Analysis: "America Need Its Nerds"

     In Leanoid Fridman's, "America Needs Its Nerds", he makes some good points. What really got my interest was when he spoke of "importing our scientists and intellectuals from abroad." pg 210 He then says, "America's culture has not adapted to the demands of our times, to the economic realities that demand a highly educated workforce and innovative intelligent leadership."pg 210 Is it any wonder that companies are choosing to do more business overseas, to me this explains it. I have to admit that I am guilty of this "nerd/geek" attitude myself and I have to say I am ashamed. Is this a way that we protect ourselves from embarrassment, by pointing a finger and laughing at someone that truly has something no else has, a mind and intelligence, not Gucci or Channel, it really is something to think about.

task three, reflection

     I am not sure yet where my focus is, all of this touches me, Leonid Fridman's "America Needs Its Nerds" and "In praise of the F Word", grabbed my attention the most. Kozel interests me greatly, however, I think there is to much information there to be examined. I could do a lot of research for this one, in fact, I talked to my son's science teacher briefly on the subject and there is to much to put in an essay. I am still thinking about it. I am thinking about going large and using both of these essays.

Analysis of one aspect Kozel examines

     I find it very disturbing that in the school system there are so called professionals sleeping in class, while there students are left to "talk quietly." pg 50 Kozel "Savage Inequalities" To me this has nothing to do with the location of the school or the funds it takes to run it. It is an injustice that should be stopped. I think the blame lies entirely on the teacher and the head of that school system. In reading this text, I was so surprised and I found I was more than a little naive about how some of our children live. I have always been an advocate for our children and I will remain to be. This book is just opening my eyes to how bad it is, granted this was several years ago, however, things have more than likely not improved. When he spoke of the teacher holding the baby in the middle of the classroom and her approach to education, I wondered where this school was and then to find out that she was just down the hall from the other 5th grades class rooms I was astonished. How is this not child abuse? My heart hurts for those little ones. How do the children feel being in a classroom with such disruption when right down the hall is a teacher with love and goodness in her heart. I wonder if they feel "not chosen" or somehow wronged by not being in that classroom. It is no wonder the world is the way it is. This just enforces my opinion that it starts at home and I am including the teachers upbringing.

Response to question for task three

     Teacher, Mother, Friend, Child are all subjects you can learn from. If you participate and are active in the world, you will find that you are taught many things daily. The traditional role of student and teacher would be a person in front of the classroom, sharing  knowledge they have with someone. In turn, the person they are sharing with is to take in the knowledge and learn what it is that is being said, done, etc.
      I like the thought of learning from everyone, I am sure that even the "teacher" learns things from students. I know I have learned from my girlfriends, things not to do on dates, places to go and even who not to go with. My son helps me sometimes with my homework and he definitely educates me on the drama at school, I get an update every night. My mother has taught me to cook, clean, do my finances and to work hard. She has also taught me faith and love. My teachers have taught me that a mind is amazing. It can dream, put you in the book you are reading and it never runs out of room for information. I have been the teacher, I have been the student and I love both roles.

For you to analyze page two hundred and seven "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood" question three

      I think Botstein's proposal of reconstruction is a little absurd, has he actually met and talked to a fifteen or sixteen year old "child". That's right I said child. I know for a fact that it is not always the fault of the schools and peer pressure. Botstien writes, "When puberty meets education and learning in modern America, the victory of puberty masquerading as popular culture and the tyranny of peer groups based on ludicrous values meet little resistance." 1 I wonder if he considered the background or home life of these children. If a child is raised to disrespect others and is showed no value or consideration, then this is where these actions start. The idea to me to send a fifteen or sixteen year old of to college is terrifying, most of them wouldn't even have a driver's license. I feel sorry for our children today, the pressures that they have to live with are monumental. I would guess that most are from a single parent home, if not the probability that both parents work out of the home is great. That means the child is probably left to fend for himself when he or she gets out of school. This child is probably in after school activities, such as sports, brain bowl or FFA, so they have to get themselves to and from that,as well. As parents we do what we can, but we cannot do it all. If they are misbehaving or acting out, it is usually because they are unhappy, jealous of someone or bored. I think putting them a higher level of academics or some type of honors program would be sufficient. My point is, to me for their age and what is expected of them, is more than what is manageable on an adult level, put in there the lack of life experience and the emotional roller coaster of being a teen and I think that spells disaster in capitol letters. Let the kids be kids.
     I do agree that the school systems could use some updating, to be more challenging, however the cost of that would be substantial and there is hardly money in some areas to pay the teachers. I feel, our young adults today need all the guidance they can get. I believe it starts at home and it should be left at that, if anything needs to change, it's the way we raise(or don't) our children today, send the real adults to how to raise and care for your children class. That is a more likely solution. 

