HW 54

The results of my Myers-Brigg's test was ESFJ, which stands for Extroverted (59.38%), Sensing (51.28%), Feeling (52.94%), and Perceiving (50%). I feel that this test is somewhat accurate. Based off of my results I feel like they do explain who I am to an extent. The program described me as a "Seller", someone who is sociable and would be a great hostess. They have me down as an extroverted very talkative person, which i feel is not completely true. Yes, I can be talkative at times, but a lot of the time i feel like I'm a more private person. Especially when it comes to meeting new people, and being in a new environment. I also feel like the results where correct when it came to SF. I'm a very emotional person, and sometimes let my emotions take over my decision making.

I think that these results would be more useful if the test was taken multiple times, to see if I got the same or similar results. If these results were to seem accurate, they could explain why i act/feel the way I do, or may clear up my personality.

HW 48

-black male teacher
- rough background
- teaches students what they need to survive


It's Mr. Raymond's first day as a a high school math teacher. As he walks into the building, he can't help but remember his years here. Years of comming just for attendence, and cutting class, until finally he was sent to a detention center for selling drugs outside of school.

(Flash to the empty class room) As he is preparing his class he can't help but think of his purpose here. He knows what his students are struggling with between school and their personal lives. He wants to make sure that what they are learning in his math class will benefit them in the future.

As the year goes on, the students become restless and start to question what the hell is algebra going to do for them in the future?

Mr. Raymond presents students with their first assignment. Pick any career you want and create a monthly budget using the algebraic strategies they've been discussing.

Follow a couple of students journey through the assignment. Those who struggle with it, and then those who are excited about their potential career.

HW 46

During the break instead of reading a novel, I decided to read a few articles and did a interview on my topic. The 3 articles I read were "Schooling in Capitalist America Revisited" by Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis (26pgs.), "Why is Corporate America Bashing Our Public Schools" by Kathy Emery and Susan Ohanian (16pgs.), and "Channel One Enters the Media Literacy Movement" by Steven Manning (4 pgs.).

The main article I read was " Schooling in Corporate America Revisited". the article is basically the revisions of their original book ("Schooling in Capitalist America"), with new evidence that supports or goes against their previous views. Their objective was for education to help make a better economy for everyone without the different prejudices. They were hoping that learning opportunities wouldn't limit people from obtaining the education they wanted. America is still struggling to obtain these objectives. These objectives are looked through human development, inequality, and social change to see how education is affected.

Parts of this article relate to my topic because it shows how public education fails in some ways. The article basically gave me another point of view on schools. Besides explaining how society has an effect on education, it also explained the social aspect of school. How family income offers advantages and disadvantages when it shouldn't. Also how schools in America really only prepare students for 'the hierarchical structure of the modern corporation'.

I totally agree that schools just prepare us for the adult work environment. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but isn't school supposed to be about learning about various topics so you you can be an 'all- around smarter person)? Preparation for working is all hat matters. It seems like less time is focused on the curriculum of school, and more on the social aspect of it. The ideas of respect , authority, compromise, and many other communication skills come from being in school (If not already being taught at home). Being able to succeed in any type of workplace seems to be the focus of schools in America.

HW 45 - More Big Thoughts on Schools

From these texts on Sizer and Hirsch, both were founding fathers of two forms of education. Hirsch who focuses on elementary schools, believes in testing and knowing the facts. He believes that first grader should be able to "read and know basic number facts by the end of the first grade". This doesn't seem hard to do, since most first graders (that i know) are able to do this. Sizer however believes that students should be able to leave high school with a higher understanding of things, and a valuable worker in the community.

I agree with Hirsch's technique and think that it works for the age group he is targeting. In elementary school kids are still eager to go to school. They haven't yet started to feel that they hate school and its pointless. I think that since they are still in the process of becoming independent from their parents, they are more eager to learn and go along with what they're learning.

Even though I don't fully agree with Sizer's point of view, I think that it fits society now. Today knowing the facts are enough of a challenge. It seems like now a days everyone is being challenged to question things and know how to think deeper about a situation. I don't think that taking a test or drilling math facts will help contribute to something like problem solving. I think it is beneficial for the student to think deeper or about different aspects of a topic rather than just knowing the facts.

This argument that Hirsch and Sizer have been having for years seems silly to me, because they can be combined. Hirsch's technique works for the younger kids because it doesn't seem like much on a challenge. However, as they get ready to leave elementary school and get ready to head middle school they are still gaining independence. As they get older they can be challenged with deeper thought. They can still learn the facts about a topic, but should then be eased into thinking about the significance or alternatives of the topic.

