"Education"

S- education reformations, philosophical views

O- 1800s, published in American Scholar

A- readers of magazine, educators, parents

P-to educate, to persuade, to reform

S- Ralph Waldo Emerson

T- confident, professional, considerate, philosophical

This article provides an insight on the education children are receiving these days. Emerson explains that parents help their children when they first begin school. However, children begin to become dependent on their parents because they are not able to complete their homework by themselves. As a result, they will not be able to receive the grades they want to. This event results in additional help from parents because they do not want to see their child fail in school. “A new degree of intellectual power seems cheap at any price”(189). Emerson wants to show that people are losing their intellectual value. They are beginning to depend on other sources, such as parents or the Internet, for help. According to Emerson, people need to learn through observation. They need to be able to assess and comprehend the situation and adapt to it.

Emerson believes natural observation is the most important factor for children and students. The youth must learn from their mistakes or peers and be able to take on life by themselves. They need to know that their parents and friends will not always be around to help them. Children must find their own path in life. Parents should not always guide their children throughout every step. Although they need to teach them proper behavior, they must allow the child to learn through observation and determine their personal goal for the future. This can only be done if students receive proper education without any help from others. They need to be able to learn the basics by themselves.

This article does serve its purpose by grabbing the attention of educators and especially, parents. Emerson believes each person is “a new style of man; give him time and opportunity” (194). Emerson acknowledges the fact that each person is unique, but has begun to lose value because of their incapability to comprehend complex situations. People always try to find an easier way to handle a situation. Emerson wants this way of taking action to stop before an entire generation loses the capability to advance in their education and become “the fountain of an energy that goes pulsing on with waves of benefit to the borders of society” (195).

Ebola Quarantine

“White House Presses States to Reverse Mandatory Ebola Quarantine Orders”

By: Marc Santora and Michael D. Shear

Source: New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/nyregion/ebola quarantine.html?ref=science&_r=1

The White House has begun pressuring states to take back their mandatory order that requires people returning from Africa, who had been in contact with Ebola patients, to be quarantined. The first person to be required to remain under quarantine after returning from Africa was Kaci Hickox. Kaci has not displayed any symptoms while being kept under quarantine. Due to this event, she has begun to challenge the state of New Jersey. In addition, federal officials to do not wish to argue with state governors about this issue. They believe that the decisions made by the governors were rushed because people were beginning to panic.

The proposition to a mandatory quarantine against potential Ebola victims was begun after Craig Spencer, a doctor, was diagnosed with Ebola. After it was confirmed that he had Ebola, his condition began to worsen because the virus quickly spread throughout the rest of his body. The United States government had initially intended on providing a safe and comfortable life for the people diagnosed with Ebola. They were going to allow them to have monitors in order to communicate with their families and receive proper, daily meals.

However, the governors of several states made it mandatory that people returning from Africa must also report their temperature to health officials. They must also give the names and address of their relatives and provide information on where they will be staying in the next three weeks. In retaliation, people are bringing awareness to the fact that Ebola in transferred through bodily fluids. In their argument, they think that people that do not show any symptoms should not be quarantined, since they cannot transfer the virus to others.

This event will hurt the connection between many families if it continues to spread. However, it is safer for states to contain the virus before it spreads rapidly. People need to realize that a few individuals with Ebola will spread the virus, no matter how careful they are. Due to the fact that they do not show any symptoms, does not mean that they are free to roam around the country doing whatever they want to do because they may still carry the virus without awareness.

Education

Education has become an essential and mandatory part of people’s lives. Children are taught the basics of each subject up to the eight grade. This part should be required to be taught to every child. However, high school is the time when students begin to analyze and further enhance their skills. This part of high school should be required for each student, but only in one subject. When children grow up, they will decide on a specific career they would like to pursue. Due to this event, students should only be required to take part in the subject that is essential in their future career.

For example, certain students consider math to be their favorite subject and they would like to become a mathematician in the future. In this case, they should not be required to take part in classes that will not have any further impact on them. These students will not take other classes, such as English, as seriously as math. They might learn vocabulary words in order to pass the test, but they might not truly understand the meaning of the words and use it in their lives. The other subjects might be seen as classes that each student needs to get through for the year and never remember again.

The main purpose of schools is to help teach students to understand all the subjects they are taking. However, this purpose contradicts the fact that students will end up deciding a certain field of study in college. In this case, they would have wasted time experiencing other subjects that will not have any effect in their future career. 

Technology in Kindergarten

“Sesame Workshop to Tackle Preschool Literacy With Technology”

By: Elizabeth Jensen

Source: New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/business/media/sesame-workshop-to-tackle-preschool-literacy-with-technology.html?ref=technology

Technology has taken a new step. It is being introduced to kindergarten students to help them with their learning experience. Sesame Workshop, the producers of “Sesame Street,” has agreed to a partnership with ToyTalk in order to come up with a two-way conversational technology. The purpose of this agreement will be to teach kindergarten students preschool literacy. The alliance will be using ToyTalk’s “Pullstring” technology. “Pullstring” was created to recognize speech, understand children’s speech patterns, artificial intelligence, and includes prewritten scripts to respond to a child’s sayings.

Both companies have been found a way to teach children the basics, such as asking them to come up with words that rhyme with cat. However, they have not been able to create the technology that will correct their grammar. ToyTalk is hoping to release the software by early next year. However, their main intention is to receive feedback on the effectiveness of their software. According to Oren Jacob, the more children use the software, the better they will be able to enhance it. They are hoping that the software will be cost-effective in order to achieve a wider audience. They want people to see the value in the software and help distribute it to people they know who might want to give it a try.

Technology has become an important part of peoples’ lives. However, children should not be introduced to technological learning in kindergarten. These students are beginning to learn the language. They need the time and care of an individual to properly guide them through the basics of English. Technology will not be able to replace the special guidance children receive when they attend kindergarten.

Community Service

            Community service is an activity that every student is required to complete. In Friedland’s point-of-view, he “calls into question some of the vibrancy apparent in the high rate of youth volunteerism” (Friedland). Students that wish to attend a prestige university after graduating high school believe they need to complete many hours of community service at unique places in order to capture the attention of the university. Few students will engage in community service because they feel it is their responsibility as an individual to help the community. Students want to “perform enough of the “right” activities outside of the classroom” to be able to attend a university (Source 4). However, students do tend to volunteer in places that will give them experience on a future career or they find the specific task intriguing. In the views of most students, volunteering is a way to leave a mark on college admission by gaining an edge over the competition. It is a way “to make a stronger case to please college admissions officers” before graduating high school (Source 4).

            Growing up, people have been taught that they will succeed if they work hard, attend an esteem university, and make money. As a student, there is constant pressure to be the smartest one in the grade. Most people believe “a college education is a means to a decent life in the middle class (Source 4). They think that only the smartest students will be able to attend a well-known university and become successful in the future. In scientific terms, this condition is known as resume padding. According to Friedland, students are completing community service hours because of the motivation to attend a university, not because they truly want to help the community (Source 4). Most students today do not feel a connection with their community. They only care about future success.