As you read the beginning chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird and witness Scout and Jem's interactions with teachers, peers, and curriculum, it becomes more and more apparent that Harper Lee has strong opinions on the education system that was in existence at the time when she grew up.
What were her opinions?
How do you think she overcame her poor education to become one of the century's most famous authors?
What is your opinion on today's education system?
If you hold a negative opinion, what do you think should be done/changed to make today's education more effective?
Harper Lee portrayed through Scout here dislike of America’s education system at that time. She used Miss Caroline to represent the naïve and misguided teachers who through their futile efforts only managed to misinform the students. Miss Caroline didn’t accept any unconformity in her class, and Scout already knowing how to read was a blatant transgression on Miss Caroline’s method of teaching and ideals. Instead of lavishly praising Scout like a good teacher would do, Miss Caroline actually disapproved of it and tried to force Scout to forget what she had already learned. Maybe Harper Lee had experienced this treatment as a child and resented it. Also, Harper Lee degraded the Dewey Decimal System as some sort of silly way of “teaching” children by flashcards and flowery books.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee managed to overcome many obstacles to here success as a writer by studying outside of school, where such actions were frowned upon. Many students now have the wrong idea that learning should only be restricted to school days, while the reality is that some of the best opportunities to learn are outside of class. Harper Lee took advantage of this and wrote in here free time, steadily building here skills as a writer until she became one of the world’s most influential writer.
One of the big things that needs to be fixed in today’s education system is the students interpretation of education. Most students have this ideology, “School is boring. Boring is bad. Therefore, school is bad. Bad things are bad. Therefore, school is bad. School = boring, therefore, school is bad.” This way of thinking only results in poor quality students, which would eventually lead to the demise of America’s innovation and imagination. The sad part is that there aren’t enough of teachers like Ms. McCoun who strive everyday to actively engage students in discussions and other stuff and too much bad teachers who just give out boring lectures, hand out tedious homework, and loaf around being derpy. We need wonky teachers! (wonky is good thing in my dictionary)
We should totally get more wonky teachers! :)
DeleteThere should be a new system of training for teachers (just like when Miss Caroline was taught the "innovative" Dewey Decimal System). New teachers would learn how to make learning fun and interesting. I agree that most students have associate school with negative things. So, if we can make them pay attention through engaging activities, they'll be happy to come to school and be better educated/prepared!
I completely agree with you, Hans, about the current education system. Everyday I see many peers who do not reach their full potential because they are limited by their negative thoughts towards school. Because of the belief that school has to be boring, those students' imaginations are definitely going to become extinguished. I agree that "wonky" teachers would instigate new ideas among their students. From personal experience, I know that those type of teachers make school much more fun and interesting.
DeleteHans, I like your interpretation of a everyday highschoolers life. I think the amount of homework should be distressed and we should be able to do our homework when we feel like it will help us accomplish something.
DeleteBut Somit, do you really feel that this reduced amount of homework will really be the solution? How possibly can it be? As we all know, when we have less homework, the less precedence we allot to it and when we allot less precedence to homework well, you know what happens... It either gets done poorly and haphazardly so there must be a different solution.
DeleteHans, I agree with you that Miss. Caroline didn't accept any unconformity in her class, but she was not naive or misguided! I believe that Miss. Caroline knew exactly what she was doing and trying to make things go her own way. Some teachers are like that: "Don't put your name on the left side of the paper", "Don't write on the back of your paper.", "Don't finish the worksheet", and so on, but they know what they're doing. They are not blinded by the unorganization of the world or simply aggravated that they can't understand what the student wrote. They know what they're doing.
DeleteSo basically Harper Lee personally thinks and portrays the education system as a strict place. She did this through Ms. Caroline's rigidness and how she won't tolerate any trouble (except when she had that breakdown that one time). Through the character of Scout, Lee also emphasizes her hatred for the restrictions of the school system. Similar to how Scout is forced to stop "learning for fun" (at a lack of better words), less talented students are put through the same course over and over again (as if the same old thing will suddenly make sense after the tenth time you repeat it. trust me it doesn't work!).
ReplyDeleteI personally think that, despite the advancements that schools have had in the past decades, our educational system is still flawed. We spend too much time learning things that will be completely irrelevant and useless in the future (who needs biology when you own a restaurant?)
That's why I love MY plan: starting in about high school (after students learned basic studies in middle school), students should be able to decide more classes, and not just electives: their core classes as well. They would have the choice to swap math classes with science classes or whatever else their little hearts may please. For example, a high school student who set his heart on being a doctor would be able to drop their social studies class for an additional biology class (not likely but its all theoretical :D). Likewise, students that are still unsure would be able to choose our present core classes until they know what they would want to be. This way, all students would be happier, more prepared, and generally, SMARTER! Because the whole school system was created to EDUCATE people and prepare them for their careers. How can they do that when they're wasting brain cells on learning the Krebs Cycle? That's why my plan is the best!
Fu for President, 2016!!
DeleteI do agree (to a point) with most of Victor's ideology. Yes. Much of the "education" that is crammed into our heads during this overly long school year by, as Hans said, substandard teachers, is completely and utterly useless. However, I think that amid the piles of homework, we might be able to find a hidden gem. We learn things for a reason, be it the Krebs Cycle, Matrices, or even Latin American Geography. If students were allowed to pick and choose ALL of their classes, even their core classes, I think that as time progresses, the system would lead to an ignorant population and less knowledgeable adults.
DeleteWhat if one's dreams and aspirations are only to become a carpenter like your dad and your dad's dad before him? Why should you even go to school at all? Should you be allowed to take all off-campus periods and shop classes for the rest of your four years of high school? I don't think so. The purpose of us going to school is to gain knowledge, to broaden our horizons and gain skills for future life. If that student that graduates from high school hasn't taken a single non-carpentry related class, he might still make an excellent carpenter, but he would not be as knowledgeable of an adult. If he didn't take a single history course in high school, he wouldn't be able to keep up with many current events in the news, nor follow along in many normal conversations. If he only chose to take only one year of English in high school, his abilities at cutting wood might not be impeded, but if he needs to write a letter to somebody putting in an order, his English skills might be more than a little choppy.
And what if that carpenter, in his late 20s, decides to switch fields of expertise? “Carpentry is boring,” he says. “I want to be a petroleum engineer! They make big bucks!” Normal people might go to college and begin taking math and science courses. Soon, what they learned in high school will come back to them, and they will graduate with a degree and head out to find jobs. However, this man, who had his eyes set on becoming a builder-of-benches, will not have much of the preliminary knowledge that comes with taking basic science and math courses in high school.
I think that yes, we should probably have more flexibility in our course selection in high school, that secondary education should prepare us more for future career paths, but I also think that we should be learning in high school, about a wide variety of subjects. Drastic career changes are common, and the knowledge we gain from high school level courses will help us in real life, not just in the workforce.
I love this plan as it gives freedom to the student, but it also has a problem because if you give a student total freedom they can use their seven periods for study hall and not do anything. Granted that is their own loss (I know it seems heartless, but who are we to care if they want to ruin their lives?)they wont be able to do anything in the future. Also, if they introduce regulations on this idea, it will be the same as it is now: regulations and kids not learning what they are supposed to. Other than that this is an amazing idea. :)
DeleteI whole heartedly agree. Were we to have more control over our course selections, not only would we benefit, but also society as a whole. If a student wants to be a doctor when he/she grows up, the student should be allowed to pick courses geared towards biology or medicine instead of multi-variable calculus or linear algebra. But there should still be certain restrictions on how much or how little of a subject you take, just not nearly as much as we have now.
DeleteOkay so I'm not sure how else to reply but I'll do it like this:
Delete@Ms McCoun
Yay! Vote for me :)
@Grant
About your carpenter example: that is why I suggested only allowing free choices in high school. You learn basic English, grammar, and vocabulary throughout elementary and middle school. If you were to write a letter as a carpenter, you wouldn't need to know the entire SAT vocab list! Also, if they find carpentry boring, they should be able to re-enlist in high school to "re-learn" missed opportunities (maybe in college as well if we alter their admissions' requirements).
@Awan
In high school, students have begun to learn not only basic knowledge in school but also in life. They learn to build their character. Hopefully, they'll be responsible enough not to do this, and if they're irresponsible, they'll miss the deadline and regular core classes will be assigned to them. But to make the plan even more foolproof, there should be a limit on study halls (making all periods study halls then not having any classes to study for?) and limits on number of specific career-type classes (so they will be forced to broaden their horizons as well). Also, administrators and counselors will be able to look at schedules to make sure students aren't too obnoxious.
@Hans
Thanks!
@Victor:
DeleteMaybe my carpentry example was a bit extreme, but my point was that many skills learned in mandatory high school courses are beneficial towards later life; it can never hurt to know a little more. Mandatory core classes, although some may find them pointless, help to make a more well-rounded adult.
I think that allowing TOO MUCH free choice will result in people just taking the easy way out. When it isn't required to do something, many, if not most, of the students in any given school will, as Awan said, take the easy way out, choose the easiest classes available. You argue that limits will be placed on amounts of study halls and career-specific classes, but I still think that this might not be that much better than our current system. Knowing about history, science, and literature is important throughout life, no matter what field you decide to work in. If all students took the easiest way out, our society would quickly degenerate.
Perhaps you do learn basic writing skills in middle and elementary school, but if you are writing something to a boss, would you want the language skills of a sixth grader or the literary expertise of one who took four years of English in high school?
I still stand by my opinion that high schools shouldn't be requiring students to do as much coursework as they do now, and they should create more free choice when it comes to electives. Perhaps if we were required to take three core classes a year? But eliminating the mandatory courses each high school student has to take is a big mistake.
@Grant:
DeleteStudents may be taking "the easy way out", but as I suggested, counselors and administrators can regular their schedules to make sure students are still having a premium educational experience. Also, this system is still much more beneficial than our current one because students will not waste time in other unnecessarily in-depth classes. If you insist, some classes could be mandatory (such as English), but as you have demonstrated by yourself, with only a middle-school education, you are perfectly capable of being fluent and somewhat professional in expressing yourself through text.
Now, take into account, also, that four years of college is presently very expensive. Most families could not afford the extra years of college that are necessary to becoming top-notch doctors, lawyers, or other professions. Now, by allowing students to choose many more electives (possibly not ALL of them, if you insist), they are more prepared, and they and their families are not burdened by a substantial amount of debt.
To sum it all up, a middle-school education is perfectly capable of providing students with the skills necessary later on in life (but not specifically career-wise). Administrators and counselors are able to monitor which students are doing excellently or poorly and act accordingly by restricting the number of "free" classes or simply choosing their classes for them. Also, this new system will be more beneficial in educating students in their career paths (in which that excellent performance will not be look over because of an average essay that wasn't full of confusing words) and also in relieving families of stress and debt.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteVictor, i agree with your way of education and on how it should change. Such things as having an amount of credit per each class i think is full of baloney. I would understand having 2 class credits of each class, just to learn about the basics and to see which class your most interested most and then getting to choose your classes for junior and senior year. I think some classes like history is waste less, yes, i'm very glad for what the people did to make our country the way it is now, but do we really need to learn every little detail about it? If we want to become an artist, writer, math teacher, lab tech, or even an engineer.
