On A Study Of Reading Habits

After memorizing A Study Of Reading Habits, I am still unsure as to what the point of the poem is. It seems to me that the author is an angry sales clerk and possibly Asian man who never read when he was younger, deeming it "uncool." Although, the name Larkin does not sound particularly Eastern in origin. I am confused about the middle stanza as well, and am really hoping he is not a rapist; "clubbing" someone with sex is not exactly a nice way of putting intercourse. It is also difficult to assess what time period this poem was written in. I am aware that it is "modern" poetry, however, it tends to use some terms more commonly found in older English, like "chap" and "specs," making this difficult to determine. In conclusion, I hope that in the future we read poems with a clearer message and less unnecessary confusion from the point of the work.

Everyone, good luck tomorrow!

A Response to "Changing Education Paradigms"

The "Changing Education Paradigms" YouTube video that we watched last class makes me think about my education in comparison to the education of students in the Los Angeles public school system, one of the worst school systems in the nation. My education was highly traditional, but I took so much away  from it. It was tailored for every student and her needs. While we were most likely tracked based on whether the administration expected us to be highly academic or not, I feel like every professor wanted to engage us and prepare us for university and beyond. However, the wool has not been pulled over my eyes; I know how horrible the public school system is, the drop out rate alone can explain it to anyone, and I know how lucky I was to have the education that I did. It seems that the video we watched explains why it is just as bad as it is; the school system of today is based on an old model. Not everyone is meant to be a student, but that does not mean that they should not be able to take something away from school, and it especially does not mean that they should not have the privilege of engaging teachers. But how do you solve a problem that has become so big?
I think that teachers and professors need to be put through a more rigorous training process. Just because someone desires to be a teacher, does not mean that he should be given that opportunity. It also seems, that if students are given freedom to take the classes that they feel passionate about, there will be a higher graduation rate among schools, and thus, the schools will be turning out more intelligent people. Also, the school system needs to recognize that the outside forces of technology are now apart of hourly life, so they should be used to benefit the classroom, not hinder it.
In the YouTube video it talks about how schools group students based on their ages and how that may be hindering the system. I think students are put in their age groups in school because they are with students that are of a similar maturity level to themselves. Obviously, everyone matures at different times, but I believe it is healthy for students of the same age to be grouped with other students of the same age, to facilitate bonding between those students. I think this is especially important in the Elementary and Junior High years.
It seems that the school system issue has become such a large one, that no one really knows how to take it on, and thus, no one has taken true initiative. I think that "Changing Education Paradigms" is very interesting and offers insight into the issue, but it does not give constructive ways of changing the problem, and I think that's what we really need. We need an inspired person who is willing to take over the system and rebuild it into what we need for the students of today.

Too far gone?

While I do agree with Sir Ken Robinson on many of the points he brings up in the video we watched in Tuesdays class, I am going to propose the idea that however flawed our school systems currently are, they may be too advanced to change. While reform is necessary, I believe turning the educational system upside down might be a lost cause at this point for a couple reasons.

First, the industry produced by the growth of standardized tests and prescription medicines for ADD have sky rocketed in past years. Many services and individual tutor companies have been formed in order to help kids do better on their standardized tests. Parents today are willing to sacrifice and pay in order to raise their children’s chances on these tests. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it will be hard to reverse the trend of the growing industries in the past years.

Another reason why changing the American educational system is a hard thing to accomplish is because of the fact that bringing about the change Sir Ken Robinson is hoping for would cause the system to start from scratch. In doing this, many grade levels and possibly a generation would be lost in the transition and thus be in a worse position than had they continued on with the current system. Not many people will be willing to make this change, knowing that as a generation, they will be the transitional period and thus less educated.

Best Books of Poetry, 2010

Best Books of Poetry, 2010

Anna and Attention Deficit

As with many American families, I have had personal experience with ADD. When my sister was still in elementary school, we noticed that she had some very interesting learning differences. Not always bad differences, and certainly not barring her intellectual capacity, my parents opted to take her to an alternative doctor; One who would simply diagnose the problem rather than trying to correct it.

You see, my sister is one of the smartest, deepest people I know. Her mind is one of the most creative and beautiful I have encountered. She draws and paints and writes on a different level than almost anyone I know.

She applies this creativity to her academics as well, coming up with new ways of doing math problems. Most of the time, I can’t begin to understand her methods, yet she always arrives at the correct answer.

At the same time, Anna does face some learning challenges.

Guidelines are difficult for her to follow, and she considers even the clearest deadlines flexible.

Her work is almost always put off until the last minute, causing her to look less academic on paper.

If she is not passionate about the topic, she simply will not focus.

So, when my sister was still a little girl, my parents had a choice.

To medicate, or not to medicate.

Their decision was simple. By putting my sister on some form of ADD medicine, they would be doing her a disservice. Especially in creative individuals, the most negative side affect of medication, such as Ritalin, is that it gets rid of sparks of creativity. Medication would numb that part of my sister that looks out the window during class at something that five minutes later is an ornate sketch in her notebook.

Yes, she would be able to study longer and with more focus, but no longer would she be able to stretch her mind as she sought out new ways of solving math equations. No longer would she have those creative peaks that fuel her art, writing and dreams.

I understand that there are two sides to this debate. I know there are children who simply cannot function without the aid of medicine. But at the same time, medication for ADD or ADHD is not something that should be taken lightly.

Thomas Eddison was told he was stupid because according to the traditional academic standards, he did not function at capacity. He went on to be one of the greatest inventors in history.

Pablo Picasso, Edgar Allen Poe, Bill Gates and Benjamin Franklin all suffered from ADD or ADHD.

They weren’t normal. They thought differently and dreamed different dreams, and yet each individual made contributions to the world that are profound, to say the least.

We say that America is declining. We say that as the generations progress, so is this idea of mediocracy.

Perhaps it isn’t the fault of the individual, but of the system.

By drugging some of the world’s greatest minds into submission to the system, perhaps America is digging her own grave.

Video Response

The video we watched in class yesterday made perfect sense to me. I was not one of those people who "didn't study" in high school. I have always had to put a lot of hard work and effort into the process in order to receive positive results. But sometimes even the amount of time and dedication put into studying gets shot down by "standardized" numbers and statistics. I would get very frustrated by the unfairness of multiple-choice questions because I felt like they were always tricking me. As a result, one of my worst habits is the tendency to overanalyze everything. In elementary school, there were times where we briefly skimmed aesthetic surfaces and tried learning with a creative approach:

But of course many good things like that come to a close when we have to "grow up" in high school. No more fun and games... Similar to the assembly lines discussed in the video, we are manufactured to make decisions quickly, and sometimes the parts are NOT interchangeable. Deciding what road to take in life is complicated when we have been conditioned to think within the boundaries of socially constructed norms.

My brother has ADHD, and his medicine could almost be compared to a temporary lobotomy. He loses his appetite, has less energy, and feels depressed as well as overwhelmed by the public school workload. I wish that the American public school system would support more art programs that allow more freethinking and creativity. I wish that we could explore a jungle rather than be caged in a 4-wall facility.

Students will thirst for more knowledge if that knowledge is offered through creative mediums.