Essay On Education Is A Cultural Reality

Daniel Mirsky

Professor Goodnight

English Composition 3

27 April 2014

Final Draft Schools

Picture a classroom in which students are trained to behave a certain way through a set of rules that limit creativity and difference – a curriculum that seems almost robotic in nature with no room for growth in areas aside from those forced onto you. In the United States, schools fail to fully inspire, challenge, and nurture students in schools K-12, and thus cannot provide an educational opportunity that can be classified as “genuine.” As reinforced values become a norm, the mere thought of opportunity becomes a “cultural myth” (Colombo, Cullen, and Lisle 3). The idea of genuine education falls into a vortex of negative forces, such as teaching approaches, economics, demographics, and poor conditions, each jabbing another needle into the educational opportunities that students desire. These hopefuls end up being the ones most hurt.

Over the years, it has been well-established that the United States is something of a land in which opportunity is at our fingertips. From our own citizens to immigrants, many people find themselves in pursuit of the “American Dream.” For some, attaining the dream is very much possible, but for others, it is nothing short of an upwards struggle. The very notion of the United States being a land of opportunity calls back to the idea of “cultural myths.” These myths are “rooted into our thinking before we’re aware of them” (Colombo, Cullen, and Lisle 4). Cultural myths become our way of life, predetermined thoughts, and what ultimately ends up crafting the futures of less fortunate children who stem from smaller upbringings. The cultural myths strike from both homes and media. Some children are able to pull away ...

... middle of paper ...

...communities of people with a one percent discrepancy. Poorer schools have their facilities and programs removed, unsanitary conditions instilled, emotional care wiped away. Our nation’s schools are overcrowded with students who deserve opportunities. Many students desire these opportunities, but the fact that each person does not get the same opportunity is staggering. Not every child is born into wealth; certainly many are born into families firmly rooted intro traditions that would be perfectly acceptable to escape. “Genuine” education exists for those who are lucky or blessed enough to go to a decent school, with decent facilities, and a decent staff. For each of these individuals, there is another handful of people who are trapped in the cultural myth. These hopefuls are nothing more than holes on the bottom of the sinking ship of education in the United States.