DeleteAnd from what Grant and Awan arguing about how students will just take an "easy way out", is just silly. NO SCHOOL WOULD JUST LET YOU GO THROUGH 4 YEARS OF DOING RANDOM EASY CLASSES! (If there is let me join! jk)The're will always be a limit of free periods or study hall you can take for you're 4 years. If they choose to take the path where they slack of let them be and see them later taking your order for McDonald. Plus taking classes now that you're mandatory to have, students can still take school as a joke and don't care and slack of the same.
@Victor
DeleteGreat ideas! You’ve definitely…sparked a lot of commentary… I’m assuming (despite knowing how bad it is to assume) that by basic studies in middle school, you’re also implying that the same happens in elementary school. Actually, your points are very similar to mine, so after continuous scrolling up and down and reading other people’s comments, I found that you’ve already said almost exactly what I did. Of course, we all have that point in time where we’re just “wasting brain cells” on learning something that isn’t going to benefit us in the future. But I do think that after learning something for the tenth time, you’re going to remember it. Some people take more, but let’s not specify on that…
All in all, I agree with you. Despite the fact that we may miss out on opportunities for learning, as Grant said (see next few paragraphs or so), we all should have the choice of learning, right?
@Grant:
To address one of your issues (the missing out on opportunities), we could offer/require a class that teaches you little bits of everything, so while a student pursues their dream, they can also take an elective that gives you tiny bits of basic knowledge. For example, the class could alternate teaching writing, reading, math, science, etc. so that no matter what the student wishes to add more classes of, they can choose to continue (or if the class is required, then they have to continue) learning more skills to become what they want. You bring up the example of an average worker who needs the advanced writing skills of 4 years in high school. Well, you have seven classes, why not take 4 years of English in high school? You can always stick to the original four core classes, no matter what. And the school/teachers will offer certain routes a student would take to become their career choice. Of course, another way to address that problem would be to strengthen the middle school curriculum (which, I’m sure we all agree, has NOT adequately prepared us for high school) to a level where you will have that sufficient amount of skill.
You also talk about the “easy way out”. But under this system, every course will be modified to prepare you with the sufficient knowledge for your future career, adding challenging curriculum to the “easier classes”. You have to see the way that this is preparing students: the school definitely wouldn’t allow you to have multiple study halls, and the “easy courses” will still be challenging enough to prepare someone for the work force and college. And these people that will try to take the easy way out aren’t going to be the majority. Most students in our school have at least a slight determination for learning, and I’m pretty sure that if we’re preparing people for the future, they won’t want to miss out. One problem with your point is that laziness is, in fact, universal, and we have people taking the “easy way out” even in our school system. Wouldn’t you say that your idea of lessening work load is almost an “easy way out”? We’ll have people in life that will continue to find holes in the plan (I suppose we could call it de facto?), because that’s what we as humans tend to do: take the easier route.
And about your plan: I agree that lessening the work load is a wonderful idea, but wouldn’t students lack sufficient experience in piles of work that they will experience in the work force? Wouldn’t they be more prepared that if they were exposed to more work?
@Emily:
DeleteI don’t think you understand what Grant is trying to say. Although I don’t necessarily agree with him, we have to accept the fact that people will be lazy in life. There’s going to be a person who wants five study halls to make their work load much lighter. It’s simply a part of our nature as human beings. If you want to get to school, and you live five miles away, you’d probably take a car or bus to school instead of walking. Taking a car or bus would, in some sense, be “taking the easy way out”. It’s just that by taking the car would save time, and be more convenient (especially with a heavy backpack and the weather we have here right now). Taking an easier route isn’t ridiculous; it’s actually much more convenient and beneficial in some cases. I’m not agreeing with Grant and his ideas on this plan, I’m just saying that the “easy way out” isn’t always what you think it is.
@Awan:
I agree with you on the chance that someone will attempt to take advantage of this system by taking way too many study halls. But, when you think about it, couldn’t the educational system limit the amount of study halls possible? They already do today, so why can’t they under this plan? You bring up some great points, and I have to say that I agree with you on some of them. But, we can always find a way to fix these problems, or at least make them smaller.
@Hans:
Yup. Definitely correct! :) There must be restrictions and limits, because too much of a good thing can be disastrous.
@Rachel:
DeleteI also think that you have slightly misunderstood my argument. I agree with you that work in high school should be evenly distributed between middle school and elementary school, that we learn too little in earlier, for lack of a better word, stages, of education. But that was not necessarily what I meant by "lessening" the work load. Perhaps I phrased it incorrectly. What I meant was that, in part, I was supporting Victor's position: that if I knew I wasn't going to be a historian or a history professor at Harvard, if I genuinely didn't care about the subject, I shouldn't have to be memorizing exact dates of when Simon Bolivar won Colombian independence and when the rebels signed a peace treaty with Spain, but I should know that he DID win independence for many major countries in South America. My point was that although much of the things we learn is useless, and is probably forgotten within three days of test day, we should still be learning, and retaining, the important aspects of it for life.
If I had no interest whatsoever, in math, if I hated it, should I not take any math courses? Should I take a bare minimum amount? I’m saying that NO, I shouldn’t. The fact that you’re not good at math, or science, or whatever subject it may be, should, if anything, be a reason TO take the class, to get better, to learn, to expand your horizons, rather than just avoid it as much as possible. The point I am repeatedly trying to make is that allowing TO MUCH free choice in course selection will not allow students enough exposure to different subjects.
But now, my friends, you all seem to be supporting my original point (you might find it if you scroll up a lot)- that of course we should be taking more and better courses to prepare us for the work force, but high school is sometimes much too early to decide on a future occupation, that of course there should be more flexibility in our course selection, and that we shouldn't need to learn ALL the excessive things we do, but there should be limits placed. What I hear most people saying now is that there will be limits on course selection, and that there will be required courses. Good; that’s all I ask. In our education system, we need to prepare students for their future occupations, but we should also be considering the big picture. We shouldn't do away with course requirements, or allow students free reign to choose all their classes, because it is important, in life, no matter what you decide to do for a living, to have a wide knowledge of many different subjects.
I AGREE WITH YOU VICTOR i dislike how we have to take certain classes we dont like. Without those classes then people like me will be such a happy person
Deletehey Victor, quite the debate you've got goin' on here!
Delete@Grant i agree with most of your aspects on victors planbut of course who wouldnt want to have victors plan?
matter of fact dont we already have a little of this in our district? isnt that basically what the different acadamies are for? if you want to be a professor in a certain language, you generally come to Clements, but if you're leaning towards doctoral studies i believe you would go to hightower or something like that.
then theres also the kids who are in culinary arts ~ i know a few kids at Clements (Juniors) who have their first 2 periods at dulles so that they can fulfill their needs. idk if im making any sense what so ever but im trying to say that the district - just barely - is trying to give us a chance to pursue our dreams starting in High school. Yes or no? soooooooo yeah. im hungry.. k bye.
LONG LIVE ARTHUR(BOO)RADLEY
Harper Lee’s opinions about the education system that was in place as she was growing up were that it was horrible because it was an education system that didn't let the kids learn. It was completely useless and dumbed down to such an extent that it felt like losing knowledge rather than gaining. I think she rarely paid attention in school and did most of her work outside of school where she wouldn't have any boundaries on what she could learn.
ReplyDeleteToday’s education system could be better but for the most part, it is OK. We learn what we need to and we have the ability to take initiative to learn more outside of school or in advanced classes. It does have a few flaws however. For one thing, teachers don’t cater to every child individually. They seem to think everyone has the same base to learn off of. Another issue is the workload. When a child doesn't want to work, he won’t absorb what he is doing enough. They also give us random things that we don’t need to know. I, for one, don’t like the concept of having to take a history or science class when we have no interest in those areas. We need to be able to choose from a young age what we like and based on that, a career. If we do this than we can actually excel in what we like and hone in on that one thing as a career so that our time is not wasted on other trivial things.
The only reason people are doing bad in school is either lack of initiative or not understanding. When a student doesn't have a clear understanding of a topic it clearly shows that he or she is not meant to learn that unless they show true interest.
Another thing I need to say is that these are not years to waste on fulfilling the school’s requirements on “credits” or classes that are mandatory because instead of doing those, we can be doing other things like learning more about math or science if that is what you are in to. That time can also be used trying different things to see what you're good at rather than wasting it on boring topics like speech or fine arts. I for one have no talent in these areas and find them a waste of time. I also find no use in wasting a semester in learning how to say something to a crowd. It’s completely useless. We need to able to find and nurture our own ideas and talents instead of wasting time.
I love your opinion and ideas. Students do need more motivation to think about their future and actually learning instead of getting high GPAs or more credits. I agree that we shouldn't have to take classes that we have no interest in. Also, teachers should be more focused on students' personal challenges and talents (granted that it would be highly inefficient to cater to every individual need of every student). These new plans would definitely make school a true place of education!
DeleteI agree with you when you say there's a reason students don't understand something for a reason. We should be able to focus on what we are truly interested in.
DeleteNicole Castiglioni
1st period
I completely agree with your opinions and it's very true that students don't learn anything when they aren't interested. We should be able to choose what we would like to do so we will progress in our career mind-sets and have a well rounded education in the specific area we're interested in. But there is no harm in learning more by taking the classes that don't interest you as much because you never know, you could learn something vital to your career mind-set.
DeleteShifan Ali 1st period
You are exactly right! Students have a better understanding on a subject if they get to choose it. But I have to disagree with one thing, you said kids should'nt waste their time. They have all the time in the world to set a better understanding of their futures. I know people who got degrees in a certain area of the feild, but decided to go back to unviersity/school and start all over. I think that students should give a test try in a class, and if they dont like it they can pick another one.
DeleteHarper Lee's opinion on education was that it was uptight, mostly because the system was a weak thing in the past. The children that were taught back then were nothing like the children taught now. The system did not teach students but rather pumped out machines that acted on command. Harper Lee was able to overcome this and probably did her own research outside of the curriculum and spent time at the local library or something to enhance her knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThe education system that we have today is somewhat flawed. As I stated before, children these days are more concerned about grades and not interested in learning new things. The pressure to get good grades and a good college creates competition, and with more competition people do not learn anything. If you drop a fish into a pond where the fish only fight for the meat, it will learn nothing but how to fight. It won't learn anything new about the environment, or even evolve in its way of thinking. It will only continue on to fight for food. This is just a comparison to what our education system is like. An idea would be not to give rankings at all. Those who have bad grades should be encouraged to push on, and colleges should not look at grades but look more deeply into effort or performance.
You bring up some interesting points! The competition in school (especially Clements) does distract students from the original reason why schools were established in the first place: education. They do need to find a way to make this less competitive, but at the same time, equally or more educational while at the same time interesting. It may be a lot to ask of the school district, but it is necessary if they want to better prepare the students (instead of only teaching them about competition).
DeleteHowever, I only agree with your last statements up to a point. Sure, students who have bad grades should be encouraged to put in more effort, but only so much can be done for students. If they've shown that they're unwilling to change their ways even after numerous attempts, we should NOT waste anymore time on them. This time would be inevitably useless, as proven many times before, and it could be used towards enhancing the education of students who actually want to learn. (This does not include students who work hard but simply cannot get good grades. For these students, alternative methods should be created to help those who don't function in a traditional environment). Also, about colleges looking more at effort and performance, they do need to pay more attention to the effort put in, but "effort" is immeasurable and cannot be put on a paper, whereas grades can. The opposite can be said about importance, however. Grades are very limited in showing what students are truly capable of (for they are merely reflections of how well a teacher has taught them), but effort shows what the student would be able to achieve if taught correctly. So, effort and performance should both be considered, but up to a certain point for each.
