Preparing Minds For Markets, By Jonathan Kozol

Jonathan Kozol, a writer best known for discussing public education, observed several specific schools in order to see how teachers aid young children into the future work force. Kozol believes young children in schools are being deprived of things they should be grasping at their age. Although this may be true, exposing children to real-life work responsibilities is clever and necessary in order to prepare them for the future while their brains are still growing and able to grasp the information easily. “We must start thinking of students as workers,” a high school official states (334). In the article, “Preparing Minds for Markets”, children had been asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. When asked, it seemed as though they had

The teachers use a currency in order to reward the children in a way of “cash” rewards. Nearly 100% of the students in the school are living in poverty at home, are African-American, and are without a preschool education. Older students have been required to fill out applications with references for classroom jobs, followed by attending an interview. Although many adults feel the children are just being trained as robots, principals have explained it is simply to teach students that they have an opportunity to succeed, regardless of their past. Children at these schools are constantly being “incentivized”, which is quite common in America, making this situation

When someone is told they must have their mind made up, it hinders their creative mind to other ideas. For example, when I was shopping for my first car, I was told to consider my desires beforehand in order to make the process easier. When I decided I was definitely set on a black car, I would find something wrong with every other car I tested out. This is similar to attending college in the beginning. Going into college, it is suggested you choose a major. This is a difficult decision if a student is not sure of what career pathway they are interested in going down. Although “Undeclared” is an option, it is far more common for one to choose a major then just decide to change it later on. I feel as though it is important to keep options open, and young children should be able to keep their career options open