Analysis Of In Praise Of The F Word By Mary Sherry

1155 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Teacher's role in students academic achievement

After going through high school and now being in college, I have realized that high school can be sort of a joke because it often does not fill its mission. High schools waste students valuable time, on drilling unimportant information and enforcing pointless rules. Students should use that time to be getting educated for the real world and not to just pass a test. Although preparing for standardized testing is very important, schools need to focus on educating students on how the world works. Many aspects go into creating an effective high school program. For example, money plays a big part in the quality of teachers. Also the school’s location and size can be a deciding factor whether a student gets a good education or not. The two essays, “In Praise of the F Word” by Mary Sherry and “School vs. …show more content…

Although Sherry is a teacher she had not seen the tactic that was used on her son by one of his own teachers. Her son was a high school senior who sat in the back of the class and did not participate in class the way he should. “I don’t move seniors, she said, I flunk them.” (Sherry 216) This tactic is a little harsh, but the essay shows you that if a student is threatened with failure he often will make himself achieve more than, if he was just passed on through the class. It worked for Sherry’s son because he ended up finishing the class with an A after he got threatened to be failed. “In Praise of The F Word” is a perfect example as to why the ZAP program in my school is a pointless program that is actually hurting their students in the long run. Seeing unimportant programs and rules like this, makes kids not take high school serious. Although that is just one example, from one school, there are several different unimportant issues’ that also cause students to think of high school as a

Show More
Related

  • In Case You Ever Want To Go Home Again Summary

    401 Words  | 1 Pages

    The three short essays were subjectively confusing, dry, and simple to read. I was not impressed by the subject matter in Yiyun Li’s “Orange Crush.” Nor was I enthralled by the way “The Sanctuary of School” and Kingsolver’s “In Case You Ever Want to Go Home Again” were written. On the other hand, Lynda Barry had a pleasant ending to her lackluster essay in “The Sanctuary School.” Overall I was let down by the three treatise.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Abolish High School

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of Rebecca Solnit’s “Abolish High School” is to criticize the present high school system along with the emotional and academic strain it puts on developing minds. Solnit’s intended audience is any educated person with the opportunity to voice their opinions on the current approach to schooling.

    Read More

  • A's For Everyone Alicia Shepard Analysis

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • What Our Education Needs Is More F's Summary

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    An F is a grade that many students fear of obtaining in their school career, unless the student does not care about his or her education. In Carl Singleton’s article, What Our Education Needs is More F’s, Singleton expresses his belief that if students begin to receive more F’s, students would be working harder to earn good grades, parents would become more considerate of their child’s education, and teachers would be stricter and harsher when grading. Therefore, education systems requiring teachers to frequently give more F’s will fix the “inadequacies of American education,” or so Singleton believes. (Singleton). Unfortunately, Singleton’s plan if enforced, would have several negative effects to it, such as; students’ motivation would instead diminish rather than accelerate, students would not

    Read More

  • College Pressures By William Zinsser

    1735 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the beginning of high school, students strap on their seatbelts and prepare for one of the most vigorous races of their lives – becoming successful. With the rare occurrence of a break, kids are expected to keep on driving as fast and as powerfully as they can in order to get into a “great” college, which would be followed by graduate school and then an actual job that would make a lot of money. In American society, common values include working hard, determination, and being so productive that free time is not even a question. However, this philosophy is taking a major toll on American college and high school students. For at least 40 years, America’s future has been steadily growing unmotivated, tired, and hopeless due to the overemphasis on performing well in school. This phenomenon is appropriately expounded in William Zinsser’s “College Pressures”, which takes a look at the top four sources of tension that cause these feelings of dejection and agitation. After reading this article, I came up with a few solutions to this national problem. It is time to switch the harsh, over-encouraging green light of education to a comfortable yellow one. In order to make this ideal transition, directors of education across the country need to primarily reduce the amount of out-of-class assignments, lighten the grading system, and incorporate days in the school year that allow students to express their thoughts about school and provide useful feedback.

    Read More

  • Lives on the Boundary by Mike Rose

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ild, when he would hide and daydream, up until his first years of college, when he would avoid areas that were difficult, the author recognized that there was important link between challenging the student on a meaningful level and the degree to which the student eventually produced. “I felt stupid telling them I was… well – stupid.” (Rose 43) Here, Rose shows an example of how poor preparation and low standards in the classroom can make a student feel inadequate. Indeed, one can see how many things seemingly unrelated do affect a student’s ability to learn.