P.S. Love your fish analogy. So funny but so true :)
I agree with both of you guys. The competition is overwhelming to the point where students don't process the knowledge they're gaining but merely use it to get good grades. Most likely, they'll forget it soon afterwards. But as Victor said, I agree that it is also up to the student him/herself to choose whether they want to gain and use their education. We can't keep blaming the system if the students are the ones not reciprocating the effort that was put into teaching them by trying to grasp and understand the concept. It is possible to actually learn AND get good grades so it's not all the system's fault.
DeleteI knew this was going to come up sooner or later…good points nonetheless! :)
DeleteI definitely agree with you 100% on the problems of competition in many high schools (I think we’ve had these types of conversations far too many times, no?). The whole ideology of grades and college has become distorted in a misconception laid down by those with high standards, and that has changed our education system more than I care to acknowledge. Clements has become this fish and pond analogy that you’ve explained (which I’m imagining in my head right now, sad but true, I suppose), and we as students are exposed to this environment that some people say is unhealthy. There’s been a conflict in thoughts over challenging curriculum and stress factors: while some enjoy the more competitive edge that their high school has given them, many despair over what they think to be a waste of 4 years of high school packed with intense studying and extracurricular activities. As the all-knowing Ms. McCoun once told us, cheating is one of Clements’ greatest problems. This isn’t always because the students are just lazy, I believe a majority of the cheating in Clements is due to the overwhelming competition and work load that gives students less time to study and focus on learning.
I like the thought of no rankings, for some private schools like to practice this because they find this to be more encouraging towards students. But, some think that rankings give this competitiveness to students that eventually lead to their success. All in all, rankings or not, there’s always the good and bad. I still believe in the concept of choosing your courses, as many people have said, but of course this isn’t that bad of an idea at all. I mean, when you think about it, how many parents have wasted so much time to pack their poor children with as many AP courses as possible, not to mention national competitions and volunteer groups? I’m saying this because the whole ideology of the American Dream is that you eventually for your hard work to end up a good thing, but I’m imagining a replay of the events of The Necklace where some poor parent has wasted their years away, just like Madame Loisel, in the fray of competition and GPAs, only to find that GPAs aren’t that big of a factor in determining college entrance (terrible, isn’t it?).
*sigh* Us Clements kids and our tirades over grades and whatnot...
Agreed, rankings is annoyingly pressuring and you can't have a good time at school with it.
Deletei agree with how your saying that colleges need to look into peoples effort and persistence instead of just looking at the grades. I believe that Clements is getting really competitive and requires to give some leisure to the students :DDDD (TOTALLY...I WANT TO SLEEP). Ranking is not that important, but what somebody puts in to do what they have to do.
DeleteHarper Lee showed that the teachers during this time period thought there was only one way to teach curriculum and that school was supposed to be a very structured and strict environment. Harper overcame the poor education she went to by reading on her own and probably doing extra work outside of class. She most likely spent free time reading and writing.
ReplyDeleteToday's school system is a very distorted version of what it should be. Students focus on simply their grade rather than actually understanding the material at all. Many kids don't seem to understand the importance of actually being able to use their knowledge in real world situations. Most are satisfied simply if they have the letter "A" written in the gradebook. I think the students need to get a taste of having a job and the real world so they learn that they do need to know things, not just get a good grade and forget about it.
Nicole Castiglioni
Period 1
Sorry Timothy, I didn't mean to reply directly on your post:)
Throughout the novel it is easy to see that Harper Lee did not think much of the education system while she was growing up. If the character Miss Caroline was any indication of what Harper Lee faced, it is easy to see why she felt that way. However, it surprised me to see that someone who had faced such adversity from an educational perspective was able to become one of the greatest writers of the century. I feel that this is a reflection of the power of people. No matter what is given to us we all have the ability to make something out of nothing.
ReplyDeleteBut in this day and age, I feel like education is not where it should be. Education (at Clements especially)has drifted away from its original purpose. Many students are mostly focused on making an A that actual learning has become come insignificant in the eyes of the student. How will a student be able to realize their passions for subjects when they spend their time memorizing the subject and then just forgetting it?
To change this I feel a new system of grading should be applied. Most students take the current grade system we have now and feel like an A is all that will show colleges and other people how smart they are. We need a system that will show the academic ability of the student while also emphasizing the need for learning.
I like how you mentioned that students think colleges only look for grades to see how smart they are. While I agree that should definitely be changed, the fact of the matter is that colleges do look for grades to judge a student's intellect. If an Ivy League school sees a B on a transcript, then the student is not accepted. That is how we all see it. It is so stupid how the process works, but that is how it is. No A, no success. That is how every kid sees it nowadays. And it is truly upsetting.
DeleteI like what you said. Like Tim, i like how you brought up the fact that colleges shouldn't focus on ranks, grades, and GPA. They should focus instead on the effort and outside activities. An A is not that important, instead its what you gain as you listen to your teacher. It's better to know what you are learning than just focusing on what you want to get as a grade and completely ignore the true meaning behind learning.
DeleteHarper Lee showed in the beginning chapters in to kill a mockingbird how a young teacher can't teach anything new and more complicated but Lee isn't showing that the other children don't have the education that Scout does therefore Scout has a very arrogant attitude in the book because of her education with Atticus. Scout feels like nothing will change in the education system and everything will be easy and boring.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee overcame her bad education by teaching herself most of
the information that they ignored in school. She also had advise from her father to help her out in pursuing her writing career.
We have a very good education system compared to the other countries around the world. We have a system that not only challenges us but makes us think what we should do and what we shouldn't. We are very lucky in having such a well thought out education system which will help us in our lives as we go pursue our dreams. We need to embrace what we have and move on in our life.
Through Harper Lee's character, Scout, whom she based upon herself, it is easy to see that Lee had a horrible opinion of her childhood education. As Scout repeatedly protests to her father, Atticus, about having to go to school, we can see that school was more bothersome than it was helpful. As she shows in the novel, the students are really limited by the teachers. Everything must be done a certain way and anything out of the norm is frowned upon. For example, when Scout proves to Ms.Caroline that she can read, Ms.Caroline is unhappy and tells her that she must stop reading. Ms.Caroline says that there is a certain way to learn how to read and that is the right way. Lee finds this terrible and feels that the education in the past was limited by the teachers and their methods.
ReplyDeleteI think that Harper Lee overcame this strict "law-like" education by learning outside of school where she wouldn't be restricted by overly strict teachers. This way she could learn what she wanted to and as much as she wanted to. This,I feel, is how she became the writer she is.
Now, regarding today's education. I feel that students aren't coming to school to learn. They are coming to get high grades. Many students don't study to understand a concept, they study to get an A on the test. This is the wrong mindset. One shouldn't learn just to score high on an exam. If this how you study, you will soon forget everything you studied, after the test. If, however, you study to understand the concept, not just to ace a test, the knowledge carries with you as you progress through school. This is how students should study and learn, by understanding the concepts.
I agree with you Joseph. Harper Lee had learned how to read at an early age and therefore she became a great writer. She would learn even though Ms. Caroline told her not to. Today's education is very competitive. Many students only work to get good grades instead of learning the concept. Its not a good habit to develop. They should learn the concept so if the topic ever comes up, one would know what to do.
DeleteI agree with Joseph that to learn is the true goal, but what objective methods of assessment are to be used, or are students not to be tested?
DeleteI myself cannot think of an alternative to administering tests and projects.
I totally agree with you Joseph on the fact that most of us today are not studying the way that we are suppose to, that we are simply memorizing and not comprehending, and also we will most likely soon forget everything after the test. What we need is a new system to assess the students’ knowledge without creating so much competition between them because this way we can better focus on learning in school.
DeleteWell, in response to Wilbur's comment, I don't believe that a school's objective is to asses their students. I believe school is a place for you to gather what you feel is important to you and your future so I'm personally against assessments and sorts :D
DeleteIn To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout had a difficult time situating to 1st grade simply because she had background knowledge of what was being taught at her school. Just because she knew how to read a book resulted in a teacher's lecture and spanking. This reflects Harper Lee's view of the education system that was present during her childhood. It is pretty obvious that Lee disliked the education system. The teachers had absolutely no idea of what they were doing, and their primary focus was to always keep the child book smart, rather than letting them open their imaginations a little and getting some street smarts also. Even when Scout excelled at reading more than anybody else, her teacher, Miss Caroline, had forbidden her to continue learning from her father, Atticus. What does that say about the education system? It says that the teachers are not focused on the primary goal, which is to enhance the student's mind. I find it amazing that after all this, Harper Lee still became arguably the greatest writer of all time. It tells you that anything is possible if you have the passion for it, which Harper Lee did.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of the education system today comes to two words: SCREWED UP! Are we even learning anything nowadays? Seriously, everyone is so uptight about getting that A on the report card that we are learning practically nothing. When there is a geography test tomorrow, what is our mindset?
A) I need to memorize all the information in the chapter so I can get an A!
B) I want to UNDERSTAND everything that is in the chapter!
Everyone's honest answer is A. Of course. I will be honest. I only focus on grades. I am only studying and doing this blog right now because I want an A in the grade book. You could say I am making myself look bad, but you all know that this is why we are doing it! It is sad! I wish I could get myself to actually learn about information, but at the end of the day, it comes down to if the final grade is an A and if our GPA is a 6.0... Sad.
Thanks,
Arman Meghani
I completely agree with you about the whole "studying for an A" mindset. Students should, as you said, UNDERSTAND everything, rather than memorize for an exam. One thing that I have to point out is that some students DO try to understand the concepts rather than memorize for a test. We can't say that all students care only about their GPA. Some students do care about what they learn rather than what their grade is. I'm not saying that I'm one of those students, but there certainly are a few. The goal of the education system should be to try to make all of the students care about what they learn and have them understand the concepts.
DeleteI understand why you guys believe that the current school system is trash, but what alternative is there to what we currently have? The competition over GPA is what actually causes students to try and not be lazy. Despite some memorizing all of the material, there are still students that "learn" and understand the material like you guys want. The current system is sufficient, despite minor tweaks. The overall structure is efficient and effective. There is simply no way that any large change would be for the better.
DeleteThe only problem here is that the only people that actually want to understand what they learn is those who care. Those who come to school because they want to learn, not because if they do not for a certain amount of time they get a court date. Those who go above and beyond, and this does not necessarily mean everyone is honors courses, only those who actually care. Those who are fascinated by the concepts.
DeleteBecause, in reality, everyone else would theoretically not even go to school if they would not be required to. Maybe their parents would make them, but let us say that it is a hypothetical scenario where there are no parents and they have the choice. There would be many that would say no, and after a while of having the world beating down on them they would realize the importance of learning as it hits them like a ton of bricks.
That is kind of what happens to some people at some point in their lives. If only everyone would realize sooner, just imagine how different school would be. It all just comes down to people being dumb. I know it sounds repetitive, but it is true. People are just dumb.
I agree with your point on today's education and that students are just going to school for an A not to learn. A lot of this is why most people come too hate school. However, there's also that fact that not always are students gong to love every subject. This can also be a reason why people don't learn. Maybe if as we get higher up in education, it would adapt to the students likes and dislikes giving people a reason to look forward to learning.
