Deforestation

The article I found is about how the deforestation of the Amazon could mean droughts for the western United States. The article states that a group of scientists led by researchers from Princeton University say that "the total deforestation of the Amazon may significantly reduce rain and snowfall in the western United States, resulting in water and food shortages, and a greater risk of forest fires. If the deforestation of the Amazon continues it could produce a weather pattern where the dry air over the Amazon would move be transported by Rossby waves to the Pacific northwest. Rossby waves would also cause higher precipitation levels in the Pacific Ocean south of Mexico.
The dry air in the Pacific will affect the Sierra Nevada snowpack where we get a lot of our water supply from. This will lead to food and water supply shortages and also will leave the grass and trees more susceptible to fires because of the dry conditions. Even though the Amazon is in another part of the world it has far reaching implications that effect the entire planet. I am finding that everything has an impact whether direct or indirectly on each other.

Here is a link to the article: http://scienceblog.com/67706/amazon-deforestation-could-mean-droughts-for-western-u-s/

Chris Jordan Photography

The implications that Chris Jordan's photography has for us is that we need to make a change in our lifestyles. We are consuming items at incredibly fast levels that are harmful to the earth. If we do not do something about it now it will lead to the demise of our planet. Each person and every person needs to be aware of the decisions they make and how it impacts the world around them. It was mind boggling to see all the different pieces of art and what it represented. The scary thing is that a lot of the numbers that were shown were just our consumption of items here in the United States. That didn't even factor in the rest of the world's consumption. Another disturbing piece he had was the one with the bird's remains showing all the plastic that was in it's body. The remains of the bird had disintegrated back into the earth, but the plastic was still there. It will not be going anywhere as it's not biodegradable. It's good to see stores moving away from plastic bags. It's a start in trying to protect the environment. Recycling is also good too, but we need to make drastic changes to how we live our lives. The amount of garbage that we dispose of is only going to quicken with population growth around the world. The leaders of governments around the world need to meet and discuss ways in which we can cutback or come up with an alternative to the things we use that are creating problems for us on earth.

Story of Stuff

After watching The Story of Stuff it really opened my eyes to see how everything around you is affected when it comes to making products for us to consume. When you get a product you are not concerned about how it got to you. You don't realize how quickly we are burning through the earth resources. If we do not change our ways starting now, it's going to be to late to salvage the planet. It affects us in higher education because we need to start informing the public on a daily basis what is happening to the planet. It is the responsibility of the government and higher educational institutes to tell us of the dire situation we will find our selves in if we do not change. A lot of people do not care because they figure once the problem becomes to big they will be dead and gone. That is the wrong attitude to have. We should be concerned about the welfare of our home planet. There is only one. We should be concerned for future generations. What's going to happen to the earth once everything is used up?
In the video they show all the steps that lead to a product being made. Annie Leonard has done 10 years of extensive research on the subject. She says, "that we are living on a linear system and we live on a finite planet and you can not run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely. We are chopping down all of our trees, blowing up all our mountains and using up all of the water. Leonard says, "in the past three decades alone one third of the planets natural resource space has been consumed, gone." When we over extract from an area we destroy the environment and the animals and people living there. They need to find new places to live. Our factories are using hazardous chemicals that are harmful to the environment and us. After products are made and purchased by us, when we are done with them they need to be discarded somewhere. Leonard says, 99% of the stuff that we run through the system (material economies) is trashed within 6 months. Planned obsolescence is when companies make items for the purpose of being used and replaced quickly. Perceived Obsolesce is when companies change products that work perfectly fine, but become outdated quickly. The purpose for this is so we will keep consuming. This leads to a serious problem where we need to dispose of the unwanted problems. We are burning and putting these items into the ground and air. These items contain hazardous chemicals that are polluting our air.
Leonard says, "It is a system in crisis." I think her strategy of explaining things by analyzing systems is very informative and shows us the process in how things are made and the cause and effect this has on us as a society. It fills in the blanks of the material economies system.

