Academia in America

Taken from:www.outofourmindstoyours.wordpress.com 

In the article of "Left Behind, Way Behind," Bob Herbert explores a report that would institute a new educational program to boost America's grades, so to speak [Argument! 327, 28].  As noticed by many, the United States and its educational capabilities increasingly place lower than the schools in other countries.  For example, argues Herbert, as America ranks as 24th out of 29 countries in areas such as math literacy or problem-solving, there must be something wrong with American schools [327].  Herbert thus encourages this new report, which recommends longer, individual study hours, the lengthening of school days and years, more qualified teachers, and (as an effect) a bigger budget for the schools in America [327].  While these stipulations initially sound beneficial, they will actually destroy America and discourage its students rather than create more Albert Eisteins and Steve Jobs.  By going through each stipulation, one can see the damages of its focus and what the United States should do instead.

Taken from: www.golibrarians.wordpress.com

First of all, Bob Herbert believes that hard work will make students, and their country, successful.  He remarks, "It's the kids who are logging long hours in the college labs, libraries and lecture halls who will most easily remain afloat in ... the American work force" [Argument! 327].  While this is partially true, students (and in particular the school children that he is discussing) will not succeed by simply studying over long periods of time.  Instead, these children need guidance in their academia, and they should be meeting (in shorter periods of time) with tutors, study groups, and parents who can help them understand their work and achieve it.  Besides the lack of guidance in the above statement, the focus of time, and not of interest and active learning, makes the entire idea disturbing.   If the goal is to make America better academically and achieve a higher high school graduation rate, teachers and policymakers should cater to interest and a love of learning to keep kids in school.  Success, in other words, is not compatible with busy work done in a library.

Taken from: www.123rf.com

Besides lengthening study hours, Bob Herbert also proposes the increase of the number of school days in a year and the amount of hours at school daily.  In addition to increasing the time at school, he wants the time to be more worthwhile; in his ideal program, there is "voluntary, rigorous national curriculum standards in core subject areas" [Argument! 327].  Time is thus the method to increase American academics, and if combined with better books, it will be the key.  Yet this is too ideal; students in the United States will not do better if they are forced to spend more time in school and with "better" books.  Instead, like adult workers whose output decline in quality when pushed too far, students will only get worse, receive lower grades and care even less about school and learning than ever before.  The recurring idea from Dilbert sums this all up and especially applies to the notion of lengthening school days; that is, "Work Smarter, Not Harder."

Taken from: www.foxnews.com

But what is the meaning of working "smarter?" From the perspective of Bon Herbert, it is all about hiring superior and highly-qualified instructors.  He argues that America must "take seriously the daunting (and expensive) task of getting highly qualified teachers into all classrooms" [Argument! 327].  Nevertheless, instead of pushing qualifications and further expenses, America should encourage and hire teachers that engage students, care about their progress and impart the love of learning to the future generations.  Teachers who make scholars, instead of robots, are the most qualified of all, so they are the kind that the United States should be hiring.  This process of improving teachers would not involve large sums of money, however; one just needs to place the instructor into a field (or grade/age) they love, give them some freedom to ignite their passion of teaching, and away will go the teachers and all of their classmates.   

Taken from: www.stjoseph-academy.com

In short, by teaching the students to love knowledge and work smarter (this is not busy work) as well as by igniting the teachers’ passion and parental involvement, American schools can have success in the 21st century.  Or, in shorter form, the love of learning is the key.  Indeed, students who love learning are the best; they will grow up to be more productive and imaginative than others, and they will serve their country well.  Then, the teachers and parents who are excited about what the students are learning will additionally play into getting better grades for the United States, for excitement is contagious, and it will spread from instructor to student to classmate and so on.  Thus, if these ideas and principles are implanted, America will be much better.  This great country will never be “left behind” again; in its place, America will be far, far ahead.

Works Cited

Herbert, Bob. “Left Behind, Way Behind.” Argument! 10th ed. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 327-28. Print.

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My First Hour On An Airplane!

I've had the recent opportunity to ride on an airplane, and it being the first time I experienced such a novelty, it was quite memorable.  During my round-trip from Chicago, Illinois to San Francisco, California, I was able to ride in both the aisle seat and the window seat (there were a group of three seats total, an aisle, and then another three seats), and I was thus able to compare the two experiences.  After sitting in both places, I decided that I preferred the window seat over the aisle for multiple reasons.

A Prime Picture Out of the Window Seat

The first and most obvious advantage to the window seat is that it is next to a window.  I had a marvelous view during my four-hour flight next to the window, and I was able to take a lot of pictures (as shown in this blog).  The windows in the two airplanes I went to, that is, the United airplane and the American Airlines jet, were both a little dirty, so sometimes it was difficult to take a clear picture of the outdoors. However, I was never able to snap a photo of the horizon or the little town situated below when I was in the aisle seat—I can't believe I missed so many opportunities sitting in the middle of the plane!—and so I prefer the window seat for this photogenic reason. 

Just Look At the Narrow Central Aisle ...

A less noticeable benefit of the window seat, nevertheless, is that if one is at the window, they cannot trip the flight attendant.  I did not personally ever cause a flight attendant to fall down, though, but I do think that I was often in the way of the steward (or stewardess) because every time they would pass my aisle, they would say "excuse me" and I would move over.  The reason why I am suspicious that there was some wrong on my part is that they never asked anyone else to move and that they always did that to me.  The aisle seat may have ample leg room, no doubt, as one has a lot of space on one side of them.  However, I must admit that it can get annoying to continually have to reposition one's self when a person (or attendant) passes by, so I prefer the window to the aisle in an airplane.