Delete@People who are talking about GPA
DeleteI hate how kids today are so concerned about GPA. That's like the number one thing I hear in the hall. Like Arman said he is only doing this for an A. That's really sad. Schools today is all about who makes the better grade or GPA. Schools should definitely get kids to focus more on preparing for life then having a GPA, because having a 6.0 means nothing when you go to work.
Harper Lee describes Scout as an intelligent young girl. She had started reading at a very young age. When she started school at the age of six, the teachers had one way to teach the curriculum. Although Scout was a great reader, the teacher told her that she had been doing it wrong. The teacher told her to stop reading and learn from the beginning with the rest of the kids. Harper Lee shows that many kids at that time didn't go to school and learn. Burris Ewell only comes to school on the first day and leaves just like the rest of his family.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee takes advantage of the horrible education system by reading and writing out of school so her teachers wouldn't tell her what to do. She worked hard and eventually became a magnificent writer.
Education today is one of the necessities for children as well as adults. The system of education varies from nations to nations. Although education is important for the future of ones life, it also contributes to the exploration for the well being of the humanity as a whole. The school system in the United States is very competitive compared to the other countries around the world. For instance, Clements high school offers a competitive edge to its students. That notion of competitiveness would perhaps help each student to be successful in the future but that's may not be the case every time. Many students study for hours on end just to get good grades. They don't actually grasp what the teacher has to teach but instead try to get an A in class. Only to get an A in class; one may not excel in life. Students instead should learn to grasp what the teacher teaches and if they do, they would be successful in life.
Aliya Noorani
Per.1
I agree Aliya's idea about modern education system. The school is for the life not only for A's. Students should enjoy schools, not treat it like a huge burden. Grades are important, anyways, but preparing for future is more important. Many high-educated students have terrible life, too. Sometimes they don't learn how to deal situations, and end with suicide. Future is more important than A's.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first few chapters, Harper Lee thought that the education system wasn't right. She thought that the new system wouldn't let students learn anything because of all the restrictions set upon them. Harper Lee went around this system and studied and read as many books as she wanted outside of the school. She felt that this way, she would be able to learn what she wanted to her heart's content. At the school, however, Miss Caroline really hated the fact that Scout could read so quickly and felt a little threatened that her way of teaching would not be adhered. As a result, Miss Caroline had forbidden Scout to learn anything at home anymore and this angered Scout. It turned out, for her, that school was more inconvenient to her education than helpful and was keeping her mind in boundaries.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion about our education system today, is that it's okay for now because most people are getting where they want to be after the schooling. But the question remains: Are students really understanding what they learn or are they just cramming to get that A? Students don't really learn anything when they don't want to learn about that specific subject. They end up failing because they don't understand what exactly they're learning. But then again, there are the students who are just memorizing information to get a good grade. When students cram, the information just goes into their short-term memory and by the time they're done with the tests and quizzes for that particular information, all that information they have crammed has gone down the drain. There comes a time when teachers use previous concepts to connect the new concepts with the old, and when people are asked about old information in the new, they have no idea what the teachers may be talking about. Students should learn because they want to and to understand everything taught to them.
Shifan, I completely agree with you about how schools are today. No one studies to actually learn, but instead they study to get an A. And just like you said, as soon as they're done being tested over the information, they just forget about it. It mainly starts in high school, but I think it's because everyone is competing to get into good colleges. And because kids think that all A's is what gets them into the best ones, that's all they're focused on.
DeleteI agree completely about her views and also about how she overcame the educational system. I also believe that you are right about how we focus on getting good grades rather than actually understanding what we learn. If we follow along this path, we will struggle later in life.
DeleteKamil Ali 1st Period
Through the character of Ms. Caroline, Harper Lee portrayed the narrow minded and inefficient ways of the education system in the 1930's. Obviously, she strongly disliked the way teachers taught and how they treated students. Scout's outspoken ways were basically an attack to the education system and represented the things Harper would have said herself in school. She was the only one daring enough to talk back to a system that had only one right way to do things. In fact, I believe it was this flawed way of teaching that inspired Harper Lee to go against what was being said, and develop into such a good writer. Since Scout and Atticus were based off of her and her father, he was probably a huge part in her education. With the help of her father, she probably realized she shouldn’t give up her education for anything, and continued learning outside of school. Also, the fact that she loved reading and that it was an innate ability for her would have massively contributed to her talent as an author. Today, our education system is so much better than it could have been. We’re making progress and adapting as the times change. Some aren’t happy with it, but it’s also impossible to please everyone. Students now know the difference between a good and bad education which obviously proves that they are knowledgeable and have been taught well enough to know that. Some individual teachers or students may not be cooperative or they may be unfair but overall, students are learning and benefitting from our education system which makes it good.
ReplyDeleteI think what you said about her father being an influence on her education is a really good point that I never thought about. However, I do not agree with you on the fact that our education system is good. Our entire education system is centered around the fact that to be successful you must make a good letter grade. And most times it is the student who memorized content and spills it out onto tests is the one who is successful. The system we have now isn't really even an education system because no one is actually learning anything. But some of what you brought up made a lot of sense as well. Maybe in a few years a larger number of teachers who want to teach and students who want to learn will arise, and our system will become closer to what we all want it to be.
DeleteI agree that Miss Caroline was a huge role in showing how narrow minded the education system used to be. Also that's a really good inference about Harper Lee and her father and their relationship.
DeleteI really also agree about your opinion on the education system...a lot of people complain but they don't know how bad it really COULD be...I think that is why Harper Lee made the education system kind of a big deal in the first few chapters, so that kids could appreciate today's education system more.
Lisette Chan~Period 1
I agree with Shweta that since Scout was loosely based off Harper Lee, herself, that she overcame the education system and kindled her love of reading and writing because of her father, also. As i said in my post, and i am agreeing with Swetha, that education now is revolving around who can study the best and make the best test grades. That's not how life works, though. Life, to me, is about interacting with other people, not spending all your life poring over a textbook that is probably a few years out-of-date. What do we ACTUALLY learn from that?
DeleteEvelyn Kue
Period 5
As many of the posters above have said and I repeat, Harper Lee obviously had a dreadful opinion of the education system during her time, which is conveyed through Scout's own opinion about her teacher and school in general. I think that it's pretty clear that Scouted HATED going to school. This reflects Harper Lee's negative opinion of her education system.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee probably overcame her lack of education through the fact that she read all the time. Her constant reading helped to educate herself by learning more about virtually everything through simply reading a lot. In addition, like Scout, Harper Lee's father probably taught her a lot of what she knew, furthering her education.
As to today's education system, I believe that it is sufficient, yet flawed. If you think about it, there is no better way than competition to inspire students to excel in their classes. The reason that Clements is so ******meritorious******** is because of the fact that we have a very academic school that is powered by the competitive spirit. Although it is not perfect and never will be, the education system that we currently have has come a long way from where Harper Lee was. The school system could use some tweaks, but I believe that it works well the way that it is. Honestly, without the fierce competition that currently *******permeates********* Clements and causes us to try hard, would all of you guys be there learning(albeit not as effective as understanding the content), or just because your parents made you, just like Scout? There is simply no way to learn the way that some of you guys are proposing would work due to the way that human nature is. Most students would slack off even more than now, which could have devastating effects. If GPA didn't matter, what incentive would students have to excel at all? Most would be lazy and slack off more than now, as I stated earlier. In summary, the school system currently in place does helps us to learn more. Although there are many flaws, without the system we have now, I believe that the schools would be in a worse condition.
MEMORIZING AND REGURGITATING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!
Julian Pham, 1st period
Harper Lee’s opinion of a 1930s American education was no doubt critical. Her portrayal of the system in To Kill a Mockingbird shows her viewpoint. The cases of students identified in the story may resemble a typical configuration of the era’s student body, brought to school and loosely bound by the weak and powerless laws of the time. The rookie teacher likely symbolized an incompetent and ignorant authority that controlled the schools, possibly similar to the economically devastated school districts of the Depression.
ReplyDeleteOf modern education, I feel it is quite effective in general, especially in our city and more so at Clements. The state-mandated curriculum is standardized and reasonably comprehensive. Teachers, especially at the high-school level, are experienced and contribute substantially to the improvement of students’ skills. Specifically, though, I think tests and quizzes should involve more logical application and less rote memorization. Finally, I feel districts should be supplied with more funds and that these funds be invested in areas that are most important in the modern market.
Wilbur Li, 5th Period
I very much agree with Wilbur. I think that our education system is great and we are very fortunate to be in a great school like Clements. I also believe that most of the teachers here are very cool and logical. (but you know, that’s b/c we both got all a’s) And I very much agree with Wilbur on the fact that we should have less memorizations and less confusing problems. Memorization on things that are useless is basically just a waste of time. OK, yes, biology may be important to remember if you are going to be a doctor or something. But names of all the biologists who came up with ideas of the DNA? That’s just going a bit too useless. It’s like you need to know the name of the guy who found Photosystem II to be able to conduct a lab with photosynthesis. It’s not going to help anything in the future. Also, some of the questions on tests and quizzes can be very illogical. I think that teachers sometimes, b/c they know the answers, can come up with some very confusing questions. I think that whenever a teacher makes a hard test that he or she should let his or her colleague take the test first. See if the other teacher has any confusions on a question. This way, we can prevent illogical problems from dropping our numbers.
DeleteScott Cao
Per. 5th (go 5th!)
11-16-12
11:59 P.M. Lol
DeleteScott Cao
Harper Lee's depiction of the education system in her time was definitely not positive. It was very much indeed frowned upon by her through Scout's feelings for school. She strongly disliked the school system.
ReplyDeleteAs for overcoming her poor education to become what she is now, I can easily say that Lee focused on what was important. This includes reading, studies, and practice. She had in mind what she wanted to do and how she was going to do it and through what means. Things such as this take up time and benefit your overall life, which is what matters. Prioritizing is a key ability to have.
And regarding today's education system, everything seems to work. Things get done, which I guess is the purpose of a school. However, I do have to say that what bothers me the most is both how the district runs their budget and how concepts are taught in school.
Sometimes I wonder if the district is run by intelligent people. No, really. Some of the things they do are just showcasing the lack of common sense they so proudly uphold above everything else. The prime example I can think of is how they decided to invest millions of dollars on an iPad program for elementary and middle schools. This makes no sense solely on the fact that people from these schools do not need such technology. Their topics are not that complex. However, in high school, things are much difference and it would make more sense to distribute such a system to students attending high school. It all comes down to logic.
Secondly, how some teachers teach concepts. It seems like almost anyone can get a degree now for what I can see. There are some teachers that do not know how to teach children and they sit and try to make sense out of their words to no avail. It feels like nothing is being accomplished. I can do nothing else but sigh once I hear people asking for help in a class like geometry, making them understand because what I said made "more sense than what the teacher said." In my opinion, that is very much dumb. There is nothing more to it. Most teachers teach their children concepts as if they were key terms, something you do not need to worry about but do have to memorize for the upcoming test. Some teachers cannot even focus on the logical aspect because they either feel like doing not as much work or because they cannot understand it themselves.
As a final note, our district should hire people that know what they are doing and actually distribute their budget to things we actually use and need—and some teachers should care more about the future. I guess that some of it is also caused by students who do not care about what they are actually learning. Unfortunately, they forgot that it will not matter whether or not you had an A in the class when compared to whether or not you can understand what you once learned.
Yes, I made a project last year about how illogical the distribution of funds is for our district and used the example of the iPad program. And you know what the best part is? I got an A on it. Feel free to ponder about what I said in your mind if you wish.