Politics and Knowledge

When it comes to education one is usually judged by the job you hold and where you got your education from. Just because you have a degree or a diploma from a highly decorated school does not necessarily mean that someone who went to a less known school is not as smart or equipped to do the same job equally well. Mike Rose says, "My cousin likes to repeat an old saying, "It took a guy with a college degree to screw this up and a guy with a high school degree to fix it." Being well schooled in books does not mean that you are well schooled to life on the streets as an average individual. That was the argument that John McCain used when he tried to diminish Barack Obama's formal schooling. There can be a disconnect when someone is highly educated and not in tune with the average citizen in society. I see it in the work place as well. A lot of times management makes decisions that you do not understand and you think that there are better ways to go out resolving certain issues since you are the one interacting in the field on a daily basis. It's time that we merge book smarts with street or common sense knowledge. It boggles my mind that we have all these supposed smart officials in high positions and yet we still can not come to an understanding or resolution to a lot of issues that plague our country.

Business goes to school

It's a good thing that businesses have an interest in our educational system. The reason is they have a vested interest in the future of the America's youth They want to know that they will have a crop of talented individuals to work in their industries when they graduate from school. Businesses give money to schools so that they will be able to buy books and give better instruction. Some will argue that the reason they do this is because their donation is tax deductible. One problem we have is we do not pay our teachers enough money for the great responsibility that they have of getting our students ready to go out an contribute in the real world. Mike Rose says, "Teaching or running a school is characterized as just not being that hard." I think we have a shortage of good qualified teachers. There are a lot of teachers out there, but just because you have a degree saying you can teach does not mean that you are good at instructing students and getting them to understand what it is that you are presenting to them. A lot of times businesses are just focusing on the short term, instead of seeing the bigger picture. Rose adds, "So many of the commercially driven verbal and imagistic messages that surround our young people work against the development of the very qualities of mind the business community tells the schools it wants the schools to foster." Until businesses and schools get on the same page we will not get the most out of the relationship between the two needed to get the most bang for the buck when educating students.

The Experience of Education

You can not quantify all the good things that you experience in education. It is a rewarding feeling when you learn something new that you can use in your daily life. The experience education provides is one of hard work. It also helps you learn about responsibility and develop problem solving skills. Gaining knowledge can help improve one's self confidence. Mike Rose says, "Education gave me the competence and confidence to independently seek out information and make decisions, to advocate for myself, to assume that I could figure things out and act on what I learned." When you learn new things it helps to make sense of the world around you. Having knowledge allows you to operate independently. It also allows you to have a positive impact on society.

In search of a fresh language of schooling

When talking about education we need to focus on the reason we attend schools to get educated. Is it for economic readiness and competitiveness or is it for personal development and growth. I would argue that it's both reasons, but mostly for economic reasons. We try to educate ourselves so we can get good careers and support ourselves and our families comfortably. We do not have a uniformed curriculum when it comes to education. The only thing that is universal is mathematics. Our school system is broken when "The wealthiest public schools spend two to three times more on their students than the poorest." How are underprivileged students supposed to compete with kids who come from money. The answer is they're not supposed to compete. The system society has set up is designed for the wealthy to stay on top and for the poor to languish in obscurity. We need to reform our educational system so that everybody has as close as equal chance of succeeding as the next person. If we can ever get to this place society will be better off. Their would be less people living in poverty and the crime rate would go down. We would become more productive as a nation.

Education & Me

                                                                                                                                    Basil Miranda

                                                                                                                                    English 1A

                                                                                                                                   Wednesday Night

                                                                        Education & Me

           

            “Education: the knowledge, skill, and understanding that you get from attending a school, college, or university” as defined in the Merriam Webster Encyclopedia. It's hard to quantify the importance of education in one's life. From the time we take our first breath when we are born we are constantly being educated in all facets of life. Learning new things is what helps us grow as a person. The more knowledge you obtain, the more well rounded a person you will become. The more well rounded people we have, the better off society will be. Education is the key to advancing as a society. With the exceptions of winning the lottery or being born into a wealthy family, the only way to compete in today's landscape is by acquiring an education from a university or acquiring skills from a trade school. That is the reason I am here at Chabot. There is so much competition for the limited employment opportunities available that you need to do something to help improve your chances of landing one of those jobs. Having a degree is almost a prerequisite nowadays. Without one or knowing someone in high places you do not have a very good chance of earning a good living. The period we live in now is the greatest separation of wealth in human history. There are the wealthy and the poor. The middle class is rapidly disappearing. I want to increase my chances of having a good life. I do not want to struggle and constantly worry about my livelihood. Life is extremely hard. You have to worry about having a place to live, food to eat and clothes to wear. I want to give myself the best chance I have of succeeding in this life. Fear is the ultimate motivator. I am not going to lie, there are other things I would rather be doing than going to my classes and doing homework every week, but it's the price you have to pay if you want to get where you want to go. Nothing is handed to you. You have to work hard for everything that you get. By attending classes here at Chabot I hope to further my personal development and learn the necessary skills that are in high demand by employers. Education is the pathway to a better life. Mike Rose says “Formal schooling will help me survive in the future.” The more things I know the better off I will be.      

