Breaking Out and Stepping Up

In the stories, I Just Wanna To Be Average, by Mike Rose and The Achievement of Desire, by Richard Rodrigez, a timeline of their educational progress is exposed. Both are the offspring of minimally educated immigrant parents. Who’s families settled into the working-class of California. Without having their parents as scholastic role models, Rose and Rodriguez had to find their own way through the education systems. Despite the lack of supportive social conditions, both Rodriguez and Rose were inspired to surpass the status quo expectations environmentally bestowed upon them.

Mike Rose, who wrote I Just Wanna Be Average, started his schooling with a bleak future. His lower class immigrant parents hoped that sending their son to Our Lady Mercy would put him on the track to success and surpass all of his family member’s level of education. Rose shares, “No one in the family had gone to college; only two of my uncles had completed high school” (166). Unfortunately, Rose ended up in the vocational program. A program that groomed students, not for college, but to better assimilate into the working-class. The vocational track is one that does not pave the way for a bright future. Its graduating class is comprised of underachievers who lack motivation and have no desire to get ahead. The same could be said about Mercy’s staff. Rose paints a picture of his educators by mentioning, “Civics was taken over by a football coach who had trouble reading the textbook aloud --and reading aloud was the centerpiece for his pedagogy” (163). Surrounded by stubbornly dense students, and less then enthusiastic teachers Mike Rose seemed to not have a chance.

Much like Rose did not have the support of an educated role model within his school pr...

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... shaped him, Rodriguez explains, ”Without extraordinary determination and the great assistance of others --at home and at school -- there is little chance for success” (197). Being able to take the lack of support from his family and be grateful for the roll it played in his personal quest for knowledge is something to be admired.

Although coming from different backgrounds, Mike Rose and Richard Rodriguez share a similar passion and lust for knowledge. They both used inspirations and determination to break out of a mold their family history created. Even though their means to academic success differed, the character gained from their individual experiences allowed for a change. Luckily both of these stories have a happy ending. One where both the “average joe” and the “scholarship boy” can overcome preconceived expectations and become who they want to become.