The Faults in the Educational System in the United States - Literature review Example

Your full Your full 3 March Synthesis Paper For anyone wishing to look into the causes behind the decline in the US educational system, Michael Moore’s “Idiot Nation” is worth reading. In this chapter, from his book Stupid White Men… And Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation, Moore lays bare the inherent flaws in today’s US educational system. Moore shows how, from politicians to bureaucrats to the nation as a whole, little importance is given to educating the new generation. What is interesting about this article is that Moore does not put the blame solely on the teachers, as most of the nation is wont to do when looking for scapegoats, but explains how the whole nation is failing at the task of educating the young, thereby producing a generation of idiots, in effect. On a similar note, Mike Rose’s essay “I Just Wanna be Average”, taken from his book, Lives on the Boundary: A Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of America’s Educationally Underprepared, explores the theme of a poor education system that churns out average, run of the mill people by making school children want to just fit in or ponder upon their failures instead of inculcating a sense of pride in them and to help utilize their potential. Rose uses certain rhetorical strategies to support his argument; he uses narration of his own high school experiences to illustrate how the education system ends up failing the youngsters. Rose points out the inadequacies of the teachers and, resultantly, the educational system. Although he does highlight the role of the teachers in hampering the intellectual growth of their students, he also points out their effectiveness in bringing out a positive change in their thinking and attitude by recounting how it was his teacher, Jack MacFarland, who renewed his interest in scholastic learning. It is clear that the educational system of the United States is in dire need of change; there are a number of things wrong with it, with the end result that the children and young adults who go through it do not come out of it smarter as one would hope, but rather a host of them end up losing their inherent potential, ending up, so to speak, dumber. There is no dearth of intelligence in America, as both the authors have pointed out in their respective essays, but, as both of them also show by using rhetorical strategies, there is great need to establish an education system wherein youngsters have their potential nurtured and developed, otherwise the United States may end up at the lower end of educational ranking and standards. Both articles discuss the faults in the educational system that have resulted in its downfall; Moore states that students from top US universities got 53% correct answers on a high school level test, thereby employing statistics to emphasize his point. Moore is quick to point out that it is not the students themselves who are responsible for this sorry state of affairs; it is the education system, the lazy bureaucrats and the uncaring politicians, a severe lack of funds and a general apathy on the part of the nation, that are to be blamed. Moore gives the example of President George W. Bush, who was a C student during his time at college and who bragged about not reading newspapers, to drive his point home; if someone like Bush, who could not name the heads of state of India and Pakistan, can be elected as President, then something is seriously awry with the nation’s attitude towards education and its importance. This rhetorical strategy is very powerful in proving the point Moore is making: an effectively illiterate nation has elected an effectively illiterate president. The grasp of Corporate America on the school system is something Moore also explores; he uses description, statistics and field studies to show how schools all over the US, due to financial restraints and low budgets, have gone to various corporations for help. Big corporations, like Pepsi, Coca Cola, Pizza Hut etc., Moore says, have all paid schools in return for advertisement and/or sales to the students and their families. He compares the present data with that of the past to show how much corporate presence in the schools has increased and how school children are bombarded with advertisements everywhere they turn. This only distracts the children, as well as the teachers, from the real task of education, which, Moore points out, is what the children are in schools for. By using these rhetorical strategies, Moore has made a very strong point in favor of his stand. All the facts go to show that Moore is, indeed, right about being concerned. Rose’s perspective is a little bit different. He describes the society as apathetic, narrating how the teachers never did put much hope in the children. A rhetorical strategy, his description of the teachers at his school is very effective and leaves one wondering if anybody had bothered to check whether they knew anything about the subjects they were teaching or not. Rose recounts how inept the teachers were by giving examples of a few; a civic teacher, who was really a sports coach, whose method of teaching involved reading aloud, a sadistic English teacher, a Spanish teacher who had no way of knowing how to handle his class, these are just a few of the examples Rose gave with regard to the ineptness of the teachers at his school. The society as a whole does not care about school children who belong to the low income class; Rose states that the society in essence tells such kids from the beginning that they are bound to fail, and the education system is such that it will train them for work that the society does not respect. However, the students are not to be blamed for this; Moore holds that the students have a lot of potential, though the system does not let them utilize it to their maximum. He uses description, successfully, as a rhetorical strategy, to show how schools today try to suppress any form of individuality in the students, right down to where they do not allow certain color clothes to be worn by the students, taking them as a sign of psychiatric breakdown. Moreover, Moore utilizes comparison and personal narrative to highlight his own experiences at school, though he also gives hope to the students by recounting the problems he faced while in school and situations where he thought of ingenious ways to beat the system and work his way around it. He gives his analysis of how students in today’s schools can also do the same in order to keep their individuality as well as to make a difference. Again, Moore’s use of the rhetorical strategies is very apt and convincing. Rose also uses personal narrative as his rhetorical strategy; recounting how growing up when he was mistakenly put into the Vocational Education class, he, along with his other classmates there, were made to believe that they had no potential and were, thereby, failures, Rose also agrees that it is not the students who limit themselves but those around them. This is perhaps why his classmate Ken Harvey told their teacher that he wanted to be average; he felt so rejected by his society that being average was all he could do to dream about and aspire to. Rose describes how the children who are expected less from in turn reflect those expectations and never desire to work for more; they are told that they do not have any potential and they believe it. Rose shows how just by having a teacher who knew his job well, he was taken out of this rut; thereby pointing out that if the method of teaching changes, untapped potential can be realized. The articles are a very interesting read, not to mention very effective in pointing out the flaws in the educational system, as well as the apathy of the society. The writers have employed rhetorical strategies very efficiently and successfully; both of them have narrated their experiences, and given instances from real life, to prove their points. What makes Moore’s article even more effective is the fact that he has used statistics to support his claims, and not just his own experiences. The story-like narrative of Rose, where he uses personal narratives, however, does illicit a stronger emotional response in the reader. The authors have employed various rhetorical techniques very successfully, and in quite a different way (Moore uses more Logos and Rose uses more Pathos), to drive the same point home – which they do very effectively: something needs to be done to improve the educational system and fast, or else the US might become an “Idiot Nation” in reality. Works Cited Moore, Michael, “Idiot Nation.” Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. 7th ed. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 132-149. Print. Rose, Mike. “I Just Wanna be Average.” Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. 7th ed. Eds. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 161-173. Print. Read More