James Bogenschutz

Dr. Parker

Eng. 102-Blog #1

18 June 2015

Bullying

Bullying has become a hot topic to talk about. Violence in school environments has turned very dangerous in the past years. Recently we have seen cases in which kids take guns to school and either hurt themselves or others around them. The most recent case that I have heard about is at Corona Del Sol High School, in Tempe, Az. In this case, the adolescent committed suicide on school ground. He was an athlete and they still do not know why he committed suicide. It is said that he did it to walk away from some problems and bullying that was going on. The bottom line is that children spend a lot of time in school, and it is the parent’s responsibility to know what is going on with the child. Also, it is important for school officials to figure out what should be done in regards to bullying when children do report abuse. We need to find ways to help children get along better and to be able to communicate their concerns in order to prevent cases like the one listed above to keep happening. We also have to pay attention to what children are being exposed to with internet and other students. It is imperative that we do something about bullying in schools. I remember when I was smaller, children were very mean, they would pick on another kid either because they would not fit in, or because they would look different. We have to teach children that it is not okay to mistreat others. But what some parents are actually doing is allowing their children to bully other kids, and they defend their acts by claiming that their child will be strong and will not allow other kids to pick on them. I have no children myself, but I was raised being taught to defend myself from other people. So when other children wanted to bully me I would defend myself. Not that I approve of this method, but some teachers do not do anything about it when you tell them that you are being picked on, therefore, it leaves a child defenseless and vulnerable. Therefore, in order to help our children we have to find a better way to help children interact with other kids without bullying each other, we have to teach them to tolerate people’s differences, and that it is not okay to be violent with each other.

Work Cited

“Student Commits suicide at Corona Del Sol High School.” Fox News. 12 May 2015. Web. 18 June 2015.

Academic Goals

James Bogenschutz

Dr. Parker

Eng. 102

18 June 2015

Academic Goals

Education has become a must in today’s society, the goal is to provide a better education and future for our students. “To create an economy built to last, we need to provide every student with a complete and competitive education that will enable them to succeed in a global economy based on knowledge and innovation” (White House). This is an inspiring quote, it makes me feel empowered and like we can actually make a difference to succeed. The overall goal is to help students succeed to provide a better future to themselves and to society. The goal is to provide better schools with more qualified educators. Also, better school assessments for students to accomplish more. “Race to the Top has helped drive states nationwide to pursue higher standards, improve teacher effectiveness, use data effectively in the classroom, and adopt new strategies to help struggling schools” (White House). Race to the top is an initiative that provides an incentive to those states that are willing to make an attempt to improve education. Apparently, many states have gotten on board with this and this is really good for our education systems.

I like hearing that we are making an attempt to improve our education systems one step at a time. Although there are many things that we are struggling with in today’s society we have to make an attempt for change and I am a believer that education would provide that change. Moreover, education is the key to success in today’s society and we must improve it by focusing on our children, on what the teachers are teaching, and on setting higher standards for our children.

Work Cited

White House. n.p. Web. 18 June 2015. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/k-12>.

James Bogenschutz

Eng 102

Dr. Parker

16 June 2015

School Discrimination

For many years we have been fighting for equality and correct treatment and it is saddening to see how people are being discriminated on a day to day basis and some do not even report it. Discrimination varies anywhere from gender to race and it can have long lasting effects to those who experience it. “Perceptions of racial discrimination have been shown to negatively influence developmental outcomes for Black youth, such as diminished mental health, increased risky behaviors, and diminished academic achievement among African-American adolescents” (Seaton and Douglas 156). This quote focuses on educational school discrimination towards African American youth and I can only imagine how difficult it is to go through discrimination. Especially in school, when one does not feel comfortable with our surroundings we tend to fall into depression and seek to stay away from that place. This is where this kind of discrimination could affect the future of the person because they might not want to finish their school simply to get out of there. According to the article American Schools are Still Racist, Government Report Finds by Joy Resmovits, “Students of color get less access to high level courses. Black students in particular get less instructional time because they're far more likely to receive out of school suspensions or expulsions” (Resmovits). It is embarrassing to hear about these things because we as Americans consider ourselves as superior in many things and this includes equality, even though we are somewhat far from it. We have to find a way to fix the way we are treating other people especially in school because things like these can lead to mental issues such as depression, low self-esteem, and aggression towards others. The overall issue is that we should be paying more attention to our education system because education is extremely important.