I agree on the part about how some teachers just read off a powerpoint and think that we're able to absorb the lesson ourselves. Of course, independence in studies may be considered more effective, but as freshmen we need a guide, a pinnacle of light to guide us and to interact with us so we can actually learn.
DeleteI think Harper Lee attitude to the education in 1930s definitely was not very positive which she revealed in the book, but it also involved some disappointment to the bad economic in Great Depression. Obviously, Ms. Caroline was a terrible teacher, but in that environment, there were no sufficient money or supplies and couldn’t provide proper education systems. There were many problems with teaching or studying: teacher had horrible teaching skills, the knowledge they learned from classes was lack, the students couldn’t afford the cost, etc. It was not Ms. Caroline’s fault; the situations of America in that period caused that generation could get well education. Lee was not happy at all with that situation, she thought it was catastrophic to American new generation, and wrote so many ugly (or not so good) truths in the book.
ReplyDeleteConnect to Scout; Harper Lee got most of her education from Dad and the books she read outside of school. Even through in the Great Depression, most American didn’t get proper education, but Lee received the most precious for writing that masterpiece, the real life experience. She went through a time of most turbulent and depress in America which gave her great ideas and materials for writing. That also explained why she only had one but significant book – she recorded the truth.
I think today’s education works pretty well (or at least in FBISD). Every student gets proper education in schools. Only concern I have right now is how can the student use the skills they learn to real life? High school is for college, college is for whole life, and so how to make students stands in the society should be the biggest subject in schools instead of just academic learning. There are many people who get high degrees but still can’t find jobs. Schools should teach academic courses as well as dealing social problems. Teachers should challenges students IQ as well as EQ. In my view, to stay in the society in later few years is the most important thing.
It was clearly shown in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that Harper Lee did not think very much of the education system that existed at the time when she was growing up. It was displayed through the character Ms. Caroline that Lee thought that the teachers were ignorant about what they were suppose to do, and that she hated the Dewey Decimal System. Lee was able to overcome her poor education by studying outside of school just like what Scout did in the novel.
ReplyDeleteEven though there has been a significant amount of improvement in the education system today compared to before, but it still possesses many flaws. One of the biggest challenges that we face today is the fact that many of us are no longer learning in school, but rather competing with each other. All we care about nowadays is whether or not if we have a high GPA, and whether or not if we are getting all A’s. We memorize everything for a test so we can ace it, but we are not really comprehending the material. Before you know it, we will forget all about it after we’ve taken the test(I know this is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea).
I think one of the ways that we can solve this problem is to come up with different ways to assess a student’s learning. I, for one, like that idea that we only count the semester exam grade because that is a better way to measure our knowledge. We will still have little assessments here and there just to see how we’re doing and if there was anything we need work on, but it wouldn’t actually count for our grade. So that way we can still have grades, but also ease the competitive atmosphere that most schools nowadays have.
Apparently, my little speech here is too long to fit into one comment...awkward...
ReplyDeleteSO PART ONE GUYS:
In Maycomb, the relationship between teachers and students, the method of teaching, and the curriculum are, in many ways, different from that of todays. Through her two main characters, we can see how Harper Lee relates to the reader her experiences of education in her time, as well as her thoughts on the poor education. (Assuming we’ve all read Chapters 1-10, at least.) Some of the events in To Kill a Mockingbird are directly based from what Harper Lee had experienced as a child at school. For example, when researching for my group’s TKAM project, I found an excerpt from the book Truman Capote: Conversations that reminded me of when Scout was “punished” by Ms. Caroline for learning to read from Atticus:
“[Truman Capote’s] neighbor in Alabama was…Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. One of its characters, Dill, is Capote…She recalls how the kindergarten teacher whacked Truman on the hands with a ruler because he read too well…”
Not only does Harper Lee stress her frustrations with the educational system’s attempt to restrict more advanced (I suppose you could put it that way) students to a particular level of learning, but she also shows how those that don’t have (somehow “lack” doesn’t sound as polite…) the qualifications to advance a grade level every year are forced to continue repeating their first year of school. I mean seriously, you have poor little six-year-olds nervous about their first learning experience, and then you turn around to see people like Burris Ewell who are probably five years older than everyone in the grade, and it STILL doesn’t maintain the equal amount of intellect in each student that the school and Ms. Caroline are evidently striving for.
Now, we can all see a difference between Scout’s school and Clements (you know, the definite time difference, the whole go-home-for-lunch thing, etc.). But when you think hard enough (I know, thinking hard is so challenging. Soon they’ll be asking us to divide two-digit numbers, and we’ll all be in trouble.), you see the similarities between the schools. For those of you who haven’t met someone who had to repeat multiple grades, or someone who’s a dropout, cool beans yo. But we can’t ignore the fact that there IS a difference in…um…thinking skills (?) between people, whether it’s comparing a Pre-AP student to an Advanced student, or simply people in a single class. I’m not saying that there’s a great difference like the one in Scout’s class, but there’s simply going to be that part of life that gives everyone their strengths and weaknesses.
And truthfully, I think that freedom to develop your strengths is a key part in directing you in your path in life. So, similar to probably many commenters before me, my plan is about choosing what you feel is right for you.
Of course, you have to have experience before having an idea as what your strengths and weaknesses are. So, starting from first through eighth grade, every student should learn the same core classes that we’ve seen so far: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. This gives students the chance to get a feel as to how much they like a certain subject. This also provides a slightly more basic foundation for the information needed for real life applications.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePart Two...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, some middle schools don’t teach nearly the same level of difficulty as a 9th grade class does, but that’s probably a different Extremely Long Rachel Rant for a different time. Then, with offering electives, students can also find passion through fine arts, technology, foreign languages, etc. But when a student reaches high school, they have freedom to add as many courses of the subject they wish to, and drop the ones they don’t like as much. For example, if a student wants to pursue a career with a Math major, they could add additional math courses, while dropping a course that is probably irrelevant to their career goal. So if you want to become a scientist, you don’t have to memorize the capitals of all the Latin American countries… And you can still do the same with a different core class, or even a fine art such as a music or art class.
I guess that's all for now... :)
Rachel He
5th Period
Harper Lee did not agree with the education system and she showed this with Scouts hatred toward school. She also made school in the book seem really unreasonable (Miss Caroline). She overcame this kind of education by being independent and expressing her feelings about what she went through. By going through the tough education system, it just gave her more to write about. I think today's education system is pretty good. Teachers actually teach (most of them do...) and not to mention a lot of the freedoms we have to express ourselves and our opinions. For example we don't have to be afraid of talking to a teacher because they will hit us if we say the wrong thing. o.O Also being able to have sports and fine arts lets us release some stress from academic school work and make friends. Also we get to choose what level we want to be on: Geometry or Algebra...Pre-AP or Regular. We get to go at our own paces kind of...so I think our education system has REALLY improved since Harper Lee's time.
ReplyDeleteLisette Chan~Period 1
Lisette: I agree with you on almost everything except for the thing about sports and fine arts. Some people avoid having a fine arts or sports because (well at least in our district) it can lower down their GPA adding even more stress on them, which is unfortunate cause they could really want to do a fine arts or sport, but just don't want to risk it. But everything else
DeleteI completely agree with like how Harper's experiences inspired her to write more things.
Throughout the beginning of the book, Harper Lee expresses her hatred of the school system at that time. Instead of teaching out of a book, teachers taught more hands on. However, this did not go very successful because of how young the concept was. Also, the only teacher teaching in this system at the beginning, Mrs. Caroline, was inexperienced and was new to the teaching world. In her mind everything she was doing was correct and effective because she was employing everything she had learned in college. Of course, everything that Mrs. Carolina teaches and the way she does it were unfruitful in Scout’s opinion. Part of the reason for her opinion was because she knew how to read, and this just screwed up the whole teaching system. Mrs. Carolina, being a novice, did not do anything to help Scout and instead made things worse. However, I think that Scout’s/ Harper’s opinion would have been different if the teacher was more experienced and really knew how to incorporate the new school system because it’s said that experience is the best teacher.
ReplyDeleteHow Harper Lee became such a great author from that education is outstanding. It’s obvious that from what Harper Lee tells us that her education had no effect on her. Most of her success was because of her passion. I don’t think it was the passion to write as much as her passion for going against prejudice. If it weren’t for this passion Harper Lee wouldn’t have written this book and become one of the all time greatest writers. That same passion originated from her father and what he taught to Harper in her childhood.
Today’s education in my opinion is mediocre because of two reasons. First off, the education is corrupt with many things like favoritism, even though teachers say that that doesn’t affect their teaching and grading it obviously does with some teachers. The other reason is that the mindset as far as anything that has to do with school is mostly negative. Grades are the biggest thing that can be blamed for this mindset. Students focus so much on getting high grades that students no longer focus on learning and having fun while doing so. The only thing there is are grades no real learning. Grades are so stressed because of parents and the competitivety of the other students. Also, worrying about grades so much causes huge amounts of stress causing more hatred towards school. However, if these factors were not a strong presence in school and students just tried to learn then school would be more enjoyable. This is not possible though and this is why education in the present is mediocre.
I agree with Emrehan that the educational/teaching system our school district uses is okay. Obviously, nothing is perfect so the system can be improved in some manner or form. Emrehan brings up a good point in how grades play a huge roll in our education. In high school, people worry too much about grades and study to get a good grade, not for knowledge.
DeleteI agree with Emrehan and Patrick, in absolutely everything they said, especially the part that schooling can always be improved becuase no school is perfect. I also agree with their statements about how grades affect our education.
DeleteI agree with Emrehan with everything he said, especially with the fact that grades are actually having a negative impact on children. i also must add though, that grades put too much pressure on kids, so we dont get to focus on the subjects we like, and have to pay attention to some useless subjects that we have no interest in.
DeleteI agree with Emrehan that the education we receive in FBISD is not ideal. The focus on grades drives all of us. This and the sheer volume of homework, special projects, volunteering etc. doesn’t leave us any time or desire for any extra knowledge. Harper Lee was a voracious reader. She educated herself. We unlike her don’t have time to read about things that interest us. Being beaten while performing a task might make you do it faster but does it make you do the task well? Isn’t the goal to take the knowledge/education we receive at school and be able to do something more advanced with it? How will we ever have time to spend on higher level thinking if all we are doing is studying for tests and regurgitating the information we have learnt so we can get the As that we all desperately want!
DeleteOK, yes, I know. I am blogging a bit later, so excuse me if my brain doesn’t work very well. However, Harper Lee’s opinions about educations during her times were pretty obvious: it’s dumb. Harper Lee conveyed her point very well throughout the book, expressing the plain stupidity of the Dewey Decimal System and hatredness for Ms. Caroline. Lee heavily hated her poor education, but she overcame this, as many others have already mentioned, by studying at home. In fact, Lee strongly supported the idea of reading outside of school in TKAM through the fact that Atticus, a man of heavy justice, would tell his daughter to lie to the teacher in order for her to learn. Lee kept her studies outside of her classroom to keep learning every day.
