Education

The school system was founded by men like George Washington and Melvil Dewey who were enormous contributors to how America was shaped. These men were people who had great ideas for the world, and we are still using their ideas today. Such as Melvil Dewey who wrote the Dewey Decimal System which library’s use all over America to organize their books. He helped create the public education system to help kids grow up and become something.

             John Taylor Gatto wrote an essay entitled, “Against School”. He has worked in the New York school district for over two decades and has won many prestigious teaching awards through his career. In this essay he argues that education public schools are providing is more like a daycare, rather than a learning center; and that kids are not reaching their full potential because the schools want everyone to learn the same material at the same pace. “To make good people, to make good citizens, and to make each person his or her personal best” (Gatto 150). These are the foundations that the public schools systems were founded on. Unfortunately in today’s society we say that these are the standards we go by, but in all actuality our actions prove differently.

             The public school systems are obviously flawed. Fixing our school system through, will require a lot of work that cannot be done overnight. We need to make sure students are learning, but also challenge student from a young age so that they are prepared for higher education latter on in life. Maybe through this change the schools will go back to their original purpose.

American Women

There is a popular saying of “anything a man can do, a woman can do better.” This is simply stating that women are not inferior to men, but that they are better than men. This saying has not been around for very long though. For the most part, women were looked down upon in society as only being good for birthing children and staying home performing the typical household duties. The man on the other hand, has always been known as stronger, faster, and even smarter than the woman.

            Alexis De Tocqueville states this in her essay “How the Americans Understand the Equality of the Sexes.” This essay was written in the early 1800s when women were not looked upon as anywhere near as equal as a man. She states that “American women never manage the outward concerns of the family, or conduct a business, or take part in political life…” She goes on to explain other aspects that women do not do because that is not their natural duties. It was not until the 1950s that women started have some more distinct rights, and take a stand for themselves.

            Since that time, American women and women around the world are taking their stand to be just as able as men. In some cases women are paid more to do a job, because the company wants to appear as equal in their hiring’s. Women may not always be looked upon as equal by everyone, but they are taking a stand in being able to do just as well of a job as a man can do, if not better.

Is There Really a Missing Class?

            Is there really a missing class? In Katherine S. Newman and Victor Tan Chan’s essay “The Missing Class” they describe the missing class which would include roughly 50 million American’s. Newman and Chan state that “This missing class is composed of households earning roughly between $20,000 and $40,000 for a family of four.”  In order to receive government assistance that family of four would have to earn less than $20,000 per year. This becomes a problem though when the family earns only slightly more than the national poverty rate.

            Newman and Chen mention three families in their essay that are in this missing class. The first is a single mother who works in janitorial cleanings making $13.68 an hour with full benefits. This may not seem like she is very bad off, but since she lives in Brooklyn the cost of living is far beyond her wages. The next person is Tomas Linares who should have settled down into a career by now. Unfortunately that takes a college education in today’s world. Since he does not have this education, he is still working two jobs and making about $20,000 a year. The last person mentioned is Gloria Hall, who has recently become very sick. She worries constantly about where the money for her next treatment will come from, and what will happen to her sons if she dies. A quote from the essay really sum up the missing class explaining that, “They are the forgotten labor force – too prosperous to be the “working poor,” too insecure to be the “middle income.” These people need some help too, they may not need as much help as the poverty stricken, but nevertheless they still need some help.