1900-1950 Post Class Post

 After our class discussion within our groups, I was able to identify that a lot of people have lots of different stories about when they were in high school. Our thoughts all varied as well as the way we see education. All of our inputs were great, and in regards to the reading, we took a lot from it. What was surprising and shocking to most of us was that a lot of the implementations spoken about in this book are very recent. So new lots of us could even talk to our parents about it, or some of our older classmates lived it to some scale. Some of the testing spoken about in this chapter is still being practiced today and used on a grander scale. For example, the SAT's playing a major role during this era and still current today. This test I remember growing was every kid's nightmare and it was incredibly hard. You could of study all your life, and you could have never been prepared for this test. Teachers would push you on a test that easily determined the rest of your life. Back in the day, it determined what kinds of jobs you were suited for and it still really does. That score defines what college your going to and is often even requested by employers.

Back then between 1900-1950, it was not easy for these kids either lots of them were not even going to school and the ones who did not want to be there. Most kids at a young age preferred to be working and helping out in the home. As stated in the book about 80% of kids actually voted to stay working. It was at this time that only about 6% of all kids had graduated high school. It was not until employers decided to hire people with a higher aptitude that the graduate levels for high schools had risen. By 1945 the levels were at 51%. I believe it is incredible that that to reach such a low level of graduation to much had to happen and it still not as high as most people would like it to be. It went so far as to donate billions just to get a 17% increase. Then when people still did not want to educate themselves, lawmakers had to come into play. It was then passed into federal law banning all child labor and mandated children up until the age of 16 to attend school, and yet still we have a low graduation rate. While education might have been thriving during this time the numbers are still very low. And that's something I feel that not only myself but the whole class as a whole can agree upon.

Last Class

Last class we talked a lot about education. It was a very compelling conversation. We started reviewing and putting together our ideas about what we had learned from the book and what we thought about it. With that being said we all loved the book's stance on education and makes it very enjoyable on how it was brought up. In class, we all agreed that it was a very informative and sometimes unfair way that people were taught back in the day. Often times receiving useless information. Its crazy to believe and hear that back in the day people actually got useless information in school and even information that was outdated or even as much as remembering a phrase. In today's day in age, we take that for granted. Kids these days take classes that are so much more beneficial than it was back in the day. Yet we as students dare to complain. Every class we take and sit through we become brighter humans and can use all these things to get better jobs throughout the workforce. Back in the day, even schools appearance were very low quality compared to today. It was basically falling apart back in the day and people still went to get quality educations.

Today we all judge things by their covers not but what they can offer us. Now people don't pick schools because of how old they are and often prefer private newer schools because it and their education and pockets take a toll because of it.

Literacy Autobiography Blog #1

When you're born you come out of not knowing anything but able to absorb everything. Babies have this great ability to take in whatever they see or get taught quickly and extremely effectively.  In my household, it was always my grandma who helped me become literate at a young age. Very patient while I was growing up helped me read at a very young age and got me ready for school and always kept me ahead of the other students. My inspiration to become literate growing up I would have to say is probably my father. He migrated into this country very young without knowing much English and learned it incredibly fast which ha helped him become a successful man he is today. Being that knew how hard it was to learn to read and write the English language he was also the one who supported me through that whole phase of my life. He constantly pushed me to better myself and corrected me where I was wrong. If there was an opportunity for him to help me better my reading comprehension skills he would do it. Although his and my grandma's techniques worked in the long wrong if I am going, to be honest, I was incredibly discouraged at the time. Being that it just seemed like so much work and it only seemed to get harder to the point where I would probably never master it. When I was going through grammar school and perfecting my literature skills it seemed like a huge burden on my life every time I was assigned to read a short novel and reflect on it or even read a section in class. 

That eventually all changed for the better. There was one experience in specific that I remember that really pushed me in the right direction. It was when my teachers noticed my very unmotivated reaction towards reading and put me in reading therapy where all I had to do was read. It was ultimately in my eyes legal torture towards children. So I pushed myself to become the best reader I could be in order to get out of there and never have to go again. I continued to try to be the best reader and writer I could for a very long time. It was not until about my High school years where I really began to feel literate because I was able to keep an educated conversation going having to talk all these standardized tests seeing exactly how literate I am and passing them all with flying colors that I really felt like I had made it somewhere. 

Today I really dislike reading and writing I do it solely because I have to in order to pass college. Hopefully, in my future career, there will not be any writing involved. It is very hard especially when given all these different writing styles and having to do it in all these different lengths. Ironically although I do not like it I fair pretty well with my writing and my grandma and father still like to read my writing every so often and inspire me and advise me to do better.