. Which means that knowledge is there but you have to choose to seek it. College is a lot better because it's not free so expectations are higher of the student. I don't think anything should be different, the system is fine. Public school is relaxed so that teens can have fun and let it out of there system until college comes around and it's time to sit down and study.
Michael Moore has real dark expectations for public schools, but he does make some good points. One should expect the public schools to be their foundation of knowledge. It is to prepare kids for their future. Of course, the qualities of schools depend on location. Some schools are able to buy new books, desks, etc. While most schools at this time are not aren't able to afford new materials. For instance, Michael states, “Materials in many school libraries today date from the 1960s.” The reason for this is our government continues to cut funding for education. Even teachers’ salaries are being cut although they are teaching the children of America. On the positive side, the teachers at public schools are often more dedicated to their job because they definitely are not there for the outstanding paycheck. I mean with how the government is treating teachers you can expect some of them to hate their job and be a terrible teacher. Honestly, from my experience in public schools I actually had a great time. I mean my school was crap and all our materials were ancient, but it was the teachers that made everything great. They prepared me for my further education and it was their dedication that has led me to college today. So I would say you should expect the worst from public schools, but be happy you are getting an education because others are not as fortunate.
ReplyDeleteNow for college you should have some higher expectations. Since kids all have to pay for college, the quality of education is much better. The materials are all up to date. The campuses are generally nice and are taken care of. There are also many resources available to get help. There are tons of clubs and sports available for everyone. Although it may be nicer, you should expect to work harder. You are paying to go to school to learn and should be prepared to do so. As an example, Professor X had some people in his classes that weren’t there to learn, they just needed a certain number of credits before they could get a raise. Also, the professors often have more people in their class so don't expect them to hold your hand throughout college. Professor X understands this concept that students need to be able to manage themselves. That’s why when Ms. L was having trouble figuring out a topic for her paper; he let her try to figure out one when he could have easily just given her one. To add, college isn’t for everyone. Some people need the education to get to the job they desire, but a lot of success is based on how you apply your knowledge in your daily life. Just look at Michael Moore, he dropped out of college and became a famous director because he had the talent to make his films. In the end, if you do attend college, you should just expect to prioritize your work well. My blog is example of bad prioritizing because I waited to finish my blog until now.
I think the principles of both public schools and colleges are good as they are. Public schools do a great job getting you ready for college. I don’t have much experience with college, but there are tons of colleges that are dedicated to prepare you for just about every job. The only thing I would change is how we as a country prioritize our public education. I agree with Michael Moore that we are cutting too much money for education. I mean the schools are turning into a prison taking away all the materials kids need to learn. Michael also makes a good point saying that schools have to sell themselves out to companies just to get money. Class sizes have gone way up because of budget cuts. In some of my classes, we had 30-40 people. We need to focus more on public schools because they are the future generation. Colleges on the other hand, I feel they are good as they are. Since people have to pay tuition to attend, they have the funding for all the materials they need. The only thing is I wish that classes were smaller so you would have an easier time to get to know your professor and get help.
In Rereading America, Michael Moorse published a essay entitled "Idiot Nation", which expresses this opinion on how the American school system is failing and making the current generation illiterate zombies control by the media and television. He believes that school system is being neglected by our politicians and government. He states how the schools should be more heavily funded and provided better with teachers and environment for students. He even blames corporations for the downfall of the public school systems. He also discusses for universities are not where they should be.
ReplyDeleteAnother article in Rereading America, Professor X writes about his students and how some of them are not right for college. He uses his some student terrible essays as examples on how the universities let any one in, even if they are unprepared for college.
The backgrounds of both authors views of the "Intelligence of America"
ReplyDeletewere quite different with their career and life experiences, but those experiences brought them together with the same views of America, that it's full of students who aren't meeting the requirements and that the ones to blame aren't the teachers but the politics and higher authorities like mr. Moore had explained.
