Surprisingly, I agreed with Moore's views of the American public school system. The government gives schools an inch of funding and expects students to exceed a mile. I think it's impossible to be academically successful without full access to an updated library. I also think it's a ludicrous idea to believe that testing is the solution to our problems. I remember my stomach instantaneously tightening as I heard my teacher utter the phrase "state testing". After 12 years of state testing I can honestly say I never once took a state exam that coincided with what I learned in the classroom. Not only did state testing hinder the teachers ability to teach creatively, it hindered my ability to give an answer that wasn't listed as A, B, or C. From a young age we are taught to regurgitate everything our teachers teach. Can you say monkey see monkey do? I recently had a conversation with an exchange student from Brazil. She told me about the vast differences between American high schools and the ones she attended in Brazil. She explained that in Brazil you don't have the option of failing a class. If you fail one class you retake the whole year. I sat with my mouth gaping open as I realized under those circumstances my graduating class would've been 30 instead of 350. I think that our public schools stress the importance of sports rather than the importance of academics. In most high schools if you participate on any team you have to maintain about a "C" average. My junior year of high school the administration decided it was indefinitely important to put in a custom turf field. In order to do so they pulled funding from school clubs and teacher funds.
Wow. Was anyone else shocked by the fact that corporate America is trying to buy the souls of students through their lunch money? Coke Day? You've got to be kidding! I think the reason administrators have allowed the invasion of corporate America into public schools goes back to a lack of funding. If they can't get it from the government or from making kids go door-to-door guilt tripping people into buying cookie dough, where can it come from? From box tops and pop cans of course!
2 comments:
Sabrina, I can't say that I agree with you completely, but I care definately relate to some of what your saying. My dad is from Turkey and he tild me the same thing about his schooling. He had to take summer school one year because he failed one class. I dont agree with what you said about our public school focusing on sports. I played sports all through high school and grades are enforced more than they are in college sports. Sports can train people for the real world, I think for the most part that sports help our youth.
Sabrina,
I am not shocked by the corporate America funding of our schools. I have been aware of that for a long time. I personally feel that education has to be a priority to those who are benefiting from it Students and their families) as well as those who are offering it (the government) Our system of education is really set up to open the door widely to funding and funding agendas. In my opinion local school budgets have passed the buck to federal budgets and then were cut and invited corporate budgets to fill in the gap. I feel it is a simple attitude adjustment that America needs. Parents pass the buck to the schools who really only have so much influence if the program is not a priority to all of the participants. The way I followed Michael Moore's examples it seems pretty clear to me that America wants someone else to pay for the books, and the computers and the lunches at school. And America has also found exactly what we were looking for. I think unless we make education a collective financial priority, this situation will be the way schools receive even more of their funding in years to come.
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