HW # 44 Big Expectations for School

President Obama's back to school speech is actually a motivational speech to kids in which he tells them that although the goverment, the teachers, and their parents all have responsibiltity for their achievement in school, kids themselves have the greatest responsiblity for their own education. He tells them that it is up to them to discover their special talents, which they all have, and that they need to do thi not only for themselves but for their country.
He acknowledges the fact that some kids have disadvantages that make it hard for them to do well and talks of specific kids who have fought great odds to succeed. There are two quotes that really stick out for me: "And no matter what you do with your life - I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it," and "If you quit on school - you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country." Both quotes have this "or else" aspect to them with a little fear and guilt built in. I think this is a pretty great speech on the whole especially coming from a young and exciting president especially in comparison to what we had before. Also, Obama had to overcome a lot to suceed so he has a lot of credibility. Kids need to hear a speech like this although it obviously does not let government, schools, and teachers off the hook for their responsabilities to kids.

Even though it's true that some kids overcome incredible odds to succeed, this doesn't mean that other kids with the same problems can overcome their obstacles. Some kids can focus and tune out problems and distractions and others can't. As Obama says we all have different talents. For most kids going to a bad school with teachers that have a hard time staying motivated themselves it just is not going to be possible to do well. In Thomas L. Friedman's article he talks about how the next generation of Americans are going to hold the country back because of their weak science and math education. He is talking to the CEO of Intel, a top U.S corparation, who says he would rather higher young Americans but will higher better educated Chinese people if he has to. I found this other article about an Chinese/American doctor who says "of all the demographic factors we studied in relation to school performance, ethnicity was the most important.... In terms of school achievement, it is more advantageous to be Aisan than to be wealthy, to have non-divorced parents, or to have a mother who is able to stay at home full time." This quote really stuck me. I know for example that Stuyvesant High School is nearly 50% Asian and that Harvard has 17% Asian students, and Asians only make up 4% of the U.S population. Also, Jewish people, who make up 3% of the U.S population, make up 21% of the Ivy League student population. The point I am trying to make is that if there is an emphasis on academic achievement in your culture, that is a big advantage. Black and Hispanic kids whose parents and grand-parents are often not that well educated can be at a disadvantage. Governments and schools have a responsibility to teach all kids, and all cultures contribute a lot to society. In Bob Herbert's article about the amazing educator Deborah Kenny, he talks about how succesfull her Harlem Village Academy schools have been because they develop great teachers. In a way the kids who go to these schools are getting the special culture they need to do well academically.

My reaction to the article by Robert Kiyosaki, who says he wants to create the U.S Buisness Academy for Entrepreneurs, which would be run like a military academy, is that it probably wouldn't work. Don't you need a lot of freedom and independence to become an entrepreneur?
Wouldn't it be better to just have huge grant awards for people with great ideas to start new businesses? I like the reaction of the guy whose comment said, "I'll take wages that both Henry Ford and Bill Gates would drop out of your military school faster than a cockaroach runs from light."


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