Mr. Moore is a great example of why America is not smart in their standardize testing score, why? Not because he like them but it's because most American aren't like him. You can say your average Genius, he was a curios, thrill seeker, loves challenges, and hated to be controlled. Even though a may sound like he's not studios, he still define what a person that seek knowledge is. Yes he drop out of college but not because he couldn't handle it but he just wanted to do things a different way that work for him. He didn't want to become insane like we are doing the same thing over again, he actually made a sane decision by leaving college and now he's a Oscar winner. He should be a motivation to many students.
With Professor X being a professor in a community college. He shared with us what a professor really sees every semester in a college, students who pay so much money for tuition but still can't succeed in a ENG 101 or ENG 102 class because their to busy with text messaging and Facebook. In my opinion I think things like Facebook or Twitter are really hurting students,
yes I understand it's a faster way to communicate with people from a distance, but some people just use it to get like on their photos and show off their life with out really accompanying nothing in life because really their failing for being on that social network to long. Just saying.
Back to Professor X. Another thing I like about Professor X was he shared with us what every professor sees F's and how they really feel about them. Like X explained at some points he felt bad and wanted to help ms. L but he just couldn't because he knew if he did that little favor she will never be able to succeed. In my opinion sometimes failing is good when trying to become excellent at it, that way you can be sane and not repeat the same mistake again. So I believe that's why professor X was trying to imply by not giving her a passing grade. Hard Love.
• I think we can expect a change that will bring students to be more interactive with their studies in school, like they are with fact about sport statistics.
I will hope high school students can get a hold of text books like the one we are reading now in this assignment, that way they can jump ahead and really know what college is expecting of them when they reach this level.
Also I think the way teachers and student interact should be different too, what mr. Moore said about the teachers in high school some times loose faith on their student is highly true make it difficult for some students to have faith in them self. I agree some are inspiration to students.
One more thing that I dislike was how student were being used as walking advertisements for SODA! I didn't like that at all. So definitely I think soda must go from every school that's from K-12, that way we can cut down some caffeine addicts down and also a couple of pounds that students gain from consuming these products.
After reading both "Idiot Nation" by Michael Moore and "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" by Professor X, you could tell that their backgrounds affected how they thought about our education system.
ReplyDeleteMr. Moore came off as kind of rude and bitter, but you could also see where he was coming from and why he was upset as the reading went on. He's a college dropout which i think really defined him as a person. It seems like he's out there to prove himself, that he's not an idiot and is in fact very intelligent. He makes many great points and some weak and highly questionable ones as well. His main focus though is on the lack of focus on education, coming from the government. His message of government accountability would probably have been much more convincing had he not lacked the simple motivation to go take his final and graduate college.
I think in Professor X's situation he has the true first-hand experience with his job as an English teacher to judge our youth. However, as he states, he sees the students whom the education system has failed them. The kids that are just not yet ready to move on to a whole different level. His views were greatly affected by the saddening amount of unmotivated people that came through his classes. It definitely shaped the way he thinks about the education system and especially the bottom percentile of students who he thinks should just not go to college.
I believe that the public school system is there to guide you and aide you into becoming a responsible adult whether or not you decide to go to college. At least I wish it did...College I believe is there for you to advance your knowledge and expand your skills to become a much more valuable part of society. People always say college is all about investing in your future and I believe that. however, if you’re not willing or don't think your capable of advancing your knowledge then don't invest your money in a schooling system you know you're going to fail out of. College is all up to yourself to decide if you want to do advance yourself, while public education you don't have a choice but to learn the essentials.
A major complication in seeking educational reform is that so many factors play into the effectiveness of an educational system. Even between two experts who have done research and have had personal experience with public schooling, the suggested fixes vary widely. Few agree on the right plan for fixing the public school system, so it may take quite a while for action to occur.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore's interpretation is mostly associated with politics, with school policy, with the system. Colleges should not move their students through without teaching a foreign language, presidents should know proper grammar and be an example for students in the country, underfunded schools begin the year without crucial supplies or management (principals for example). He puts little emphasis on individual students because he believes the educational system itself should work for anyone who goes into it. This stems from his time as a mischievous student, making a mockery of his school rules and the system which forced them upon him. At that time he took himself out of the equation, focusing not on who was learning from the school, but who was doing the managing. It appears that that focus remained throughout his life.