ReplyDeleteComparing to Lee’s childhood, the education today is much, much better than the education back in her times. First of all, we have actual classrooms, with actual supplies. We also have actual books and newer technology. But most of all, we have teaching methods. In my opinion, Ms. Caroline wasn’t really a bad teacher (other than the fact that she could be a control freak sometimes). She was taught in college the way she would teach, but the teaching methods that she were taught to teach are inadequate and deficient. So comparing to the world now, I would say that I am actually pretty happy with the education system the way it is. OK, yeah, sometimes the homework gets a bit tough, and there are some teachers that aren’t very good at teaching, but you just have to deal with that. Teachers are real people. Real people are not perfect. There are always a few out of a million teachers that can’t teach well, deal with it! Life isn’t always fair, but life goes on. You have to deal with it someday in your life anyway. I am pretty happy with the teachers I have right now. (especially the one who’s reading this sentence right now) I am happy with Clements HS. I feel like the district can be dumb, but I mean, that’s the district’s job, right? They are suppose to act dumb to make us feel smarter. So in simpler words, I am very happy with the way things are. Hopefully, my teachers will be as cool as Ms. McCoun next year!
Scott Cao
5th Period (go 5th!)
11-16-12
We can tell from the details given to us by Harper Lee is that education in the 1930's completely sucked. In the 2nd chapter, Scout mentions that last year(in the book) that besides her, everyone in first grade failed the alphabet which is pretty ridiculous.Scout also gives us an idea of how educated adults were too. Besides Atticus,no other parents “taught" their kid(s) how to read or write so they had limited knowledge as well. Next, Miss Caroline gives us an excellent portrayal of teachers back then. Based on her, we can deduce that teachers were not so experienced and had limited amount of resources. Also, we learn that teachers attempted to organize their teachings with the Dewey Decimal System and anything else besides that is greatly disproved of, especially studying outside of school.
ReplyDeleteBased on background information given to us by our fabulous teacher,Ms. McCoun, we know that Scout is a representation of Harper Lee herself. Since Scout was taught and studied outside of school and Scout is a representation of Harper Lee, we can put these 2 statements together and assume that Harper Lee beat the system in this manner. Also, Scout says that the Dewey Decimal System was a foolish way to learn and was boring telling us that Harper Lee was disgusted with this so called method of learning.
In modern society, I feel that our system of education is currently sufficient enough to provide us with knowledge needed for the future. Though this system may not be the best, it works well in our school and our school is one of the best. The people who have graduated from Clements are some of the smartest, proving the usefulness of our educational system. Being at Clements means you have to be competitive. Being competitive means that we have to work a lot harder to be the best. This is a good way for students to get smarter. I somewhat have faith in our education
Answer to question #1 (it wouldn't let me post my whole thing b/c it was over 4,105 characters)
ReplyDeleteAmerican system is rigid just like the call wall of a plant cell ;D Our education system doesn't revolve around students ( it should but it doesn't) and stands at an inflexible point which means that the students have to be mended to fit in the society instead of the system bending to meet the needs of the students. Our condition is synonymous with that of Harper Lee. Her teacher wanted her to fit into the already established structure instead of bending (or mending) the system to accommodate her needs. Scout already knew the things she was supposed to know in her grade level. So, ideally Mrs. Caroline have encouraged and helped Scout to learn beyond what she already knew but she did not do that. Instead, she was trying to fit Scout in her rigid structure of teaching. It’s just like trying to fit a square piece of puzzle in a place for the circle one. Moreover, when she realized that the square piece wouldn't fit, she started cutting its edges to make it round in order to fit the circle place that she had assigned for Scout. Henceforth, instead of encouraging her to learn more, Ms. Caroline wanted Scout to forget the things she already knew. Ms. Caroline tried suppressing her talents and instead of bringing the class at her level or accommodating to her needs, she was making her walk backwards, back where she already had passed. Similarly, Harper lee at some point must have felt that she couldn't do anything because of the poor and limited education system she expressed in the book.
You're right, the system should revolve around our students. Instead of challenging Scout , Ms. Caroline told Scout to forget what she learned. That is not right. Ms. Caroline probably panicked then and didn't expect to be asked questions about what she was doing or have someone do something different than what she taught when she first signed up to be a teacher. Creating a teacher like this in her story explains that this is what Harper Lee thought of schools back then (or something similar to that).
DeleteKainat Chaudhary Period 5
Answers to questions #2 & 3
ReplyDeleteNow enough about the system and moving on to the unanswered question, I think Harper Lee became an eminent writer despite her poor education because of her ability to express her feelings and thoughts with pen on paper. I think this ability probably developed because of her enthusiasm to learn and gain knowledge. For example, if we suppose that Scout personifies Harper Lee, we realize that to her education means “gaining knowledge” and she knew the value of “education” and to her education (being used here in synonymous with knowledge) wasn't something to be gained only on school premises. Scout learned from Calpurnia, from Atticus and her daily life experiences and at the end of the book Scout did not have a degree but she had everything that would be needed to consider her an educated citizen of the society. Now, if we replace the name Scout with that of Harper Lee, we could see that some of the events are synonymous with that of Lee’s own life. For example, Lee used to write outside of school. May be she use to learn many things form her chef, her parents, her neighbors, and even the birds in her garden. Hence forth, I think her deep thinking and respect for the true value of education is what made her into an excellent and eminent writer.
Our education system is similar to that of Scout’s. It isn't flexible enough to accommodate the needs of individual students. This inflexibility is to some extent based on the fact that our teachers limit flexibility. It might be because it might be too much work for them, or they really don’t like to teach and are just fulfilling their duties because they have to, or they don’t want to make changes to their rigid way of teaching because they think its better. While these may be some of the factors influencing the system, they are not the only ones. In fact, we have some really great teachers like Ms. Mc Coun) who want to promote a better learning environment. Unfortunately, there is not much they can do about it as well since they also have some limitations put on them that prevent them from actually using a better way of teaching than the norm. This in turn restricts not only the capacity of what the teachers can do to make teaching a better experience but also limits the students to make leaning a more rewarding activity. On the grass root level, our system is based on the techniques and method that limit the educational experience to just gaining a degree. If our system was flexible and open enough to allow free thinking then education would become an activity that is done for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge about our vast universe, about gaining information about our own bodies and the other environmental species (I am not just talking about memorizing facts), about acquainting us with the ethics, laws and news that our society is based on. Hence forth, the structure for our education systems should be re-organized so that it could not only accommodate students like Scout but also students like Doodle.
My internet wasn't working properly on Thursday and Friday, so I'm just gonna do it noww.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading To Kill a Mockingbird, it is obvious that Harper Lee has an extremely negative opinion on the education system in her childhood. All the teachers focused on was the exact curriculum, and discouraged creativity of any sort. Her teacher, Ms. Caroline, punished Scout because she was ahead of the class in her reading ability.
I think that Lee overcame her poor education by not listening to what the teachers said, and she continued doing what she loved. By reading more, she was able to learn more and open up her imagination, making her one of the most famous authors.
In today's education system, the teachers teach us what's supposed to be learned, but they make it exciting to learn. Teachers allow students to get ahead if they want to, and encourage them to use their imaginations. But students these days, mainly in high school, only care about grades. They only study to get high scores on their tests, not because the information is actually helpful in the future.
I agree with modern day education. Everyone worries about their grades and GPA so that they can get into a great college. People think that some information won't help in the future but not everyone knows what they are going to be when they grow up, therefore it is best to study evrything.
DeleteI don't really know if this second half is on topic, but here goes nothing...
ReplyDeleteAs many of my classmates have said before me, Harper Lee is very critical of the education system of the 1930’s, when she grew up. Lee uses Scout’s early tangles with education to exemplify her own opinions and experiences. Lee, just like Scout, might once have been an eager learner, and may have been much more advanced than her peers. However, she soon became the victim of a rigid, unyielding education system and poor teachers. Lee uses the example of Miss Caroline to express her own troubles with a bad, inexperienced teacher that deterred learning, and it is obvious that she hates the “Dewey Decimal System”, which was introduced when she went to school.
I think Harper Lee became the acclaimed writer she is not despite of her poor education, but rather because of it. She wanted to prove her teachers wrong, and she wanted to speak out about the terrible education system of her day. So instead of giving up because she was deprived of a good education, she studied and worked even harder in order to achieve the dream of an education that she never received. For the TKAM background project, our group researched Harper Lee. She was always a hardworking, stellar student and got accepted into the prestigious Oxford School of Law before she dropped out to become a writer. She turned her faults into an asset, which she used to speak passionately about her experiences.
Today’s public education system is truly a different thing from what it was when Harper Lee went to school. Facilities have improved, opportunities have expanded, and the system is tailored to meet the different levels of each student. There are, of course, flaws in today’s education system, just as there were nearly a hundred years ago. However, I think that they are minor. There can obviously be improvements made: bad teachers replaced, curriculum tweaked, more classes offered, etc. But my opinion of today’s education is largely positive.
Why then, has the “intelligence” of our students declined? I’m sure everybody has heard this: compared to other countries, kids in the United States perform very poorly in subjects such as math and science. The U.S. used to be number one in these in these categories. Why then has its rankings dropped to the mid-20’s? There have been many efforts to improve our students’ scores. As Diego cited earlier, Fort Bend ISD has recently purchased iPads for elementary and middle school students in an effort to improve test scores. I signed a petition against this because I believe that the reason America’s education system is “declining” is not because of the facilities offered or the way things are taught, not the lack of good teachers or the course requirements placed on students. Rather, the problem that is facing America today is the way that the idea of receiving an education is viewed. Of course, small changes can be made here and there; there are definitely problems. But before our education system really CHANGES, the fundamental attitude towards school must be changed first.
The attitude you have when you wake up and go to school every morning is much more important than the shortcomings of any teacher or the ratty-ness of your textbooks. The reason for the rapid decline in performance among students in America is the perception that we, as a nation, hold, of school. We, in a land full of opportunities, have dissolved into DECADENCE. We no longer view our excellent education system as a privilege, but rather as a burden. Children dread their first day of school because they have never even imagined a life without it. They cringe when they have to learn something new, because they have never even looked at their classroom as something that others don’t have. In other countries, kids have experienced life without the privilege of an education, so they work hard and enjoy doing so, knowing that they are fortunate.
It’s really quite simple. Children no longer want to learn, therefore they do not.
I agree with you in that children no longer want to learn, therefore they do not. They don't enjoy it anymore. It's only about getting good grades, GPA and colleges. The difference between Harper Lee and today is that Harper Lee wanted to learn for herself, and today kids are learning for rewards. They aren't understanding what they are learing, because they aren't enjoying it. I also agree with Harper Lee wanting to prove her teachers wrong, and wanting to speak out. She proved her point very well in writing TKAM.
DeleteI find it very interesting how you said that Harper Lee "became the acclaimed writer she is not despite of her poor education, but rather because of it." in your second paragraph. It sounds paradoxical, but when you think about it, it is probably correct. The fact that Harper Lee didn't receive a proper education in the beginning was more or less the driving force that lead her to write this book. She most likely disagreed with the ways the teachers taught, and definitely had ideas on how to change and improve them. Overall, I agree with Grant's idea of how Harper Lee became a writer not "despite of her poor education, but rather because of it."
DeleteThroughout the novel, it is evident that Harper Lee did not agree with the education system during her childhood. She portrays this, using Ms. Caroline, as an example of the teachers she had in her schooling. They were young, inexperienced, and quite stubborn. They thought they knew everything, and wanted things done only how they thought it was right. Harper Lee probably had an experience with a teacher like Ms. Caroline, and that's what inspired her. Also, instead of praising and complimenting Scout on her reading, Ms. Carloine punished her. This shows Harper Lee's views on the silly naive teachers and systems she went through.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee probably overcame this, by learning at home- like how Scout is learning. She kept sticking to her views of education and learnt out of school, which was frowned upon back then. She overcame her poor education system, and moved forward to become one of the most influential writers of all time.
