Are We Getting The Right Education?

        Jeff Bliss is a student of Duncanville High School , he was ranting on his history teacher on the way out of the classroom. He stated that teacher should go to the front and teach, and make communication with the students instead of pass out the package and sit in the corner. The video is became very popular on youtube, and Jeff get a lot of fans from speaking out for many students. In my point of view, a good teacher can change many students’ lives, and a good teacher is essential of   a student's success. I had meet a couple teachers in my high school like the history teacher in the video, I really understand how it feel to study in a super boring classroom and then  lose track and passion for school. No doubt, the students will learn better with a teacher who is willing to help and treat them seriously, and Jeff Duncan Andrade  had make a very good example for us.

            Rita Pierson’s speech “Every kids need a Champion” have the same idea with Jeff Bliss’s video. Both videos have declared that teacher is playing a very important role in education, and education is about the communication between teachers and students. 

     







   I wish, all the teachers can have the same concept like Rita Pierson, and pay more attention on the students. The students are the future of the world, they need education just like the flowers need water. If the teacher can share a little love like sun, the flowers will bloom more prettier and last longer.

Into The Wild

         

   Passion is something that can make your direction clearer, and your life easier. You will be happy waking up every morning with your passion. Passion can be something really small, or even meet disagreement with others, but it just something that exists to please you. Everybody should have the same right to pursue his or her passion, but in fact, privilege will still play a big role in the society. The minority groups who live in disadvantage don’t have the same right as the privileged to keep their passion. The book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer is about the true story of young Christopher McCandless’ journey to pursue of his passion. Christopher is a very intelligent man who grew up in an upper middle class family. His well to do background didn’t make up for the negative impact of his parents constant fights. Adventure, into the wild are Chris’ passion, right after he graduated from Emory University, he donated all his savings and then disappear. His family never heard from him until his death news came. 

                                                                  Privilege

            Chris received many help during his journey, many 

people think he is a good gentleman in general and very hard working. The friendly strangers often offered Chris food, places to sleep and jobs. However, I do agree that Chris’ skin color has taken a lot of advantages for his trip. He will not make half way to Alaska if he is black, this is the privileged that he born with. Also, another born with privilege is family wealth. As Chris coming of age in an upper middle class, he had very good education, and with scholarship from school that many school cannot offer. He doesn’t need to worry about basic needs for living, his parents will get everything he wants and he can concentrate on his studies. Both skin and family wealth privileges build Chris, he is not afraid of troubles that will come after his skin color, or the desire of wealth didn’t shake his resolve to follow his passion. 

Passion

            No doubt, Chris’s passion of into the wild has driven him to flee home and started his journey to lives with the beautiful nature. His passion has affected many of the people he met in his journey, even though he never tell them the truth of himself and about his family. At the 100th day in Alaska, Chris couldn’t make his way out of Alaska. His death had shocked the people he met in his journey, and putted his family in extremely grief. Even though the author Jon Krakauer stated Chris is die for starvation and the poison potato plants. There are some people holding a different idea since Chris had sent all his friends the last good bye letters before he entered Alaska, seems like he knew and he had plan to stay in Alaska forever. But, the true answer, only Chris know. Maybe he can find himself a whole after staying in his favorite place forever with his passion.

Growing Roses In Concrete Reflection

     Oakland, one of the most dangerous cities, and has the highest crime rates in the United States. It is notorious that people can get killed on the street in Oakland without doing anything. People from the Bay Area and San Francisco are alert and on guard when they get close to Oakland. But does anybody really know what is going on over there besides what they read from the news? What is the flipside of the town that the media and people living outside of the town didn’t know about? The speech Growing Roses in Concrete by Jeff Duncan Andrade, delivered us the images and facts of what is going on and what the young generation is suffering in Oakland today.

“ The point of Education is not to escape poverty, the point of education is to end it.”- Jeff Duncan Andrade

            As they are coming of age in Oakland, the young generation does not feel safe and is forced to experience abject poverty, hazardous neighborhoods and vicious cycles. They are tagged as the plague in society; they seek no help, and have no hope to change their situation, and no direction in life but may continue to be plagued. By that time everybody is confused, and bordering on chaos, Jeff Duncan Andrade started a program called: “Step to College” and gave students extra tutoring, counseling, and one more important thing—Hope; Andrade hopes the young generations can become successful and come back to change Oakland. The ray of hope does light up many students’ lives, instead of dropping out of school and joining the gang, the student volunteers stay after school and get help for homework till midnight. Finally, 24/26 students in the program got into colleges and did make the impossible possible. 

            If the High crime rates and low graduation rates in Oakland are results of not caring; if the sufferings and traumas in Oakland are consequences of ignorance; then, we as the whole society are guilty. And our beautiful excuse called “Scared” is caused by lack of knowledge and trying. If we can share a little bit more caring, a little bit more love, it really can make a big difference, just like what Jeff Duncan Andrade did.

Questions:

1.     Why is it so important to care?

2.     What can we start to do to be a good influence on others?

3.     How can we get people’s attention to what is happening in our community?