Works Cited

Resmovits, Joy. “American Schools are Still Racist, Government Report Finds.” The Huffington Post. n.p. 21 March 2014. Web. 17 June 2015.

Seaton, Eleanor K., and Sara Douglass. "School Diversity And Racial Discrimination Among African-American Adolescents." Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology 20.2 (2014): 156-165. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 June 2015.

The Cost of Higher Education

James Bogenschutz

Eng 102

Dr. Parker

June 16, 2015

Education in the United States

“…public funding for higher education was slashed. These radical cuts forced universities to raise tuition year after year, which in turn forced the millennial generation to take on crushing educational debt loads…” (Campos). It is interesting to see educational costs in the United States, it is also interesting to see why people would rather not continue on to higher education due to the cost. The United States has made attempts to promote higher education, and has funded and helped out people pay for educational costs. For example, “The 1914 Smith-Lever Act expanded the mission of land grant universities to include agricultural extension services and the 1917 Smith-Hughes Act extended dollar-for-dollar federal matching funds for state and local vocational education programs” (Babones 580). According to the article, Austerity Economics and the Threat to Human Infrastructure in reference to government efforts to promote higher education by Salvatore Babones, “None of these efforts were about research or the advancement of knowledge; they were fundamentally about human and workforce development” (Babones 580). With this being said, we can see the reasons that the government has to fund education. But if the purpose is workforce development, then why are education costs so high? If you see this through a bureaucratic point of view, it could be to keep the rich rich and the poor poor. Because it is those who can afford a higher education who are pursuing it. The government does provide federal student aid for those who are willing to get higher education, but unfortunately, federal student aid only covers a small percentage of the costs to attend universities. I am not saying that the government should give us the money to attend school and better ourselves, but there definitely should be more restrictions on the prices that universities have to charge. Tuition rates are outrageous and those who do not qualify for some scholarships are left paying a lot of money out of pocket. My cousin is attending a private university, she knows that she has to pay extra for this, but the prices are ridiculously high. There should be more government regulations on how much universities charge for tuition because prices are too high, this would help people pursue higher education, and this could lead to people having a better quality of life in the long run.

Work Cited

Babones, Salvatore. "Austerity Economics And The Threat To Human Infrastructure." Peace Review 25.4 (2013): 576-583. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 June 2015.

Campos, Paul. “The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much.” The New York Times.. 4 April. 2015. Web. 16 June 2015.

James Bogenschutz

Eng 102

Dr. Parker

June 15, 2015

“Poverty is not just inadequate food, worn out shoes or damp bedrooms. It still is all of these things, but it is also relative; young people become acutely aware that they cannot afford the things their friends take for granted” (Wrigley, 2). Many people do not realize how a child’s life could be affected by not attending school. The poverty cycle might not stop if we do not make a change. Education is important for many reasons. The main reason why people find education important is being able to find better jobs with higher degrees. Poverty rates are pretty high and if education can decrease poverty why not make an attempt? Instead we are finding budget cuts on education while other things are being paid more attention to. I was raised on the South side of Phoenix, Arizona. I went to school at Valley View elementary school and then Cesar Chavez High School. One thing I see now is that children are receiving poor education due to the education cuts. A lot of adolescents are dropping out of high school thinking they would make it with minimum wage jobs, but that is not true. We have to change our education system to allow those less fortunate an opportunity to continue with their education and have a chance to a better lifestyle. The way that we can do this is by informing adolescents the importance of education, providing better education systems, and having government increase education funds.

Work Cited

Wrigley, Terry. "Poverty And Education In An Age Of Hypocrisy." Education    Review 24.2 (2012): 90-98. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 June 2015.