Today, teachers encourage students to study and learn out of school, but the want to learn has become little. The students idea of education is different. All students focus on is getting the A or having high GPA instead of the material itself. You're judged by the grades you have, instead of how much you actually know. Students no longer enjoy learning, or going to school because of the grades they get. Students should learn becasue they want to, and it shouldn't be a tiring process to study.
Overall, the basic education system has become better since Harper Lee's time. We have better teachers, better concepts, and better material. But, the students ourselves have to start learning because we want to, not only to get good grades.
When introducing the education system in the earlier chapters of TKAM, it is obvious that Harper Lee did not have a very high opinion of the system. Through Ms. Caroline's actions in discouraging students that excelled. She portrayed Ms. Caroline as an oppressive figure that dulled the children's imagination, creativity and freedom. I believe Harper Lee felt that the education system was tight, restricting and lacking. I think she just learned to cope like how she wrote about Scout coping. She worked hard, with or without the help of her teachers. I don't exactly have a specific opinion on the education system today. I just believe that the education department should have the least amount of budget cuts because it is the most important in the futures of children.
ReplyDeleteI agree when you say that Miss Caroline made the kids think that it was bad to learn outside the school. I also agree when you say that the school was very tight and restricting
DeleteThrough the character Scout, Harper Lee clarifies how awful she thought her education was. Miss Caroline is one of many symbols of how many teachers in her day were mindlessly leading students nowhere with very limited ways of teaching. Typically, teachers should be in control, but in this case, Harper Lee believed that her teachers exercised this power way too much, often limiting the success of many students. Throughout her life, she has become a very well known author although she has faced many obstacles and hardships such as a poor education system. By being able to identify the many flaws in the system of her time, she overcame those obstacles and expanded her creativity without having the boundaries that many teachers placed. I believe that today's education system is much more advanced than the system many years ago, but there are still many flaws. Every teacher has a different method of teaching, and students certainly do not perceive them as equally skilled teachers. I feel as if there are quite a handful of teachers who do not completely fulfill their job because they don't use their own creativity to reveal extra opportunities for students to think uniquely which is the base for new ideas.
ReplyDeleteJudging by how Mrs. Caroline is portrayed in Scout's eyes, Harper Lee most likely didn't like her own teachers or their ways of teaching. In TKAM, Scout is criticized by Mrs. Caroline for knowing how to read before what Mrs. Caroline thought was the correct time. Harper Lee probably also had a teacher who acted similarly to Mrs. Caroline, criticizing her for things she should be praising her for, such as knowing how to read, write, and such.
ReplyDeleteOur education system now is very decent, and teaches its children well, but like certain people before me have said, we learn in the hopes of getting good GPA's and grades instead of focusing on the actual learning material and having fun learning it. That is the major flaw of our educational system.
Based off of what Harper Lee wrote about Scout's experience with school, you can conclude that Harper Lee thought that the education system back then was very poor. Allot of Scouts peers are people that failed first grade the first time and are redoing it, which shows that the teachers weren't teaching in a way that was being processed by the kids. The reason these kids failed was because the education system didn't try to make sure that the kids actually went to school and stayed there to get an education, so when the time came for them to see if they were ready for the next grade the kids weren't able to pass. Since kids, like the Ewells, skipping school shocked Scout the same thing most likely shocked Harper. The curriculums back then was goofy and it shows when Miss. Caroline begins to "teach" her class. She tries methods like the Dewy Decimal System which as you can see in the book most of the kids tuned it out or was just not amused by her teaching methods. Scout completely disapproved of this system meaning that Harper disapproved of it too.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee most likely had the same experience of school as Scout did, but she continued on to write one of the best books of all time To Kill a Mockingbird. She, probably like Scout, was a fast learner picking up on how to read and write before everyone else, but was stopped by a teacher. Harper after being put into a little box throughout school found a way out of the box as she grew older. Most likely Harper found inspiration on what to write about with things that were going on in her life and in the whole world, like the Scottsboro trials.
Today's education system has gone a long way since then. The thing is it's impossible to have a perfect education system, because one thing might be perfect for one person but not work at all for another person. There are people all over the world that don't have a chance to get a good education and others may have a teacher that doesn't care about their students or they just don't know how to teach them. While there are other schools that have all the resources they need for the students to get an education, and that just isn't really fair to the people that are put into a school that isn't good at all.
Grace Fung
1 Period
I think Harper Lee portrays education in a very strong and important way where working and getting an education is a must,but has to be done a certain way. Schooling was poorly set up though, with mediocre teachers and only a very basic understanding of subjects. Lee uses Ms. Caroline who says work has to be done using the Dewey(sp?) Decimal System. She says Scout is no longer aloud for her dad to teach her how to read because otherwise, she would not be learning right. Really, Ms. Caroline isn't a great teacher and wouldn't know what else to teach Scout if she knew how to read.
ReplyDeleteHarper Kee probably overcame her poor schooling by having a family teacher like Scout had her father, or she tried to teach herself.
Education today is very advanced compared to the 1930's and after. We mostly use technology now, instead of handwriting things. I like using all of the technology, and it has its' advantages. The problem is that there are now an abundance of students so you dont have that one on one student teacher attention. Classes are so huge it is a lot harder to concetrate because there are many distractions keeping you from your work.
Harper Lee has a negative view of Education in the 1930s. She believes that the first few years of school are pointless and poorly structured. Most teachers are incompetent and are not well educated. They were also inexperienced and were absolutely clueless. They never even cared if the students got an education or not. The students were careless and also believed there was no point in going to school. What was there to learn?
ReplyDeleteThe teachers told them to forget what they learned so the teachers could teach the same thing to them the "right" way.
Harper lee may not have had a great education, but with her surroundings, everything that could inspire her to write an amazing story, helped her overcome that. She had so many things going on at that time, and with her father being a lawyer, she was able to listen to cases in court, which also give great story ideas. Lee also was a tomboy, which means that she didn't care about makeup, boys, or fashion. This way, she was able to focus more on her studies than most girls.
Today's Education is a thousand times better than it was in the 1900s. Now, we have people dedicated to learning, who actually care about their future. The teachers are well education and become well involved with each of their students. However, some students these days may be getting pushed a little too far. Some students are so focused on learning, that they are not getting a chance to live, to walk around without the pressures of tests, grades, essays etc. Back then there was not much to learn, but now there is way too much to learn. We should know the basics of everything, but learning every detail? Shouldn't that be what we learn in college? When we try to major in it? When we dedicate our life to that subject? Most things we learn in a grade level we forget the next year. What's the point of learning it then? What's the point of all that stress of memorizing and cramming it all into your brain? In a single school year, we learn way too much, most of which we don't even think about ever again. If one wants to go into detail, learn how everything happens, they can use the internet. All I'm saying is, we should cut down on the information schools teach. We should know how everything happens, but just not go REALLY deep.
Kainat Chaudhary Period 5
Granted I do agree that today's educational system may be better than the 1900's , but I'd like to redefine some stuff. Personally, i believe that our education may be both increasing and decreasing in quality. On one hand you have increased discoveries in science, technology, and etc.. but on the other hand, as you point out, today's kids are so hell bent on studying the tiny details, cramming for tests, and getting those A's, its hard to see whether or not we're learning. I think you're on the right track with the whole "cramming details for no reason idea", but i think the real solution lies in a mindset change. Where we think of high school and any level of school not as a preparation for just the next grade, but also for life.
DeleteFelix Period 1
Totally just looked at Skyward and saw that this was assigned on the day I was absent... Lol.
ReplyDeleteIn To Kill A Mokingbird Harper Lee uses Scouts frustration with having to go to school to show readers her negative viewpoint on school. Scouts hates the fact that Ms. Caroline insists on teaching her to read her way. Scout immediately resents the fact that she has to learn to read the "correct" way. Since Scout is based on Lee herself it is safe to say that Lee resented the way her teacher taught her and had a negative viewpoint on the way her schooling was taught.
Lee probably overcame this by ignoring what her teacher said and practicing after school an outside the learning environment. To become a great writer you have to have the heart to do it. By her writing and reading with her father she overcame the resentment she felt towards school.
Today's schooling is definitely different. My opinion is that our schools today set us up to excel. Sometimes it's really hard and grades can be treacherous to reach but it prepares you for the world ahead were an education is definitely needed.
That is exactly how I feel about school today. We have multiple opportunities to excel that kids in the 30's simply did not have. For example, we have extra-curricular activities such as debate team or FCA or MSA which enable us to create friendships in those clubs as well as gain experience that has not been provided in the classroom.
DeleteHarper Lee showed the education process that she went through by using Miss Caroline. Miss Caroline used the dewy decimal system which was basically just using flashcards and other childish methods. Miss Caroline wanted for Scout to stop reading and learning from Atticus, saying that he was teaching her the wrong way. Harper Lee might have experienced this when she was young and tried to find time out of school to begin writing. She might have defied her teacher and began her writing career as she grew up. Harper Lee used the knowledge that she learned from her father or other family members and became one of the most influential authors in history.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the education system of today in Texas is fine. We have well taught teachers who pass on their knowledge to us. Occasionally the states tests are becoming a huge bother and I wish we wouldn't have to take them, but we do. Today's education system has improved much than in the past.
Totally would like to have an excuse like Kennedy, but just flat out forgot...
ReplyDeleteIt must be painfully obvious to any reader of TKAM what Scout thinks of the school system. Her relentless attempts to escape and persuade Atticus to let her leave school should be a pretty clear message. Obviously, she is thoroughly disappointed by her over controlling teacher, and is not content with how school is. A big contributor to why Scout may have detested school so much was the first impression she received. Within the first day, she was immediately told that all she was taught before hand was wrong and that she was obligated to cease reading. Assuming that reading was a love of Scout's (which she does verify countless times in the book), we can see how obviously that would have made anyone discontent with the school environment.
With the school system how it was, it is questionable how such a bright writer could have been produced. The answer comes with the reason I mentioned before as to why she detested school that much. Harper Lee loved to read. Rather than taking interest in playing by the dump, or kicking a can, Harper Lee took joy in things the average kid in Maycomb wouldn't have. She read with father, and spent her life growing up around her older brother Jem (whether thats true or not... i have no clue), and spent time watching trials. Where as today, the only court case I've seen is Judge Judy, clearly such experiences would give her insight and develop her thinking which offsets the bad school system at the time.
As for our system today, I do believe there could be Improvements. Nothing is ever perfect nor can education cease to develop itself... however to ask for insight on how the system may improve, I am at a loss. Personally I have no idea what happens behind the classroom scenes, and how lesson plans are created. I wold not be the best person to ask.
I thinlk her opinions on school were condescending we she talked about the teacher being so all up in Scouts business about it. She showed that techers did not want kids to know to much before the other kids learned the concept. How is it bad for somebody to teach their kid to learn how to read. The way they taught back in the 30s is different in the way of just using simple cards and words to teach and less interaction. Lee deffinently disagrees with the teaching system.
ReplyDeleteLee probably overcame this by not caring what those teachers said and continued to read or learn. Lee had to have learned outside the school or she would not have been the great writer she is today.
Our schooling is good , but sometimes it is very prussuring to get the ideal grade that you want. I think we should have less quizes that we cramm for and have a few tests that test our knowledge a little more.