1. Introduction to College Writing English 100 page 205 Leon Botstein, "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood"

Summary of Caroline Bird's "Where College Fails Us"

     In Bird's "Where College Fails Us", she questions if college is the best option after graduating. She backs up her writing with evidence of saturation in the career fields, the expense versus the payback, the quality of education versus what the student is willing to put into it. She uses statistics, studies and examples to back up her point of view.

response to first question in reflection and writing for "Where College Fails Us"

     I am in college for the basic reason of bettering myself. I may not get the pay that I want or the benefits that I need to support myself but, I will have the satisfaction of finishing what I have set out to do. I found Bird's essay a little depressing and negative. I wonder how many people have read this, threw up their hands and said,"Forget it, I knew I couldn't do this." I know this education is going to cost me a lot and not in just dollars, it is going to be stressful; it will take time away from my son and family; it has already hurt my business and income. However, I still see it as a positive step forward.
     In the last 21 years, since graduating high school, I have learned some very valuable lessons and one of them is to get an education. I don't know how many people on a daily basis, especially, since I have started college, that say, "I wish I had gone to college." I don't think that it is a matter of expense or time and if it is, it shouldn't be. You are in debt most of your life anyway, so why not "buy" something truly priceless. I have learned so much from just being around the different people at school. I would never have met these people or learned exactly what it means to be living a different life, if it wasn't for these past weeks.
     I can't think of a better way to be spending my time, my money, or efforts than on this education. I have hopes and dreams as everyone does and this is the start to them. I believe everyone is different and if college isn't right for them, then so be it. I just hope that they will always keep it in the backs of their minds and know that anything is possible, especially when it is something you have thought through on your own, have a plan and know where they are headed. The saying "You learn something new everyday" is so true and I learned that I was wrong. I can do well in college, I am not stupid and I absolutely love learning.

Summary of Hilary Whitfield's "Children Left Behind"

     In Hilary Whitfield's " Children Left Behind", she describes the troubles in some of the inner city schools and the effects it has on children and their learning experience. She believes that when they have to deal with violence and poor school conditions the possibilities of dropping out is greater. She even mentions the possibility of prison. She also understands and can relate with Kozol's "Savage Inequalities". In her personal experiences she mentions school conditions, violence,the purchase of handcuffs instead of school supplies and teachers giving false grades and watching t.v. to support her writings.

interview process task 2

What questions still remain? The number one question that remains is.... How did I do on my paper?

How did it go? I thought it went pretty well; My mom and I used e-mail and the phone in the beginning. I e-mailed her the questions and had her answer them for me. I read over her answers and then called her to ask for additional information.

Where did you conduct it? For the final interview, we sat down at the kitchen table and went over all the questions.

What did you learn? I like the writing process.

How do you intend to transition to the writing process? I sat down and wrote a very rough draft and then I went to the computer.

What concerns do you have? I feel I could have asked a lot more questions. However, for the first attempt at this type of work, I feel pretty good about it.

How do you expect to overcome this? When you practice something, you have no choice but to improve.

evaluation for task two

What is the thesis for your paper? sentence three in the first paragraph of my essay, is my thesis statement. "I was talking.......when she was in school."

List the main points you make in your paper. The main point of my paper was to see how my mother's school experience differed from my own, some of the points I made were the difference in the dress, how they walked to get to the bus, punishment and how even then the urge to continue education was great.

What was the most helpful information you received in class for your paper? Everything.

How many drafts of this paper do you think you wrote and how/when did you write them? For example, did you compose at the keyboard, did you write lots of notes to yourself, did you pre-write or outline, did you write in small chunks of time or sit down and produce an entire draft at one sitting? I mostly wrote everything out on paper and then went to the keyboard. I did not do an outline, I just put information where I thought it belonged. I made about three drafts at the keyboard before finalizing and printing. This does not include the final draft.

What would you do differently with this paper to make it more effectively, or what did you try to do that you just don’t think you got a good handle on? I think for the first interview paper it went pretty well, knowing the basic layout and way of doing it , I would definitely get more information next time and I think spend more time on the overall "story".

What are most pleased with about this paper? That I actually wrote the paper without "geeking"  and no assistance. I am not sure of my grade or how I did but, in peer review everyone seemed to like it and I really enjoyed working on it. I think I really like writing.

What was the most helpful advice you received from your peer evaluation? Best advice was what to elaborate on and what to leave out.

writers response question to " Becoming Educated" pg. 214

I am to define and explain what an education means to me. To look this up in the dictionary it looks like this(with a little editing).
[ej-oo-key-shuhn –noun the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
 In my life it means what is listed above, plus a new start and a new career. It means a total change in direction and a change in the process of how I think and live my life. I am not used to the organization, skills and processes it takes in getting this education. I am used to living the life of a single working mother. This means you just live day to day and you schedule around your child. I am trying to get this education so that my future will be more secure. I would like to have the benefits of working for a company that has insurance and maybe some retirement, however, I also want the pay for this job that I deserve. I know from experience that in order to receive the advancements and raises needed to compete in the professional world, you need a college education.

I love everyday of going to college. I feel I am blessed to have this opportunity, to expand my mind; so that I can think bigger and see the possibilities, to learn things I have always wished I had in earlier years: math, the correct English procedures, and just basically the social aspect of it is amazing. I think I have an open mind and there is nothing that teaches you more about that than seeing and watching how other people live and get through there day.