    Read More

  • A Generation Of Slackers Are Not So Better By Catherine Rampell Summary

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, such accusations such as laziness and entitlement, although common, have been prevalent amongst those of college age as proven in “A’s for Everyone.” Shepard had investigated the cause behind this and had put the blame on grade inflation in the years prior to entering college, the pressure to get superb grades due to high tuition costs, and most importantly the belief that “effort” constitutes a grade bonus. However, if one has entered the school system in America, one could see the relative ease in which one could improve their grades through inordinate amounts of extra credit. Multiple students have heard and even seen fellow students ask their parents to even come in for meetings of which equate to blaming their child’s poor grades on the teacher and harassing said teacher to allow their child, soon to be a hardworking, productive citizen of society, to get the “grade they

    Read More

  • Analysis Of In Praise Of The F Word By Mary Sherry

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Caution- Praise Can Be Dangerous

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Results of students who received praise for intelligence: The students in this category had negative results after receiving praising. When asked afterwards if they wanted to do the same level of problems or try more challenging ones, they chose the task that would allow them to look smart and do well on. Consequently, while telling a child how smart he or she is, we are sending a message to not take risks and just look the part. Afterwards, these children were given a hard task, which they performed poorly on, and they know longer liked the problems and did not want to practice them at home. Children also felt “dumb” and when given the initial task (in which they did well), they performed significantly worse. Lastly, their opinions of intelligence reflected that it was an innate capacity as though you cannot improve.

    Read More

  • Henry Giroux's View On The Colonization Of Childhood

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    The realm of education tends to shine a negative light on younger generations labeling them as menace to society and ultimately excluding them without fair opportunity. Every child is different; some may require more attention from teachers than others. Schools tend to forget this unique characteristic of human life once standardized testing and grading comes into the equation.

    Read More

  • The Goal Of Education Rhetorical Analysis

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    If schools do not build character in young students, the next generation will be closed minded, illogical, and far from the requirements of a leader. However, another article also supports my claim. The article “The Goal of Education is Becoming” by Marc Prensky, informs readers about how the standard of the education systems today are not giving all the needed tools to become leaders by saying “ We spend so much time and effort looking at test scores, averages, and other petty measurements of "learning" that we have little time or energy left to focus on who our students are (or are not) as individuals, what they love or hate, or what drives them (Prensky2).” Prensky is saying that schools are only looking at the academic achievements of the students, but not at all their artistic, characteristic achievements. Students should be thriving to become better individuals, thinkers, and idealists. They can achieve this through the right environment, encouragement, and curriculum from

    Read More

  • Education

    1883 Words  | 4 Pages

    ..., and religious societies. One of the primary purposes of schools is to prepare students for the working world, and it makes no sense to prepare them with a faulty model. If the world at large is desegregated, the schools should not be segregated, either” (Watson 4).

    Read More

  • Reflective Essay

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout this semester I have written several essays and journals using techniques both important and unfamiliar to me. This class helped me use these techniques and steps that are involved in creating and formalizing an essay. The writing process of an essay includes information gathering, creating ideas, and writing it on paper to create a cohesive and organized paper. In complete certainty I can say I lack many of the skills necessary to create such a paper, but during this course I have learned some writing methods which I believe have improved my essays. The essays and journals in this portfolio reveal both my strengths and weaknesses in my writing and how I have both continued to make the same errors and improved in other areas.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Electives in a School's Curriculum

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of a high school education is to prepare one for college and ultimately, the workforce. By the end of freshman year, in high school, the average student has learned a sufficient amount of material in enough subjects that he or she can be considered "well-rounded" in his or her studies. This is because the rate at which material is covered in schools, across the nation, has increased dramatically compared to the past. Students now learn more advanced curriculum at a younger age, and this continues to become more evident year after year. High school has now become more focused on teaching students a small amount of information on several essential subjects, rather than having them focus deeply on the subjects they seek to pursue in their career.

    Read More

  • Homeschooling Vs. Private School

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    Baker says, "I 'm a result of a Catholic grade school and then public high school education, and I feel like so much has been suppressed. It 's been more like a burden a lot of times" (Personal Interview). She says that she wants her children 's educational experience to be different from her own, "I want them to be able to learn, and think freely which some students can 't in public schools especially in private schools" (Personal Interview). Many parents, like Baker, feel that homeschooling is a better option for their children to receive the best educational

    Read More

More about Analysis Of In Praise Of The F Word By Mary Sherry

Open Document