A flower does not get to choose its garden, and neither does a child his birthplace, but taking advantage of the opportunities given should be a priority in any human. Nonetheless here in the land of the free too often the words, “I cannot understand my teacher, I am going to drop.” Or “This is too hard, I will take it next semester” enter the thoughts of the youth of America. In other words, these phrases characterize the mentally weak society that has been corrupted by overindulgence. In this case some of these kids do not even grasp the concept of work ethic; understanding how hypocritical this may sound coming from a college student, an undeniable truth must be stated. Higher education is no longer a privilege to obtain enlightenment. Instead …show more content…
Although the passage argues that students are to blame for the mediocrity, but a deeper analysis is required. If all things are equal, children are a reflection of their parents so if they taught them to just get by, then the child will not have the motivation to go beyond the already lacking education system. Therefore when the student gets to high school his ways are deeply engraved in their character making visible change difficult. Sooner or later they watch their peers get by with doing the minimum intellectual work and getting the most from their other activities. After all, the student does not understand that minimum wage pays for a couple of things, but does not provide for a family. Although they may witness the other kids get by with the least amount of work and may wish to join them; their character discourages them from following. But any weak links in his work ethic will cause said student to give in and follow the crowd. As a result, when the new students come in, they will now witness his laziness and follow his example. An illustration is when a young man is trying to get fit and if people who are in the opposite mindset are consistently surrounding him, then he will also give in and not complete his
In Frank Bruni’s New York Time’s article, “The Imperiled Promise of College,” he argues that college is no longer a guarantee of success because students are not being properly motivated and guided into the programs that will provide them with jobs.
Some people may have decent jobs, but the bills and other expenses people may have make it harder on people than those who are in the same class but don’t necessarily have to go through the same thing as others. The chapters that I read in this book broaden what I said to a better, more clear understanding. In chapter 6, "The College Dropout Boom" talked about the idea of how higher education, meaning college, and how it should be the ticket to success in America.... ... middle of paper ... ...
At first I thought this was an essay trying to inform us on the issue of college students. As I have read deeper into it I have thought it out to be more of a persuasive essay. The whole essay examples are given in which students and parents whine for better grades. There were five or ten situations brought up where someone would get a B but thought they worked hard enough. By repeatedly giving us visualizations of this she is trying to get a point across. She makes this the main argument in the essay. She is trying to get the point across that kids are ridiculous to ask for a better grade. If the teacher gives them a grade of a B, she clearly means it. Then to add on to that the teachers give in to the child. The main part of school is to learn. If
When you think of a typical college student you may think of a young adult around 18 to 22 years old. You may also think of someone with little world experience that’s off on their own for the first time in their short life. Surprisingly, there has been a recent phenomenon with an increase in older people now attending post-secondary education, specifically the baby boomer generation. Libby Sander, a staff reporter at the Chronicle of Higher Education, explores this topic in an article called “Blue-Collar Boomers Take Work Ethic to College” (782). Sander combines the use of all three rhetorical appeals throughout her article to successfully argue that the wave of baby boomers enrolled in postsecondary education is changing the perception
In paragraph 2-4 he first argues that statistically it 's not logical for people in the bottom 40% of their class to go college because they most likely drop out. Then he argues that its a waste of time to go to college then drop out because they’ll usually not even have learned anything. Lastly, he argues that even if they d go to college, once they graduate it’s still unlikely they’ll find a job that their degree was worth.
In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.
He says that it is hard to get students to learn because they have more freedom than they had when they were in school. Students do not have their parents with them to motivate them. Students are more focused on having fun than they are with learning. If students do not learn then they will struggle when it’s time to actually get a job. The author says that they will exhibit the same lack of motivation in their careers.
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...
He seems to force what he says, rather than having a natural tone, causing the reader of the article to be left with a feeling of discontent. Although he only focuses on the negatives that those of the past have done, his argument is direct. No matter what generation you are from, it seems one always suspects the other of either ignorance or reckless abandon. It is easy for someone of the younger generation to point fingers at those who raised them, while taking no responsibility to take control of their lives. He does leave the reader with more awareness of a problem students face upon leaving school. This article is a persuasive piece due to the usage of Brooks principle message and literary
...ity of a four year education; those restrictions would also deny the opportunity of higher education to many who could achieve even greater success than those who had been chosen. Throughout history, there are stories of ordinary individuals who rose up to live extraordinary lives. To not allow someone the opportunity to achieve their potential would serve not only to separate the classes farther, it would also cause the stagnation of our economy. Jobs would be easier for the chosen educated, as there would be less competition. The truth is, it is that very competition that pushes every sector of our economy, driving companies to make better products or offer better services. Without competition, industries quit moving forward and better products don’t get engineered. It is clear to me that returning our education system to one in which only the chosen few were admitted would actually cause far more damage to society than the danger the author speaks about. If someone chooses to take the necessary steps to achieve greatness, no one should be able to hinder them except themselves.
She explains how her son was just pushed through school. “Our youngest, a world-class charmer, did litter to develop his intellectual talent but always got by” (559). He got through school by being a good kid, he was quiet and didn’t get in trouble. This was how he made it to his senior year until Mrs. Stifter’s English class. Her son sat in the back of the room talking to his friends; and when Mary told her to just move him “believing the embarrassment would get him to settle down” (559) Mrs. Stifter just told her “I don’t move seniors I flunk them” (559). This opened Mary’s eyes that her son would have to actually apply himself to pass. He wouldn’t be handed a passing grade. After the meeting with her son teacher, she told her son if you don’t try you will fail, making him actually apply himself. This made Mary understand that Failure is a form of positive teaching tool. Only because her son had to work for it and, now he actually came out of high school with a form of
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
The current 25 and under age group, the Millennials, are being called the “Entitlement Generation”. First, let’s look at what entitlement means. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, entitlement is defined as, “(1) the condition of having a right to have, do, or get something (2) the feeling or belief that you deserve to be given something (such as special privileges) (3) a type of financial help provided by the government for members of a particular group” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). For the purposes of this paper, we will stick with the second definition listed in the dictionary. Some may ask, why is this an issue? Simply put, the belief that one does not have to earn a wage, or position of employment is, well, unsettling. Do we,
A diverse array of arguments concerning the costly price of college and its equivalency to the ultimate result of attending persists along a vastly debatable spectrum of economic and social influences. Those seeking a better standard of living by the means of higher education often find themselves in conditions that are more adverse than their lifestyle prior to attending college. Efforts to dwindle the expenditure of college education have potential to produce a heightened reality for the world, with intellectual knowledge as the pivotal key. The expensive cost and limitability of a college education has potential to invoke incentive to work harder in one’s studies; however, obtaining a college degree does not ensure employment, the cost can