                Education is like the foundation of a house. It is the ground floor where everything is built around. Without a strong foundation the house would collapse. The same thing could be said about a person without an education. We need education to learn about ourselves and the world that we live in. Mike Rose states,“Acquiring and using knowledge brings it's own pleasures. It just feels good to know things and to use what you know.” There is a saying that knowledge is power. Knowing things opens you up to all kinds of possibilities. When you have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal it puts you in a position of power. In the book Why School by Mike Rose it asks the question why do we attend school? It discusses our place in this bureaucratic educational system. It asks if the educational system needs a revamping? Rose says,“How we think about and voice the purpose of school matters. It affects the way we think about students-about intelligence, achievement, human development, teaching and learning, opportunity and obligation.” The way we view and value school determines what kind of curriculum we use to teach the future of tomorrow.

                In the following essay I will discuss education and it's role in society. The importance of it

and the challenges that it presents. I will show why it it is needed and why it is not as successful as we need it to be. I will discuss it's value and why everybody should be interested in higher learning.

Rose says, “Americans have long looked to education as a way to advance themselves. They also see it as the primary means to overcome social class inequalities.” It's true the reason most people seek an education is to improve their social status. When you're educated you can make a stronger argument for something that you believe in. Your word carries more clout. Being knowledgeable in many different areas creates many more opportunities for oneself in the workplace. If you know how to do multiple jobs at your company you will be more valuable than someone that only knows how to do one. Rose adds, “For a long time, now our public talk about education has been shaped by a concern about economic readiness and competitiveness. There is some mention of the traditional purposes of education- intellectual, civic and moral development-but not much.” I would say this statement is true, that the main reason most people look to get an education is to improve their lives financially. That is more relevant than looking to increase one's intelligence. It's all about being able to make a comfortable living. For me that is the reason I am coming back to school. I work in a very unpredictable field and I do not enjoy worrying all the time about my job, so I am looking to broaden my horizons so I can have something to fall back on.

                Motivation plays a big role in someone deciding to go to school to get an education. Usually it's to better the lives of the individual and their families. Being passionate about something helps you to stay focused and have a greater level of interest in what you're studying. Passion is what makes you want to learn and grow as a person. Without passion life would be a long boring journey. Tiffany from the Passion Project movie says “It's something that drives you, that excites you, makes you feel good.” To me something that you're passionate about is something that you are fully committed to physically, emotionally and spiritually. It's something that you put your whole heart into. The Passion Project movie spoke to me because it was from other student's perspectives. Everybody is a unique individual, have different interests and things that are important to them. You have to find out what your purpose is for being on this earth. Without passion we are like rudderless ships lost at sea with no direction. A lot of people get into certain career fields because they want to make a nice living. Sometimes it's at the expense of not being happy. While making a living is definitely important, so to is doing something that is fulfilling. There is no greater satisfaction then to

do something that is rewarding. Another student from the movie named Karina says about her family

“They'd rather me be a nurse because they get money or they're in high demand or something, but I don't want to do that.” If Karina were to follow her parents advice she would likely be unhappy. She needs to find that thing that burns deep inside her and put energy into whatever that is.

