Arizona Bans MAS Program

The question in the prompt, “How did the program help Latino students?” Can be answered in the first paragraph of the piece, “Arizona Bands Mexican American Studies Program.” It says, “97 percent of students participating in the programs graduated form high school, compared to 44 percent nationally, and 70 percent entered college, compared to 24 percent nationally.” I believe that it helped the students learn how to succeed on their own, and to be able to think for themselves and to figure out what they wanted their future to be like. In a round about way I believe it also served to help the students to recognize what exactly they don’t want in their future.

How could this be threatening? Well once again we look to the statistics above. They are incredible, these students are amazing, and can do amazing things. They just needed the help and push of a program. To cut this program is ridiculous, I’m sure that money had much to do with it, but it’s also very important to keep these kinds of programs in play. Students are often taught that they are the masters of their minds, which means that they should have the ability to think for themselves. This program allowed that, it’s a great one, and it’s sad to see it go. 

Lewis Black is obnoxious, Rose, and Freire.

I can’t lie… I can’t stand people who behave like Lewis Black, so it was hard for me to get anything worthwhile out of that clip that we watched in class. Black and Rose do agree on just a few things… they argue that their teachers tear down students, and that “anybody” can become a teacher. They argue that is not how it should be. I agree. Freire would agree also.

We can’t just put a bunch of money and resources into schools and cross our fingers that they will succeed. That’s not how education works. Standardized testing shouldn’t be the gold standard of education argues Rose. Freire would 100% agree with that statement, he finds the whole idea of standardized for lack of a better word, “stupid.” That shouldn’t be the standard on which we hold all students to.

My own personal opinion? I believe that all of the men are correct… we can’t put money into schools and expect kids to learn just because they have computers or new books. It’s the effort that the teacher puts forth into teaching their students.

It would be like me walking into a class, a teacher handing me $50.00 and telling me that now I have all the knowledge needed to pass my chemistry class. Absolutely false and ridiculous.

Teachers need to step it up. 

Arts classes in school... I think yes!

“Children’s, Arts, and Du Bois,” by Keith Gilyard was pretty fantastic, and it made me really think of how important art education is in school. Gilyard states at the beginning of the piece regarding arts education, “These are activities that regrettably occur less and less during the normal school day in many school, and it was good to see such creative energy on display in that environment.” I really like this and definitely agree. It’s important to recognize how important these programs are to students. Speaking of my own personal opinion I was a self proclaimed science geek and I still am. However, I do not think that I would have made it through school successfully without the theatre arts department in high school. That was the one place where I knew that I didn’t really have to study (except lines and stage directions), I could participate after school, and I would be able to see the fruits of my labor right away. We would have a sharing experience at the beginning of every class or activity in which we would be able to talk about our achievements or sad times and then later be able to express them in class. It certainly helped get me through school, and I KNOW that it helps other students too. It helps students to learn and grow, and be able to focus better in their other classes.     

To be against school, is to be lame.

“Against School” by John Gatto was certainly an interesting read to say the least. I agree with and disagree with certain points.

The part I agree with?

Where he mentions that being bored is nobody’s fault but our own.

“Who, then, is to blame? We all are. My grandfather taught me that. One afternoon when I was seven I complained to him of boredom, and he batted me hard on the head. He told me that I was never to use that term in his presence again, that if I was bored it was my fault and no one else's.” I had a babysitter tell me that once, after I had been complaining that there was nothing to do, I couldn’t go outside and that it was raining. I would also go so far as to say that if we get bored in class, it’s not the teacher’s fault, or the DVD’s fault; it’s our own fault. But that doesn’t mean that we should be exempt from learning about things that we aren’t interested in… As the piece suggests in a round about way. I feel like that if everybody had the opportunity to avoid the basic core education requirements that we would all be artists walking around, have no math skills and that nothing would ever get done. Brutal honesty? Yes. But really… in America the strong survive, and the strong have an education, bored all the way through or not. 

Sections 50 and 51

Writing simplified… this book serves to help make writing simple. Which it does in sections 50 and 51, pertaining to argumentative essays and writing them successfully. I’ve written many argument papers in my days at school, this is my second time taking English 101, the last time I took it I had just graduated high school, was 18 and could care less about writing. This time I’m taking it more seriously and therefore have a better understanding on how to be a successful writer.

You have to have an argument when you are writing an argumentative essay. However, you don’t have to be forceful when it comes to getting your point across. It begins with a thesis statement, your opinion, and then you move on from there supporting your argument with examples.

In my essays I take everything that I’ve accumulated throughout the whole essay and at the very end I have a “blanket” paragraph, where I once again cover all the topics discussed earlier in the essay and identify what my thesis statement is. It’s also important to me to issue a challenge at the very end. Something that you ask your writers to do, to me, that is what makes an argument essay great.