Paternalism and academic performance - Essay Example

Paternalism and academic performance The involvement of parents in the education sector has been heralded as a positive support that encourages performance of the children. Flexible environment for the learning process is integral for performance of the student. However, some schools such as the American Indian school have engaged in the paternalism. According to Will, the paternalism has shaped the academic success of schools. George Will uses several stylistic devices to develop the essential opinion and ideas in the article.

He uses rhetoric, irony and symbolism to develop the ideas. The Literary devices encourage humor development for the readers and highlight the irony of the education policy by use of natural illustrations. When describing the school director; Ben Chavis, George Will describe him by using terms such benevolent dictator. In addition, Will describes both the physical appearance of the director and the real character of the director. He is described as a person with “close-cropped hair and short beard flecked with gray (Will).

” The director is compared to Lenin, but one outstanding character that distinguishes the two is democratic principles. While Lenin is described as a democrat, the author describes Ben Chavis as a dictator with a democratic appearance. The symbolism and irony used to describe the director highlights the level of rhetoric employed by George Will, to emphasize the main points. The arrival of the Director influenced the performance of the school. Currently, the school is doing well according to the author.

Since the arrival of the Director in 2000, he has instigated changes in the condition of the school focusing on the academic aspects of the school. Chavis approach reduced parental involvement. Chavis approach is to develop a school culture focussing on combating the culture of poverty. The concluding paragraphs of the article depict the true character of Chavis. Chavis’ main goal is to improve the educational standards by removing the societal belief that an Indian School should have Indians (Will).

The development of a multicultural society, in the school, improves academic performance. With a detailed approach which reduces time wastage and discipline, the school develops a complex system of operation with reduced holidays and several tests. The control of choice does the school which makes the decision making process simple. He has authored addresses several issues associated with performance and paternalism. Paternalism is an issue of considerable debate owing the continuous application of paternalism in the education process.

Will addresses the issue by evaluating the impact of Chavis at the school and the impact of the new adjustments. The idea of paternalism has been criticized making it appear negative. However, several schools have managed to use the approach to improve their grades and make the situation better. The argument by many scholars is on the basis of freedom and flexibility. Paternalism uses people’s belief and customs to develop a plan of action without comparing the suitability of the program to the student.

For instance, the learning process in the American Indian school is structured in a rigid format and does not accept external interference. According the structure, some public holidays are not considered necessary as such students are expected to attend classes during the holidays. Private teaching is also encouraged in the process making the whole process different from the standard models used in schools. The success of the module is possible in charter schools because of the control offered by the school directors.

The freedom associated with the school enables Ben Chavis to develop the system that is employed in the American Indian Schools. However, the paternalistic approach has been blamed for overloading the children with learning without offering room for recreational activities. However, the according expert the approach should not be encouraged because of the load that it gives to the students. However, the success of the approach has created positivity in the society. The society is affected of different issues, which include the Achievement gap policy.

However, the issue of paternalism is still debatable because of media impact on distinguishing the negatives associated with the whole process. In line with the educational changes, several issues can be used to improve educational standards. Despite the positives associated with the approach, many issues still affect the process making paternalism a wrong concept. The definition of paternalism is not clear as stipulated by several reference books. The differences highlight diverse opinions on the concept.

In line with the different understanding, many individuals perceive it differently. The difference in perception affects the societal understanding of the concept. In conclusion, the concept used by Chavis has been successful in several schools around the country, but it cannot be voted as the best approach in learning because it does not offer flexibility in the process. It offers a rigid process that cannot support slow learners except the use of remedial classes. Works Cited Will, George. "Where Paternalism Makes the Grade.

" 21 August 2008. The Washington Post. 3 February 2013 .