                Students want to learn. That is why we come to school. We do it to better ourselves and our outlook in life. I do not have to say how difficult life is. You never know what it has in store for you. You could have everything mapped out, but it will never goes as planned. There will be bumps and obstacles to overcome. Samira said “When I finally got out into the world I was like, Holy crap is this what it's like.” It can be a shock to your system. Having passion gives the focus and drive that's needed to reach your goals. It's like having tunnel vision where you do not see anything else, but what is in front of you. It is the teachers job to prepare us and get us excited about education. If the teacher believes in what they are teaching and have a real zest for it, it will come across in the energy that is given off to the students. Students feed off of that energy and will try to soak up everything like they're a sponge. It will make them become more interested in what they are being taught and become more involved in the learning process. Ray another student from the Passion Project movie says “a great teacher is always like a student because they're always learning so they're always learning new and better ways to do something.” Ray's right in the fact that we are always learning. We learn new things everyday whether they be big or small. The more teachers are educated, they more knowledge they can pass on to us as students.

                The role of education in society is vital to our advancing as a people. Without it, we would not be able to improve our communities. There would be even more upheaval and unrest in our communities if we had no access to education. That is why it is disheartening to see the cutbacks in our educational system. We always hear how valuable getting an education is, but then there are cutbacks that make it harder to obtain one. Recently our governor Jerry Brown signed into legislation

laws that allow community colleges to start assessing higher costs per unit for classes that are in high demand. Classes that everyone needs to obtain a degree and transfer to a State university such as English and Algebra. This is making it extremely hard for people that want to go to school. Tuition  costs are going through the roof. It seems like they are raising the costs of attending college every semester. It is getting to the point where even community college will start becoming unaffordable for many. A lot of students after graduating from college, have massive student loans, but can't find work to pay off the debt. The legendary politician Nelson Mandela says, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Another challenge for me when trying to acquire an education is the time commitment. A lot of us have jobs as well as being students. It leaves very little time to have a life outside of work and school. It is one of the many sacrifices that need to be made in order to try and get where I want to be. A student named Ayesha Johnson in a published internet news article called the Globe had this to say about the challenges a full time employee faces when attending school says “Trying to live a stress-free live and taking care of myself mentally and physically is complicated.” It can get very stressful and tiring working all day, then having a 3 hour night class. After work and school your work is still not done. You have to invest more time to read, write and study. Being a student is a serious commitment that you have to be fully invested in, otherwise you will end up wasting your time. I consider my time to be valuable, so I want to make sure that the time I put into my education is worthwhile. Another challenge I face is having been out of high school for twenty years before deciding to attend college. I am older than most of the students I am attending classes with. For the most part I have never enjoyed going to school, but now I regret not having gone back sooner so that I would be further along in my education.

                America's educational system needs a major overhaul. It is failing the future of this country. It needs to be analyzed from the ground up by the most intelligent people we have in the educational field. Too many students are not being equipped with the necessary skills needed to be successful in the real world. Schools have been teaching in the same antiquated way for generations. It's time to come up with some new fresh ideas to reach students. Our friend Jeff Bliss says, “that in order for the teacher to see change in the classroom, she must make her students excited and touch their hearts.” Due to cutbacks in education funding, the amount of classes being offered is less, leading to class overcrowding. I saw a statistic that ranks the United States 17^th in the developed world in education. It is shameful, that America with all of it's resources, being the richest and most powerful country in the world is lagging behind smaller, less wealthy countries by that big of a margin. We are making the teacher's jobs harder than it already is, by not giving them the proper support they need in order to do their jobs to the best of their ability. I also think that getting  accreditation for teachers needs to be stricter. There are some people who are teachers who do not know how to instruct. I personally have had teachers who were all over the place in their instruction and I have learned very little from them in the process. It is frustrating to attend a class that you need to advance towards the pursuit of a degree only to be hampered by the instruction that you are receiving. Bliss also said, “ I want to see a teacher stand up and interact with the students, get involved, discuss, talk, question and dig deep into the subject.” it makes a world of difference from a student's perspective when a teacher is involved and cares about the student's development. I am not going to assess all the blame to teachers. There is plenty to go around. Students need to be more accountable and interested in their education. Education starts with each student as an individual. If they do not come to class with an open mind, interest or motivation to learn than they will not. Students have to realize, that ultimately it is them, that has to take responsibility for their education. It is their future and lives at stake. You have to be willing to put in the work and sacrifices needed to get where you need to go. Nothing is going to be handed to you. Only through hard work, dedication and perseverance will you see the fruits of your labor. You have to put your mind to

whatever it is that you want to achieve. When you do finally reach that goal you will feel fulfilled

because all the time and energy you invested helped you accomplish what you set out to do.