Here's Me Cornered at the Window with My Comrades

Then, in the window seat, I could lean against the wall of the airplane.  I never took this opportunity for granted as I sat by a big, tall guy during both my flights, so the hard, cool wall (softened by my down blanket) was always the prefered alternative.  The very fact that the wall was cooler than my surroundings was a plus in itself, for during the flight back, our airplane became uncomfortably hot and the plane's wall was a lot more cooling than a warm human arm.  (Of course, a very cold person or a newlywed may argue against this "plus" of the window seat, yet, for most people, I think that the wall of the airplane is always the better side.)

Basically, I Could See Nothing But the Plane

Finally, on a serious note, the window seat and the visible signs of motion helped decrease the initial dizziness of takeoff and landing.  At first, when I was in the middle aisle seat, I could not see when or in what direction the jet was moving, so I felt rather disoriented and nauseous.  I was not close to needing the little blue bag, mind you, but I just felt confused and I wished that I could see what was happening.  Then, later on, the window seat fulfilled my longing for knowing what was going on, and I even lost all feelings of dizziness and nausea while I was sitting there.  This fact and overall feeling of well-being made the window seat an even better place to me, for I value comfort and health over all.

Note To Self: It's Hard To Wake Up Sleeping Boys

In conclusion, the window seat was better for me than the aisle seat of the plane.  Though I was stuck there—two large guys cornered me in the entire time I sat at the window seat—no other negative parts of the window seat can be foreseen.  I am happy near the window with camera in hand, a soft down blanket at my side, and a head clear and alert for any sort of reading that I have brought along.  I'm in a cove of sorts (yes, I am still stuck here!), yet as there are two passengers between me and the flight attendant, I have no worries to ever be asked to move my feet again.  Indeed, all is perfect in this side of paradise, everything is heavenly, unless ... oh no ... I have to pee!

The Wonders of Outdoors

What did your parents do when they were bored?  Were they forced to go outside?  According to Joel Achenbach, kids in the past only went outside as there was not any video games to play or anything interesting to watch on TV [Argument! 277].  His generation, which grew up somewhere between the “Baby Boomers” and “Generation X,” hated the tiresome, hot summer days, and they were, in his words, “fatally bored” [277].  Furthermore, he goes on to suggest that playing outside is too outdated for children nowadays.  Yet Joel Achenbach fails to realize that the great outdoors—and even one’s own backyard—is so much better than a video game or any man-made entertainment.  By playing outside (rather than hanging out with one’s PlayStation 3), one can tangibly interact with their environment, witness God’s creation and build friendships.

First, when one goes outside, they can physically interact—touch, feel, pick up—their environment and they can learn so much in the process.  When I was younger and played outside, for instance, I weaved dandelion wreaths, created stone and stick soup, made bridges and towers for the neighboring anthills and literally cut our lawn with scissors.  Even though I grow up with a small, suburban backyard, there were numerous things to do, and I was constantly creating a new game or a new activity.  To compare, in accordance to Joel Achenbach’s stance where video games are superior, who actually learns how to weaves short grasses together while playing Sims?  Can one use their creativity and desire for adventure in a video game?  I would beg to differ; instead, being indoors and playing games that other people made reduces one’s free-thinking, so mental growth and motor learning occurs outside the most.

Moving on back to the fact that video games and television are man-made items, the outdoors has so much more to offer as it has been created by God.  Though there are amazing visuals and sound in some electronic entertainment, I would venture to say that the most awe-inspiring marvels are fashioned by the Creator (and are mostly outside).  Who is not astounded, as they examine the small beetle they captured in their backyard, that the insect does not only have rainbow colors underneath its legs but also small, mammal-like hairs?  Or, who does not enjoy the surprise visit of a stray cat, where they can sneak it some food (preferably the turkey lunchmeat from the fridge) and become a pet owner for the day?  There are so many God-given opportunities to experience outdoors—that’s why people go visit the Grand Canyon or go the ocean to swim with His dolphins—that staying inside and playing and playing a computerized version of it, i.e. Sims 3, is ludicrous.  In fact, the only times I can remember being “fatally bored” [Argument! 277] was when I was indoors, and the long-watched TV was a sight for sore eyes.

Last but not least, by going outdoors instead of playing inside, one has a better chance of making friends and strengthening friendships.  When one’s outside, they are not distracted by a lighted screen, and they can give their full attention to the person (or people) that they are with.  Additionally, one’s own backyard gives you plenty of opportunities of making memories while in the alternative, one only beats their high score.  I was fortunate enough to have several peers in my neighborhood growing up, and though we did not always get along, we did have a lot of fun, played a lot of Capture the Flag and perfect the basic social skills we did have.  Creating memories, learning to work together, and growing friendships are some of the most important things in any child’s life (or person’s life), and I have observed that these are easier to do when one is outside.

Overall, the outdoors is—or has the potential for some—to be an interesting place to learn, observe God’s creation and grow relationally.  Though it may be solely what one makes out of it (as I know some who obstinately refuse to enjoy themselves outside), the great outdoors holds so many more opportunities (than the indoors) that it can never be outdated or deathly monotonous.  Indeed, I was never extremely bored when I was outside, and part of me wishes that I could go back to the simple pleasures that come from being a child in their own backyard.  Perhaps, on my summer break, I could start walking in the neighborhood again or get some of my (much older) peers together for a quick game of Capture of Flag.  Or, maybe I could just sit down, gather a few stray flowers, and weave a dandelion necklace again.

Works Cited:

Achenbach, Joel. "Out of the Woods: Today's Kids Can't See the Forest for the MTV." Argument! 10th ed. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 277-78. Print.