In her groundbreaking novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", Harper Lee expresses a strong dislike for the education system of the time and feels it a futile attempt at educating the generation. She proved that even through the trash heap that was considered the education system of her time, it was possible to rise up out of it through an eager want to learn. Harper Lee expresses this want to learn through her story in which she displayed an enthusiasm for the subject of reading in which she plays the role of Scout the avid reader who was a tomboy. In my opinion, today's education does not fully address the fundamental principal of going to school which is to learn. I believe that it takes in impressionable children and instills in them the paradigm of valuing grades over learning. This can be supported on many accounts but because of several constraints, the most glaring problems will be addressed.
ReplyDeleteFirst of, in a school such as CHS, we hear many tales of those, "grade grubbers", who go to great extents and measures to secure a high rank. No doubt that ranking is an important factor in deducing a child's academic prowess, but is it really worth doubling up on Chemistry and Physics to keep your GPA high? In hindsight, what will you have learned along the way except the important principles of hard work and time management? From what you learnt, what will you keep with you as a fact for the rest of your life-real, applicable knowledge in today's highly competitive workforce? So in my opinion, what needs to be done is that more emphasis be put on the learning process rather than the grades. No doubt today's education system is profoundly different in comparison to the early 19th century, with college level courses in math and science you can never go wrong, but what good is this system and these oppurtunities if all we worry about is our ranking? How then do we expect to develop ourselves through the knowledge available to us?
Scout obviously despises her school system as well as her teachers. But from a therapists standpoint, there must be some reason to these emotions, right? Well, Scout has been reading with her father since she was very young and it has become almost a ritual,if you will. Her teacher is basically prohibiting Scout from bonding with her father by way of reading and Scout is not taking this lightly. Imagine if you had, let us say, a religious holiday that you celebrate every year. Now imagine, that your teacher told you specifically that you were not allowed to participate in that holiday. I know that my example is kind of far of from what actually happened, but it is on the same line.
ReplyDeleteWhen Harper Lee was a child, education was basically the same as it was in TKAM. She probably felt the same way about education as Scout, and Lee was able to excel by writing short stories on a typewriter her father bought her.
Today, I think that the school system has improved greatly. We are able to pick if we want to participate in a challenging class such as an Honors class or if we want to stay in the regular classes. The school has extracurricular activities that we can participate in to make ourselves more intelligent and well-round. The school system has greatly improved from the past.
HArper Lee made her opinions about the education known, and well defined in TKAM.
DeleteI believe her opinions were negative. Through her portrayal of Ms. Caroline, (Slut), she showed us that the schools didnt even have a set curriculum, and whenever a teacher wanted to teach something the other teachers let them do as they want, and sometimes even change theirs to meet the new style. (As seen in their school with the adoption of the Dewey Decimal System. She also most likely thought that the teachers only taught them rudimentary education skills and nothing really higher level thinking.
Harper Lee most likely supplemented her love for reading and writing at home, out of school, because they probably didnt cover it as well as she would've liked. She probably read and wrote ALOT at home, and probably had her parents help her with their opinions and knowledge of reading and writing.
I think todays education system is defintitely better than what it was when TKAM took place, but not as great as it could be.I think we need less homework, but homework that goes into greater detail of the subjects we are learning rather than lots of shallow assignments. I think if teachers, administrators, and other people involved in school district spent a little more time developing in-depth homework and assignments, ones that actually help us understand the subject, America would be better off as a whole.
It is apparent that Harper Lee strongly dislikes the education system back in the 1930s because of the fact that she created such an annoying and controlling teacher, whom Scout hated. Since To Kill A Mockingbird was related to Scout's life when she was younger, I believe that her love for writing and books did not come from school, but instead her own home. Her father had probably taught her to enjoy reading and the fantasies it can take you into.
ReplyDeleteTalking about how Harper Lee hated the education system, I hate mine right now. I agree with many of the comments and replies posted above that school now is all about getting good grades. The school board has made it so that grades are all that is important, not whether you enjoy going to school or not. In fact, even some of the teachers I have had in the past gave me the feeling that they only taught children because they had to, not because they wanted to.
If i had to do something about it, I would make it so that many of the lessons are interactive and intriguing, unlike many of them today. I believe that children can learn better if they actually enjoy the curriculum they are learning.
This is off-topic, but I hate the fact that school teaches us things we obviously do not need to know later on in life. I don't need to know how photosynthesis works; I am not going to be a botanist when I grow up. Three-fourths of the things I am learning now i WILL NOT use in the future. Schools should focus on things like how to communicate with other people and how to be a leader because THESE are things companies look for when they are hiring employees.
Evelyn Kue
Period 5
I completely agree with everything that Evelyn said in her response. you have no idea how many of our teachers just sit at their desk with a text book in their hands and just read it as if a story book in the most monotonal monotone they can find! its insane! i also agree how a lot of what we learn today isnt going to come up in the future, we need to know how to answer questions with out making ourselves lookung like complete idiots! how about the district look at this and try to take a few pointers from the kids that know what theyre talking about.
Deleteyou go glen coco..
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee has created many diffrent point of views about education from the 1930's. The character of Miss Caroline is utterly unable to cope when Scout’s reading and writing skills. Miss Caroline is a new to the town of Maycomb and she wants to reinforce rules her way, but she is struggling to achieve her goals. Harper Lee maybe created this character to reflect her past. Overall, in TKMB Harper Lee has created a realistic education system for that time period. My opinion on todays education system is that it has improved in many ways compared to TKMB. School districts have become more strict on their conduct, rules and regulations. Also students have become more and more focused their education because they are looking foward to their future. Technology has become a greater infulence in both a positive and negative ways. Teachers and students can use technology productivley, but it can also get a bit out of control when students stop paying attention, start cheating, etc.
ReplyDelete-Alizain
Harper Lee grew up in the time educatino was definitely not at its highest. She dislikede her education system very much, and show it with miss Caroline, her first grade teacher. Mis caroline was pretty pissed when she learned of scout learning reading and writing from her dad (even though she had not gotten it from her dad, but had learned it very long ago). Her charachter shows the basis of the education system in the 30's, and how it pulled kids back, and held them from reaching their full potential.
ReplyDeleteBut even with these problems, Harper lee somehow managed to overcome her problems. It think she managed to do it with the help of her father, him being such a brilliant man. also, she might have picked up some thing when she visited the court to seee the cases. It would have taght her how it is to be around the cold, hard fist of law.
As for todays education, I think that todays education system is flawed. I find it bad because schools are extremely underfunded, thus limiting the potential, and room to grow for some of the kids who really need the funding. This leads to schools making kids do fundraisers, which none of the kids like, and reduce the time we have to focuse on our school.
Harper Lee probably grew up in a society where education was not very high on the list of importance. For example, when she wrote about Scout's teacher, Miss. Caroline, she was described her as the type of teacher that wants the student to learn things her own way. Harper Lee probably based the fact that Scout was learning how to read and write from Atticus from her own life, so she probably learned how to read and write her own way because maybe she didn't approve of her teacher's way of teaching. Today's education system is better, but not the best because there are still some teachers that want things to go their own way and they are pulling very talented students down. In today's education, things should be organized by how a student learns best. If they learn best by visualizing, they'll have no problem following the teacher, but with every teacher doing a different thing, many students have a very hard time adjusting.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee showed her dislike of the educational system of that time. Teachers such as Miss Caroline didn't understand their role as teachers, and were not as productive. Many teachers did not tolerate much and had to be right. Many of their methods of teachings were thought of as silly by the author. Also Harper Lee displayed through Scout the hatred that most students had of going to school.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee overcame her poor education by studying outside of the school limits. This was frowned upon by many who thought that education should be limited to that of what the school teaches. However this idea of education was wrong and Harper Lee understood that. With that she worked her way to becoming one of the great authors of the century.
My view on the educational system of today is mostly positive apart from a few things. I believe that each teacher thinks that he/she has the better opinion on an issue, which may be true. However, to the student, their is usually one way which works better than the others. The fact that some teachers believe their view is superior deprives the student of doing better in school, and understanding what is being taught. Therefore, I believe that each student should be able to work the way that best fits them.
Kamil Ali 1st Period
Harper Lee expresses her disgust of the school system through the experiences of Scout. It looks like she had an above average intelligence and was not a passive child. She felt stifled by the teaching methods that was clearly geared towards bringing everybody up to a certain level with no exceptions been made for children who were advanced in certain areas. However the education she received was typical of her time. School budgets were drastically reduced in 1930s Alabama, rural schools were tiny and teachers barely qualified. Also children from rural farming families (who spent a large portion of the year helping their families with the harvest) were together in class with children who spent more time in school. So the teacher’s task would have been to find a level of teaching that included everyone.
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee probably overcame her poor education by reading every scrap of reading material that came her way like Scout. In the book she refers to the summer as the color in the parched landscape (a reference to the school year). Her unchallenged mind in school probably led her to observe her surroundings and her companions in great detail to relieve the tediousness of school. Her insights into human nature and her character development in her writing benefitted from her observations of people around her.
I think todays Education system is a vast improvement over the one Harper Lee was in. We have a much better curriculum and the system allows for more advanced students to learn at a faster pace. However because of standardized testing students are still limited to learning from a strict curriculum which does not allow us to explore topics in more depth. Success is measured only by grades and it would be benefit us to be less focused on grades and more on learning.
Harper Lee through TKAM shows how schools were strict and not a fun place to be at. Miss Caroline is an example how education was theres only "one" way according to her method and thoughts. It shows how much she felt they were limited to. Through Scout we can see Harper Lee disliked the way of teaching during the time just through miss caroline like i sated.
ReplyDeleteShe probably started to do anything she can to impove her knowledge. Maybe by like reading everything she can to be informed and to gain wisdom and knowledge
I think our Education System right now is good but i disagree with someone of the requirements for classes. I think that we shouldn't have required coreclasses. As in you have to have at least one of them. So a student like me who wants to aim toward the science and math field we can choose to learn more in those than being put into classes we dislike or do really bad on which may end up hurting our future, but your system is alot better compared to the time of Harper Lee
Harper lee had to grow up in times where education was a set process. The student was forced to learn from the teacher unlike now when the teacher sometimes learns from the student. Ms. Caroline was over dramatic about scout or Harper being able to read. It was completely unnecessary and didn't really make sense to me. A lot of teachers may not Ike the way a student lets but they shouldn't have the right to take it way, just because its easier for the student!
ReplyDeleteHarper Lee disagrees with the education system that she is forced to be a part of. She portrays Maycombs education system as a flawed institution with narrow minded teachers. This only allows for the next generation to be just as narrow minded as the current one. She uses Scouts classroom to show the many flaws in the towns education system. Initially, Scout realizes that school is not worth looking forward to, when she is punished for learning how to read outside of the classroom. The reader can also gather that Scouts classroom is a place where the teacher is ignorant and sensitive, while the students are more intelligent and accustomed to a harsher environment. Miss Caroline doesn't know anything about the town of Maycomb or it's people, so she can't understand or communicate with her students well. This prevents her from making progress or properly teaching the class.
ReplyDeleteIn todays education system we have the opportunity to work with more than just our teachers.We learn from movies, the internet, books, and other people. We are free to ask any questions, and we can even explore and investigate new ideas. This way, we can make global connections, and learn more at an earlier age. In many classrooms, we also find that teachers learn just as much from students as students do from teachers.