                In the book Why School it asks the question should we eliminate remediation out of universities. It is the argument of some that high school should have you prepared for college. While that would be the ideal situation in a perfect world, we do not live in a perfect world. I feel remediation is essential for a large segment of the students attending universities. College is an extension of high school, it's just a place of higher learning. In order to get to that place you need a solid foundation. That is where remediation comes in. It's purpose is to refresh and lay the basic groundwork you need so that you can proceed forward. If there was no remediation in college I truly believe the graduation rates, while dismal now would be extremely low if remediation was not part of the curriculum. If there was no remediation offered immigrants and older people trying to go to school would be at a huge disadvantage. I know for me personally it is essential, as I had been out of school for twenty years. That is a long time to be out of a classroom setting. There is a lot of things that you forget over the years. Harvard's faculty, “lamented the spending of much time, energy and money” teaching students, “what they ought to have learnt already.” If that was the opinion of the educational institution we would be in a far worse predicament than we are now. Schools are essential for getting people ready for the workplace. It is where you learn to become a responsible individual and become a successful contributor to society. It is how we stay competitive in an ever changing world. Already we are lagging behind other countries in education. We can not afford to fall any further behind. Mike Rose believes,“It is a terrible thing that so many students, especially those from poorer backgrounds come to college unprepared.” Remediation is essential for these types of students to succeed. If there was no remedial courses offered in schools I believe the amount of people attending schools would drop exponentially and the crime rate and poverty levels would rise dramatically. I think if anything, we need to make attending college easier for ordinary people. Everybody should have an equal opportunity to an education. It is basic right of every individual. The way the educational system is set up now I find it full of hypocrisy. You are always hearing that you need college to be a success, but they are making it extremely difficult for an average person to be able to afford going. It is only becoming more difficult as time goes on. If we stay on the same path that we are currently on, pertaining to how the educational system is run, it's only going to lead to the deterioration of this country. Only the highly intelligent, athletically gifted or wealthy are going to be afforded the opportunity of getting a higher education.

                There are many different categories of students. I would classify myself as a traveler. A traveler is someone that is a good student, but is not sure what career pathway they should follow and how to get there. I am taking general classes at the current time until I get a better understanding of where my passion lies and can earn a living at it at the same time. I originally thought I wanted to do something in the computer field, but after meeting with a counselor decided it is probably not the path for me after finding out how much math is required. A student from the video Focusing the Lasers says, “They are helping people like me or students through their transition of completing their 3 years.” I am not as proficient at math as I need to be and do not enjoy it. At the present time I am thinking maybe somewhere in the business field is where I should be focusing. I am not sure if that is the path I will ultimately follow, only time will tell. I also would define myself as a seeker. I am willing to try new things, but try to find classes that will help me meet graduation requirements. I select classes that sound like I may have an interest in. It is very hard to stay focused and motivated if you have no interest in the subject that you are studying. I am ok with defining myself as a traveler and seeker, because I am working towards transitioning myself into a laser. I decided four semesters ago that I needed to go back to school after graduating from high school twenty years ago. I work in a very volatile industry and am trying to find something that has more long term stability. My hope is the further I get in my educational pursuit, the clearer it will become to me, what it is that I would like to do. Me being 39, I feel like it's now or never for me. I have never enjoyed school, but realize in order to better my life, it is something that I needed to do. Another student from Focusing the Lasers says, “I need college to get a 4 year degree in case business goes down. I need a fall back.” That is exactly my mind set right now. I need to get a degree, so that I am able to find employment if something were to happen to my current position. Just this week we had layoffs where I work and I have been through it before. It is a very sickening feeling when you are told that your services are no longer needed and you do not know what you are going to do to pay your bills. I know having a degree does not guarantee yourself a job, but it helps  your chances to have one. Many employers require that you have a degree before considering you for employment. Without a degree you have no chance at getting hired, no matter how good of a worker you may be.

