Who does the American education system truly serve???

The past few days in class, we have been talking about all of the flaws in the American education system.  The issue that most caught my attention was students not having equal opportunities.  This cartoon, for example, highlights and explains this flaw in further detail. 

Not all students have the same abilities, but can all excel in their own ways.  The elephant can not climb the tree as easily as the monkey would and, as Thomas Edison said in the quote at the bottom, the fish can not be fairly judged by its ability to climb the tree.   However, the American education system uses unfair standardized testing, or in the carton exams, to rank these students.  This method is very unequal because a student could be not as confident when it comes to testing or not have the money to afford to retake tests (AP tests, SAT, ACT, etc.).  So, how are these students supposed to be compared fairly when it comes to this type of testing.  This students are put at a disadvantage and have no way to get out.  In addition, the future of these students depends on these unfair tests.  Colleges base most of the application process on SAT/ACT scores.  These effects of such testing continue on and on to follow a long list of consequences and effects, however, they all revolve around the students.  Being a student makes this topic seem even more apparent and even more serious, so why aren't we doing anything about it to fix it?  The future of the world is in the hands of the current students so what is next?  How will we change the system?  It is up to us. 

I'm Fine :(:

 

So, this week in class we focused a lot on the art of modern language manipulation.  Although it was charity week and things were often thrown off in class because of it, I feel like the material that we did incorporate were very valuable.  Remember how we had the assignment of finding an example of how modern language manipulation? Yes?!?! well, I chose this as my piece.  I liked it because it was very simple, yet it had a lot of meaning behind it. Not only did the artist manipulate the language by using the clique phrase of, "I'm fine" when people really aren't fine, but he/ she  also manipulated the words themselves.  I found the fact that when you turn the quote completely upside down it says something completely different very interesting.  It helps to symbolize that deeper meaning and show how we manipulate language to make us seem 'fine'. In my blog from last week, I talked about how we manipulated language all of the time throughout our everyday life without even knowing it.  Although this example is a little more noticeable when you are talking that you are not actually saying what you are meaning to say, we do and use this phrase all of the time and then act like nothing is wrong when someone replies with this phrase.  This cognitive decision is one that leaves me thinking how language manipulation really works.  How do we allow it to get all the way to our heads and control us into thinking that the manipulated language is correct.

The Art of Language

Before reading, I want you to read both of the quotes and chose the one that you agree with the most.  There is no wrong answer, however, I will be discussing the one that I agree with the most below.  Then, after you are done, please watch the crash course video.  ( you don't have to watch it all, just watch from 1:04-7:23)

So... language.  In all of the pieces that we read this past week in class have focused on how language sets people apart from each other in a negative way.  The first quote highlights this claim.  It implies that if you don't speak another language, the one you speak now is useless because you won't fit in and will not be able to communicate.  In the video, however, Hank Green talks about how people and animals learn to communicate through actions and sylabols when they are young.  And, not only do they learn it, it comes naturally to them, kind of like common sense.  If babies and animals can do it, why can't everyone.  I mean, "everyone smiles in the same language", so why can't everyone communicate in the same language.  On the other hand, I can see how some people could simply think, if I don't speak japanese, then how am I supposed to communicate??? Well, lets break it down.  When you are walking in the hallway at school, you wave hello to someone.  You just communicate without saying a word.  Now, was that so hard???  We have so many different gestures for so many different things.  You can shrug if you don't know and answer, you can raise your hand if you do, you can give a thumbs up if something is good, or a thumbs down if something is bad.  You communicate so many times throughout the day that you probably don't even think about.  So why is language a barrier?  Why does it hold people back and seperate them from eachother?  Why is, "a language we don't know a fortress sealed"?  I hope that this blog made you really think about the real meaning of language and how easy it is to communicate without actually speaking.  If you feel so moved, please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought about this topic, I would love to hear!!!
~Samantha Tousignant :)