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    James Baldwin's "i just wanna be average" shows how education can either create a person with the ability to look at the world for himself or a person who will simply obey the rules of society. The majority of teachers failed to engage the kids' attentions and mindlessly told them what the standards required. This then created more kids who don't question what they are told, but instead just follow the predetermined guidelines for their life.

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    ijwbadraft1

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    James Baldwin's "i just wanna be average" shows how education can either create a person with the ability to look at the world for himself or a person who will simply obey the rules of society. The majority of teachers failed to engage the kids' attentions and mindlessly told them what the standards required. This then created more kids who don't question what they are told, but instead just follow the predetermined guidelines for their life.

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    9 views2 pages

    Ijwbadraft 1

    Uploaded by

    api-286459786
    James Baldwin's "i just wanna be average" shows how education can either create a person with the ability to look at the world for himself or a person who will simply obey the rules of society. The majority of teachers failed to engage the kids' attentions and mindlessly told them what the standards required. This then created more kids who don't question what they are told, but instead just follow the predetermined guidelines for their life.

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    of 2

    Swann1

    MichaelSwann
    Mrs.Thompson
    APLang,Block1,SkinnyB
    November6,2014
    Draft1
    IJustWannaBeAverageResponse
    AccordingtoJamesBaldwin,educationcaneithercreateapersonwiththeabilitytolook
    attheworldforhimselforapersonwhowillsimplyobeytherulesofsociety.InIJustWanna
    BeAverage,thechildreninthepublicschoolsystem,especiallythoseinthevocationaltrack,
    aretaughttobethekindofpersonwhowillsimplyobeytherulesofsocietythroughteachers
    whodojustthat,whothendontencouragethestudentstolearnmorethanisrequired,andwho
    onlyhavestudentscareabouttheirgradethanwhattheyareactuallylearning.
    Firstofall,childrenaretaughttobecomeapersonwhowillsimplyobeytherulesof
    societybytheirteachersthatsimplyobeytherulesofsocietyanddontcaretodoanythingmore.
    Forexample,whentalkingaboutoneofhisaverageteachers,Rosesaid,hehadlittletrainingin
    English,sohislessonplanforhisdayworkhadusreadingthedistrictsrequiredreadingtext,
    JuliusCeasar,aloudforthesemester.Wedfinishedtheplaywaybeforethetwentyweekswas
    up,sohedhaveusswitchpartsagainandagainandstartagain(Rose2).Thispassagebest
    representstheteacherswhotrainsthesestudents.Thisteacheronlyhasstudentsdowhatis
    requiredfromthembythestandards,andnothingmore.Notonlydoeshesimplyhavethe
    studentsdoonlywhatisrequiredofthem,heonlyhasthestudentsdowhatisrequiredfrom

    Swann2

    them,nomatterhowboringorrepetitiousitbecomes,andthismanneverattemptstoquestionit
    ormakeitmoreinteresting.AsummaryoftheapathyfeltbyRosesteacherswasshownwhen
    hesaid,therewereafewteacherswhoworkedhardateducationButmostlyteachershadno
    ideahowtoengagetheimaginationsofuskidswhowerescuttlingalongthebottomofthe
    pond.(Rose2).Althoughtherewasoneteacherwhosucceededindoingthis,BrotherSlattery,
    themajorityofteachersfailedtoengagethekidsattentionsandmindlesslytoldthemwhatthe
    standardsrequired.Thisthencreatedmorekidswhodontquestionwhattheyaretold,but
    insteadjustfollowthepredeterminedguidelinesfortheirlife,notcaringtodoanythingelseor
    thinkanyotherway.
    Secondly,inpublicschool,childrenareconditionedtocarenotaboutwhattheylearn,but
    howhightheirgradesareandhowwelltheydoonstandardizedtests,givingthemthemindset
    thatitsnotthemwhodecidewhethertheyarerightorwrong,butregulationssetupbysociety
    thatdeterminetheirvalidity.Mercyreliedonaseriesoftestsforplacement,andsomehowthe
    resultsofmytestsgotconfusedwiththoseofanotherstudentnamedRose.TheotherRose
    apparentlydidn'tdoverywell,forIwasplacedinthevocationaltrack,aeuphemismforthe
    bottomlevel(Rose1).ThisquotegoestoshowhowMercyonlylookedatstudentstestscores
    andnotthestudentsthemselveswhenevaluatingthem.
    Inconclusion,inMikeRosesIJustWannaBeAverage,kidsaretaughtnottolookat
    theworldforthemselves,buttosimplyobeytherulesofsocietyanddowhattheyaretold,
    nothingmore.

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