The Myth Of Inferiority Summary

The questions of “Who has homework?” and “Is it done?” have changed quite dramatically in many households over the years. Many adult learners have enrolled in two-year community colleges in pursuit of undergraduate degrees. “Do ‘hard lives’ justify excessive absences, rewrite opportunities, late papers and/or plagiarized work?” After analyzing several different factors: the perceived differences of two-year and four-year students, the reasons some students choose a two-year college vs. a four-year college, and the expectations of the faculty members at these schools, the answer to this question is, “No.”
In the article, “The Myth of Inferiority”, author T. Allen Culpepper writes, “The danger is that the perception of difference between the

two groups of students can lead to the low expectations of community-college students and an institutional culture that enables them to live down to those expectations” (330). Behavior is influenced by the perception of others, but it is only one’s own perceptions that can be controlled. Expectations should be defined by personal passions and ambitions, not the perceptions of others. They must be met by overcoming challenges with a high level of performance .
Professor Culpepper goes on to explain, “… many students choose community college for a variety of good reasons, such as cost, location, emphasis on teaching, and flexible class schedules” (330). For adult learners with family and financial commitments, the traditional method of applying to colleges across the country or even the state is not feasible. Community colleges offer multiple convenient locations, and flexible day, evening, and online classes to allow non-traditional students the ability to attend school while working full time. The tuition costs at a two-year community college are a fraction of what it costs at a four-year college. For students with tight budgets or adult learners with college aged children also attending school, the cost of tuition may be a deciding factor of whether or not enrollment into any institution is practical. Community colleges are committed to offer every opportunity for their students to attend classes and to complete assignments correctly and on-time. They cannot, however, be blamed for the poor planning and the poor character of some students .
In summary Professor Culpepper writes of faculty members expectations:
If current and potential community-college faculty members allow ourselves, or even worse, our students, to accept the myth of community-college students’ inherent inferiority, we may be, despite all our efforts to “retain” them as successful students, enabling them to fail…. To lower our standards is to accept the false assumption that students “here” are inferior to students “there” (331).
His final words remind us of the hidden dangers of low standards and expectations. Faculty members at both community colleges and universities must challenge their students to succeed. Accepting less from any student is doing them a disservice. It is the high expectations of teachers that inspire their students to overcome challenges, to defeat obstacles, and to strive for excellence. It is this type of mentorship and guidance that helps students achieve success .
This brings us back to the question, “Do ‘hard lives’ justify excessive absences, rewrite opportunities, late papers and/or plagiarized work?” The answer to this question is absolutely and most undoubtedly, “NO!” For if community college students accept that they are not as capable and competent as their university counterparts or that their professors expect less of them, they must also accept that they are inferior. It is essential that two-year students have confidence in the reasons why they decided to attend a community college as they journey through higher education and aspire to achieve their goals of earning a college degree .