So That Nobody Has To Go To School If They Don’t Want To
Summary- Roger Sipher attributes the decline in standardized test scores to the present mandatory-attendance laws. He states that American education is struggling because many children have no longing to learn, and those children are hindering those that do wish to learn. Research has been done to determine whether mandatory-attendance laws actually increase the number of children in school, however little evidence has been found to support this. Roger’s plan for improving education in the United States is simply: “abolish compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are committed to getting an education to attend.”
Paraphrase- Roger Sipher’s argument indicates that private schools do not have the same issue with attendance as public schools. The reason being, private school can fail or expel students with the knowledge that they can attend a public school.
Quotation- According to Roger Sipher, the phrase “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,” directly correlates to the situation with American education.
A Place I Miss…But Not For Long.
A place I miss? Well, that would be the beautiful Lake Michigan, but I never miss it for long because each summer I get one more opportunity to enjoy everything it has to offer. For the last 15 years of my life, my extended family and I have traveled the eight hours it takes to get to Northport Michigan, a miniscule town without a Wal-mart, Taco Bell, or CVS for miles. Yet, it does have a Tom’s Market, Barb’s Bakery, and Dog Years bookstore. I love that the small town businesses are still functioning and that the mega-stores are non-existent.
We’ve been staying in the same beach house for about 7 years…and it’s just right for the ten of us. It has everything we need and it’s about 20 foot steps from the water’s edge. We also bring two kayaks that we use religiously, and at sunset each evening two fortunate people call dibs for the kayaks. Every single meal is eaten outside on the porch, and every meal is cooked by the entire family. The television in the beach house is put away in a closet, and for a really long time us kids actually thought that the house was without a TV.—(yeah right, what house is without a TV?)
We usually end up lounging around by the water reading books…then trading those books and reading more books. Sometimes when the wind blows and the temperature goes down…we go into the sand dunes and find a nice, large, round dune that will protect us from the wind and allow warmth from the sun to seep in. However, in the last few years mountain lions have been running rampant in our area, and the adults forbade us from going into the dunes alone. So, dune hikes and dune jumping are out of the question.
A few years back after dinner we had planned on taking a beach walk as a family. My cousin Johnny who is a year older than me decided that he would start off early for the walk. So, while the rest of us washed the dishes from the meal, he took off down the beach at least 25 minutes before the rest of us. When we finally began our walk we couldn’t find him anywhere! Well, long story short…we looked for him for about 4 hours and assumed that he had been abducted by one of those “random beach walkers”. We did find him…eventually, and when we did we were overwhelmed with joy and relief, but he (a teenage boy) was so pissed that we had made such a fuss over him.
Every year something new and different happens, but one thing never changes—family. I feel that summer time is really important for an individual. It’s a time of change and growth, and finding yourself. So many opportunities can happen, and there are always chances for transformation. And, I’m glad that when I’m doing all this “changing and growing” I have my family there with me to support. So, while I miss Lake Michigan now, I know that in a few short months I’ll be enjoying my favorite place with my favorite people.
Streetwise
Through each of these mediums we are able to create our own ideas or opinions of what is being presented. By viewing the film/documentary Streetwise we were able to witness the existence of urban nomads first hand. We watched as they begged and pleaded for change, exhausted their bodies for a few bucks, and sold drugs and guns for the highest price possible. It is one thing to read about young girls selling their bodies, but it’s another to actually watch as a “transaction” goes down. Quite frankly, it’s disturbing and a bit frightening to see the glazed-over eyes of a twelve year old girl who has just finished her “work” for the day, or the crazed look of a young boy who has just finished smoking God knows what. With film, it seems that nothing is left to the imagination or to interpret. We see what the subject may not want us to see, but what is seen is the hard, cold truth.
The essay does not reach into one’s emotions in quite the same way as the documentary. However, it did give information that was not presented in the film. For example, we learned that these urban nomads travel according to the weather. Also, according to the Partnership for the Homeless, there is an estimated 19,000 homeless and runaway youths who live in New York’s shelters. The essay gives facts and figures, yet without an image of the individual it is difficult to form an accurate description of that person or place.
Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that this is true, but I also believe that it is up to the individual to decide what those words are. Some of the photos show malnourished teenagers, yet these teens wear a smile on their face. The difficult question is, “Which aspect of the image do you believe?”…the smile on the face—which may be forced, or the ribs protruding through the skin? One must look closely at a photo to determine the truth about the individual. Looks can be deceiving and behind a smile can be overwhelming sadness.