                We as individuals, need to increase our individual consciousness. In order to accomplish this we need to educate ourselves. Through education, we can equip ourselves with the knowledge to fight the system in place that is designed for the majority of us to fail. The United States operates under a capitalist system. Under a capitalist system, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We need education to make us aware of the many different issues and inequalities that exist in our government. Only education can give us the information needed to make positive changes in society. Most of us are busy going about our daily lives and do not think about things unless it has a direct impact on us personally. We need schools to challenge us and make use of our brains, so we can be successful in our communities. Darrick Smith says, “It's a great thing to graduate, except for now your degree has made you more of a suspect in our community than an ally.” The wealthy do not want you to be aware of what is happening around you. They want you to be oblivious to your surrounding. They want to keep up the status quo. When you become educated, you will be able to question authority. Smith adds, “You have to have a consciousness that understands your ability to make change and influence.” When we raise our individual awareness, we can start to educate others on important topics and make change in the world for the better.

                Another way to raise our individual consciousness, is to be aware of the discrepancies in  education afforded to the wealthy, compared to people of less fortunate means. Schools in wealthy areas have access to the best of everything, while schools in poor urban areas are often left with the bare minimum, to help educate the students with. The educational system gives the wealthy the best chance of succeeding in life, while everyone else fights for what's left over. Jeff Duncan Andrade, an educator from Oakland says, “that we don't expect different results from urban schools, that urban schools are not failing. They are doing what they are designed to do. If they weren't, if they were really failing, we would do things radically different because the results are so radically bad.” I tend to agree with his assessment of our educational system. If students are not and have not had good success progressing through the institution known as school, why are we not making a drastic change to how we teach in schools? Could the reason be that the wealthy want to keep the classes separate? Is it that they want to retain all the power, so that they can control and have the ability to manipulate people of lesser means? I believe the answers to these questions is yes.

If the wealthy keep the public uninformed and in their place they will not need to worry about people rising up and challenging them.

                In order for us to see a drastic change in our educational system, I believe we need to train or in some cases retrain teachers, so that they can do a better job instructing students. Teachers should have some knowledge about the community and the people in it before they start teaching.

Like anything in life, there are good and bad teachers. There are some who are passionate about their work and then there are those who are in it for the paycheck. Some teachers are not good at communicating what it is they are trying to teach you and that leaves the student confused and frustrated. When a student does not understand the instruction they are receiving they tend to give up and fall by the wayside. Tiffany from the Passion Project movie says, “If you want to become in tune with your class, then you have to get personal with them.” Emily from the same film adds, “I've been in many classrooms where the teacher just teaches and doesn't interact with the students much.” In order to connect with the students you need interaction between the student and the teacher. If a student just sits in their seat passively and watches the teacher do the problems on the chalkboard, they will not get as much from it as if they were actively engaged.

                We as students come to class to think, learn and better ourselves and our communities through education. Teachers should be interested in helping us improve ourselves as individuals.

They should bring a fire and a passion to their work. When students see a teacher that is excited about their work, that gets the students attention. Emily says, “The teacher's job is in instilling passion, I've had several teacher's who've done that through constant communication with the students, constant reassurance.” When a teacher gives you constructive criticism or praise it helps to reinforce that the teacher cares about you as a student and wants to see you succeed. It makes a world of difference when a teacher is involved in their work and not detached from it. Karina from the Passion Project film says, “Teachers are sometimes burnt out after being in the game so long that they forget the initial thing that brought them there. I guess they need to be reminded and I guess that's how students come into play. Students have to remind teachers why they are there in the first place and to bring back passion into the classroom so passion can be like contagious to everybody.” Teachers and students both need each other. Students need teachers to give them the knowledge that they are seeking by attending school and teachers need students, so they can feel

the pride and satisfaction of seeing their students achieve and move closer towards their personal goals.

                My reason for coming to college to get an education is that I want to be successful. When an individual reaches a level of success they usually have had people help them get to that place. Success to me is being happy with who you are and what you have. A successful person will be someone who is usually a self starter. You need to be self motivated in order to get things accomplished. Family can help you along your way, by being supportive of you through good and bad times. If you're religious your faith can prove invaluable, especially during trying times. I'm not where I would like to be ultimately, but I am working hard to get there everyday. By attending college I hope to acquire the skills and knowledge that will help me in the pursuit of success.

I define success as, being good at what you do. Successful people are willing to take chances in life.