Professor X on the other hand has the most experience with the school system as an educator. Therefore he sees not only the management of the school as a problem but simply the students who are allowed in. Had Moore been a professor I expect a similar viewpoint would have resulted. Seeing people who simply should not have been admitted to college does shine an unflattering light on the system which brought them there, but it also allows that individual people by their own merits, more accurately their lack thereof, fail themselves and are failed by their high schools.
In our idealistic American society, anyone should expect to go through the educational process and, having given their best, come out the other side a more intelligent, capable, worldly person able to tackle the challenges working life faces one with. Many factors could come into play when that does not happen, but all anyone can really do is try. Only a highly systematic analysis will ever reveal every problem, and solving them all will be an incredible undertaking. An overhaul like that is to be expected from the government, from school management, and from concerned citizens and students from the bottom up. These are the reforms people still wait for. Whether they come is paramount to maintaining American competitiveness in the global arena.
Michael Moore, a college dropout, the author of "Idiot Nation" states that most people in America use the teachers as the scape goat for the problems in education. Why is it that the teachers are the scape goats and why is it that if it isn't the teacher's fault, it is the politician's fault? If it is the politician's, then it is also the fault of every person that votes for him. The real reason for the burn out of teachers and the lack of proper education in this country rests solely on the shoulders of the students. If a student makes the decision that he or she will not learn the material presented, there is no teacher in the world that can force the child to learn. Professor X, the author of "In the Basement of Ivory Tower" has a backround of teaching at college-level classes. He believes that some students basically can't take college courses and will drop out of colleges.
ReplyDeleteI agree with VladMatveyev. I believe what he's trying to convey is that this whole thing is a cycle, we are the people who vote for the politicians and leaders who help run our city and towns. They are the people who help build schools and hire the educational mentors for our kids and students. I do somewhat believe that Michael Moore and Professor X somewhat contradicts each other in a way because one author is a college drop out psychologically talking about his own life but in a third person point of view faulting it on the teachers itself. The professor X, another author of the "Ivory Tower" is a college level professor who teachers college level courses, talks about how some kids/students aren't able to take courses because its just not for them.
ReplyDeleteBoth Michael Moore and Professor X care about one thing and that knowledge. The only difference in this is that Michael Moore focused more on the fundamentals of the schools system rather than the students. He talked about how parents should cherish teachers more for their hard work and dedication to help their children grown as young adults, or the fact that the parents don’t motivate them to go to school. Just like in his case when he was thought how to read before he went to first grade and the school tried to place him in second and his mother didn’t approve. Then later on his school years when he first started high school he felt that they were not teaching him how to be smart. They were teaching him how to act like a robot, “Do this, don’t do that, tuck your shirt in, wipe that smile off your face, where’s you hall pass, THAT’S THE WRONG PASS! YOU- DETENTION! (134.Idiot Nation).
ReplyDeleteMoore also focused on how teachers were getting paid less then what they should be getting paid. To make things clear Moore was focusing in High school level not college. Sense he dropped out of college when he could find a parking lot space. With to me is and unreasonable excuse.
In the other hand Professor X focused more on the students. Sense he teaches in college he realizes that many students that are there are not really there. Sense their major’s are required to take his classes they look bored and become tired. He doesn’t really blame the system like Michael Moore did he blames the students. They are wasting their money to achieve their goal in life and yet they take it for granted. “Everyone wants to triumph. But not everyone can – in fact, most cant. If they could, it wouldn’t be any kind of a triumph at all”. Professor X is truly right it’s not the school, or the parents better yet the government. When a student wants to achieve in their life they find a way to do so.
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