Example Of Education In America Essay

Jonathan Kozol discussed how he never intended to become a teacher. According to Kozol, he initially had no political ideas and no willingness to be in the academic profession. The pressure he felt due to his father’s accomplishment made him demotivated to push further. Kozol narrated how people in 1964 were so involved politically. Hundreds of people gathered in Ohio campus asking for little freedoms. The first three individuals who were giving teaching reading programs disappeared. Few weeks later, their bodies were found buried in the mud. The event had massive effect on millions of young people. This triggered Kozol to take a step in helping the Americans in public schools. Schools have been deeply segregated for many years. Hispanics and Blacks were among those who experienced such segregation.
Children in many cities in the United suffered in a severe asthma epidemic over the past decade. One of the factors linked to this is the unhealthy installations of many industrial buildings. Waste burners, incinerators, and a lot more contributed to this too. In the 90s, the hospitals find means to burn their wastes. The proposal was to build an incinerator but parents built the proposal. Effects of the incinerators were presented including the carcinogenic dangers from smoke and other foul-smelling odors. Children were also exposed to hunger and homelessness, homicides, and a lot of other problems. Kozol claims and wishes that a good society would take heed on the sufferings of the children. These children were innocent. A good society would give these children the best that one can possibly offer such as early childhood developmental education. Children should be checked for any physiological problems and be given help.
In the third segment, Kozol discussed how the children of the privilege are receiving all the good things in life. According to Kozol, he knows the difference as he was exposed and spent time with the poor children. The affluent families put their children at an early childhood development program. The schools are considered to be expensive because they make lots of provisions for the children. The schools are also competitive and give tests. They cater to children as young as two and a half years old. Children repeat a grade level when they fail the test. Tests are also given to determine who can participate in the programs for the gifted. Kozol discussed how he was exposed to a school for the Blacks. That kind of school is what Kozol described as segregated. According to Kozol, 11,000 of the children in the neighborhood, only 26 children were Whites. This is what Kozol further emphasized as a segregation rate of 99.8%. Apartheid existed in the South.
Kozol claims that religions would claim all children are equal in the eyes of God. But this is not the case in America because children go to the classroom with a price tag. This, according to Kozol, is not what is called a good society. Children in the middle and low class level of the society need attention, love, and care from people who are willing to give it to them. Kozol reiterated the use of scripted lesson plans, scripted questions and answers, and absence of critical thinking. A well-balanced education does not comply with this kind of demands. A well-balanced education is honing students holistically.
Kozol was once questioned how he is able to handle spending time to inner cities schools. According to Kozol, in Washington, the condition is very depressing. He was always convinced to be patient because he has been questioning about social justice. These people who would always tell him to be patient are actually the people who did not experience pain. He was always promised about the materialization of the early childhood education in Washington, but that remained unseen. Kozol further said that if people would continue to ignore the changing composition of racial ethnicities in schools and will simply look at budget actions as well as political events, people are then missing the assumptions that underlie the decisions to cut the budget.
In the last segment, Kozol declared that his mother was his number one ally. When Kozol saw what was done in inner cities, he became politically involved, fighting for social justice and fighting against social inequalities. Kozol discussed how he was hated for fighting for civil rights for the black people. He expressed this in the form of poetry. Kozol found it ironic how later he was hired to conduct curriculum development. Kozol said that whether the problem is about inequity or deepening resegregation, it is time to change things. This change may take people marching as a form of civil disobedience. The most important thing is to provide equality to all students in America regardless of race.Kozol said that all of us in the world will die. He encouraged everyone to use their time on Earth well by serving others especially the marginalized sectors of the society.