That is the only way to advance forward. You will fail many more times then you succeed, but the important thing is to keep going and never give up. Perseverance is the key to success. If inventors stopped the first time they had a great idea that didn't work imagine how different the world would be. It is only through learning from mistakes that you are able to make the changes needed to help you become a success. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears-

Les Brown. I want to be able to look back at my life and know that I tried and do not want to have any regrets. I do not want to say, what if. I am attending college classes because I want my life to mean something. I also want to be a positive role model for my nephews and show them that education is very important, so that they don't waste their time and take school seriously. Vidal Sassoon, the famous hairdresser and businessman says, “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Not all successful people have used college as the vehicle for their success, but the common thread all successful people share, is that they are educated in some

capacity and are hardworking people. Education is the key to success.

Darrick Smith

Watching the video of Darrick Smith speaking really opened my eyes to the world around me. He raised some real thought provoking issues. From the very beginning of America's history, how it was founded through slavery up to today's present struggles of social equality. I never put much thought into the disparity of education between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy are given every resource to succeed, while everyday is a struggle for the people stuck in poverty. I just saw an article on CNN called The most unequal place in America. It is about a town called Lake Providence in Louisiana. Here are some startling statistics:
"The richest 5% in the parish earns $611,000 per year on average. That's 90 times higher what the bottom fifth makes per year: $6,800. And 16% of parish residents are unemployed."- Jon D Sutter
If these numbers do not get your attention I do not know what will. Even in Louisiana where the cost of living is less, how is someone supposed to live on $6,800 a year? When you do not have access to a proper education it affects the quality of your life,not just the material things that money can buy. Jon D Sutter says, "Surprising links have emerged between income inequality and a host of social problems, including mental illness, substance abuse, incarceration, educational failure, teenage pregnancy, lower life expectancy, violence and infant mortality." Being poor and uneducated is like being in the bottom of a pit with no hope of escaping. Some people would like to go to school to help better their situations, but are hamstrung by not having the financial means and are subsequently trapped in their current conditions. Where you live helps define who you become. You are a product of your environment. When children are brought into the world under these conditions the vicious  cycle repeats itself. The government needs to do a better job assisting the poor with programs that will help them improve their situations and not just food stamps and welfare, but long lasting change in the way of giving underprivileged people a way out by giving them access to a good education, just like the wealthy. Even though slavery ended long ago, it exists in a different way today by separating the classes by education and economic discrepancies.

Reflections on Intelligence in the Workplace and the Schoolhouse

People are often stereotyped by the kind of job that they hold. We think that if you are in a certain profession that speaks to the intelligence of the individual. If you are in a high tech profession it is assumed that you are a very intelligent person whereas if you are in a profession that requires more manual labor it is thought that you use more muscle than brain power. People in low paying jobs are often given menial tasks to perform because they are deemed not capable of handling much more."The school one attends and the work one does are powerful social markers, perhaps the most powerful, by which we make judgments about a person's intelligence." We often put limitations on people without fully realizing one's potential. If we do not strive to learn more we are falling behind. We, as a society need to always push forward and broaden our horizons through learning. "If we think that whole categories of people-identified by class, by occupation-are not that bright, then we reinforce social separations and cripple our ability to talk across our current cultural divides." We, as a nation have been working towards equal rights rights for people for decades. If we do not give everyone the same opportunity to succeed and advance this country will not progress.

No Child Left Behind

I believe the program No Child Left Behind has good intentions behind it, but it is a flawed system. I do think we need to give attention to students who require extra assistance such as students from poorer economic backgrounds or immigrants, but not at the expense of holding other students back that need to be challenged at a higher level. We need to find a way to get students that are behind caught up to an acceptable level without retarding the development of the more advanced students. Testing is one way to measure aptitude, but is not the end all when it comes to measuring a person's level of intelligence."You can prep kids for a certain kind of test, get a bump in scores, yet not be providing a very good education. Poor kids get an education of skills and routine, a low tier education, while students in more affluent districts get a robust course of study." While learning by a routine can be useful a lot of the knowledge we acquire in school does not stay with us for a very long time. A lot of the information is just retained long enough to help us score well on a test. After taking the test the information is forgotten instantly. It's just a matter of remembering through repetition. The true definition of being educated means gaining and possessing cognitive knowledge that you can refer back to at a moment's notice. It's something that stays with you. It is the job of the teacher and parents to work together to see what area the child is lacking in and to provide the neccessary tools available to help the child to become proficient in it.