Saturday, February 15, 2020

Is college Education for everyone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is college Education for everyone - Essay Example This research aims to evaluate and present â€Å"In the Basement of the Ivory Tower† as a lamentation discourse of a college professor about students enrolled in the university but who are not academically prepared to take on such intellectual work. His sadness stems from his observation that most of these students who are enrolled in night school are in school not for the main purpose of achieving true academic excellence but merely to pass the course as a requirement for promotion, for salary upgrade or position reclassification. Early in the article, the reader is treated to a picturesque description of the typical university campuses, where presumably the author teaches, as a way of introducing the subject matter of his discourse. It would not be too long for the reader to know that he is talking about working students in evening school. It would initially seem to this reader that all is well in the campus setting until he gets a subtle warning that â€Å"beneath the surf ace† is a problem that is causing â€Å"frustrations and bad feelings† about students â€Å"who are in over their heads.† At this point, the reader would seem to be cued back to the article’s title â€Å"In the Basement of the Ivory Tower† and would develop a feeling that something is wrong in the â€Å"basement.† It is of course known that the term â€Å"Ivory Tower† figuratively refers to a sheltered institution such as a university of higher education. This reader thinks that such a development in the content is brilliant as it cultivates and sustains reader interest. The author proceeds to describe what the problem is all about by using his course subjects English 101 and English 102 as anchor and the imperative need for students to pass these subject as a prerequisite for course completion. It is apparent that the requirement to successfully hurdle these two subjects is the seed of the author’s lamentations, after discoveri ng that these students enrolled in night school are not academically prepared to pass the subjects. To prove his point, the author narrates incidents to justify his slapping of grades F (for Fail) to majority of his students. The author makes a beautiful exchange of his conversations with a specific student, Ms L, who would get an F and how and why she got it. Of course, the author is very persuasive, as he provides proof for his giving out a failing grade. At the same time, he attempts to involve his readers in his own dilemma, or even guilt, arising from his decision to fail his students who come to school in the evening because they are working during the day and are therefore physically spent and run down to do extended mental work. He then shares his ambivalent feelings of whether to be compassionate and give them all a passing mark or to keep his school’s standard of academic excellence. As if to provide a parallel ending to his opening, the author ends his discourse in the same lamenting posture, leaving the reader in an emotional suspension without seeing a resolution to the problem he has presented. As a critical commentary, this reader believes that perhaps the author should have proposed a few recommendations on what to do, given the problem he presented. Or would that have been his real intention, to put the reader in a state of search for the solution or solutions? This reader would have wanted some relief coming from the author. For example,

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Reflection Paper - Essay Example Moreover, the writing skills and critical thinking is also enhanced. Papers usually require an in depth understanding of a particular subject matter. This helps the student to do an extensive research, hence, the student gets to learn more about the topic, and this also helps in enhancing the comprehension over the subject matter. Before writing a paper, it is always preferable to do some brainstorming over the topic which is expected to be covered. Brainstorming helps a student to think outside the box, which means thinking from all possible aspects of a topic. Students often write papers to enhance their understanding in the fields they are already interested in. In this way, they get to do extensive research. Often, good papers get published. One comes up with unique ideas, thoughts and arguments while writing a paper. These concepts are then put together coherently, in a logical and understandable manner. Writing a good paper helps a student achieve success in the student career and in future. Writing papers helps a student develop a lot of skills (Education Essays, 2011). From a very early age, the teachers prepare their students to face the challenges of rapidly changing world. Children are expected to take some standardized tests, such as the Galileo and the AIMS, this helps in assessing heightened skills of a student. Moreover, whenever a student is interested in ideas, he will read, and when he has to say something and wants to get his theory across, he will write. This is one of the reasons why students write papers, they want to get their message across. At an early age, students are expected to write so that they get enough room to express things which cannot be openly discussed in public. This might not be the case always. Vocabulary, expressions, mind power, knowledge, and critical thinking are sharpened when a student writes. At a university level, papers are expected to be written by students simply to get an in