HW 44- Big Expectations For School

Everyone has big expectations of school myself included. School is supposed to be a learning environment where you learn things form American History to calculus. However, a lot of the time I am not learning to better myself, but rather to just push through. A lot of the time I feel like I go to school, do the work, and make sure I understand the material because that is what I'm supposed to do. That's what I'm supposed to do if I want to go to a good college, and get a decent paying job. In other words I do this so i can achieve the basic American idea of success.

I feel like education in America is set up for me to ignore this feeling, but still keeps me going with this plan that the norm is supposed to follow. I get this from the liberal arts Op-Ed piece as well. Last year as I was getting my college list together, I was trying to decide if a big university of a small liberal arts school was the best for me. I kept hearing that liberal arts colleges would provide me with a 'well rounded education' that I would need as an adult. This article seems to focus how the liberal arts education route will help the student in their career. Besides enhancing critical thinking and communication skills, basic learning skills are needed in the work force. On one hand I feel like liberal arts is a great way to develop thinking skills and make the smarter. However I feel like they are a part of the setup as well. Yeah, they are trying to create better development, but it seems like this only so we can get a good job. I'm not sure whether I think liberal arts schools are good or bad. I think that it's just another way to make us think that it's a better institution than what was previously offered, basically it's preparing us for the same thing, but in a different way.

As I was reading the Op-Ed article on liberal arts colleges, they mention how their schools prepares students to be better employees. The opinion piece about separate schools for employees and entrepreneurs by Robert Kiyosaki (author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"). I never considered that school is preparing us to be good employees instead of good business leaders/owners. By giving this option, I think that everyone is going to feel like they are too good for being an employee. I feel like everyone is going to aim to become an entrepreneur, who will be willing to work as an employee anymore? I do agree that American education needs an 'injection on innovation' to make it a better system, but I don't think that this is the innovation it needs.

HW 41

Source 1:
Burke, B. (1999, 2005) 'Antonio Gramsci, schooling and education', the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-gram.htm.
This article (compiled by Barry Burke), talks about Antonio Gramisci an (Italian phiosopher) and his ideas on schools and education. I know he was from early 1900's Italy, but he brings up a good point about Ideological Hegemony. He tries to explain how ideological hegemony relates to school being a big part of society, and how education is used to sort people.
Even though this article was a little challenging, I think that Gramisci believed that education was a way for a society to prepare kids for jobs and positions with power. he viewed education to be another way to keep people in that society 'in their place'.


Source 2:
Bennett, James R. "Corporate and Government Control of Education in the United States." Education Resources Information Center. 1986. Web. 22 Feb 2010. .
This is a brief abstract of an opinion paper about the influence the government/corporations has on education in America. It mentions how schools (mainly colleges) rely on the on the government in order to do well. It's also another way for corporations and and the government to control education. Even though it's brief, this overview mentions how education and government go hand in hand. Institutions rely on the government/corporations money for funding (research, scholarship money , etc.), while the government/corporations rely on the institutions for backing and support.

Source 3:
Kohn, Alfie. "The Corporate Role in the High- stakes Testing Obsession & Other Methods of Turning Education into a Buisness." Reclaim Democracy. oct 2002. Web. 24 Feb 2010. .
This article also explores the affect corporations have on public education. Kohn believes that corporations involvement in public education has caused America's students to become basically a test taking product. Corporations use school and students to advertise their product not in cafeterias, buses, and through the products they are trying to sell. Kohn brought to my attention how these companies even work their product/advertising into our curriculum. I found this article interesting but only somewhat informative. I would have to check up on some of the facts that he presents in this article.

Garcia, David R. "Profiting form Public Education: Education Management Organizations and Student Achievement." ERIC (2009): n. pag. Web. 4 Mar 2010. .
This is just an abstract about a study that was conducted in Arizona (2001) comparing and contrasting EMO charter schools and non-EMO charter schools. This article briefly mentions how most EMO charter schools, the for-profit educational management organization have authority over curriculum and instruction. Some people feel that an EMO charter school will provide their chid with a better education with a higher level of academics. Based on the results, even though test scores were sightly higher compared to non-EMO charter schools, EMO schools lacked reading comprehension and complex thinking skills.

Possible Source 1:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For-profit_school For profit schools are not only focused on the benefit of the child, but also profit. supported by businesses/corporations for funding.

Possible Source 2:
http://www.edutopia.org/economic-stimulus-education-funding-priorities

HW 40- Interviews and Synthesis