Upon first receiving the topic for this essay, dread began to flow though my veins. Despite having written dozens—if not baker's dozens—of papers in my high school and collegiate career, I had yet to write an actual research paper. As such, I spent many long minutes trying to think of a good enough idea. Not a great idea, mind you, just good enough. Good enough to blather out six pages of nonsense. Good enough to keep Professor Antonen off my back. Good enough to find six weirdoes who agree with me. Good enough to get an A, but not good enough to really matter. Then the idea hit me in the face like a wet fish. I was engaging in an activity which I despise without actually realizing it: settling. Among my short list of traits I generally dislike, settling—only doing enough work to get by—ranks pretty high. As a typically hard working (if immodest) individual, I have noticed that a majority of people do not try to accomplish a task to the fullest of their ability. No, instead they do just enough to get by or, even worse, expect me to take up the slack. On second though, I will take that back: I can tolerate that trait in and of itself. As a realist, I have realized that not every task needs to be done to absolute perfection, and expecting such would be totally unrealistic. Imagine if you will using twice the necessary number nails to build a house; it would drive up the cost and produce little or no additional strength. Like everything else, mediocrity has a proper time and place. No, the actual aspect of the matter that I truly abhor is the fact is the praise of mediocrity. Since mediocrity serves its purpose, it should not be discouraged per se, but by the same token it should not be rewarded. In this essay I ... ... middle of paper ... ...cceleration,” Journal for the Education of the Gifted. 29. 4 (2006): 404-432 Manning, Maureen A. “Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Adolescents” Principal Leadership. 7.6 (2007): 11-16 Loveless, Tom and Paul DiPerna. “In Praise of Mediocrity” Education Next. 2007. 20 Mar. 2007 < http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3389406.html> Stossel, John. “Rewarding Mediocrity.” New York Sun Online. 23 Feb. 2006. JFS Productions Inc. 15 Mar. 2007. “Too many teacher colleges major in mediocrity” USA Today.com 3 Mar. 2002. USA Today. 20 Mar. 2007 United States. Department of Commerce. Census Bureau. High School Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High. 29 June 2004. 22 Mar. 2007 >
Egan, Dan. “The Painful Side of Perfection.” Salt Lake City Tribune 22 Feb. 2000: D1.
The U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. 28 Sept. 2000. The U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. 25 Nov. 2000
This is a credible article; it seems that it is researched thoroughly and thoughtfully. Overall this article highlights my topic fairly well, and did meet my expectations; the author’s conclusion ended strong and summarizes the article greatly. Still, this article is not much different than my other twelve articles with the exclusion of one. In this article and others not all sources have different points of view and only one has done that.
Bethell, Tom. "The Quality of Public Education Has Declined." Opposing Viewpoints: Education. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Chaffey College. 6 Apr. 2010 .
U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences. Chart. Projections of Education Statistics to 2011. U.S. Department of Education, 2001. Web. 24, August 2011.
...build the U.S. Education System?” Forbes. Forbes, Inc. 15 Feb 2013. Web. 28 March 2014.
The most powerful aspect of this essay is not the essay itself (as you will see) but, rather, the fact that it was written by an American college student.
Garten, A., Hines, S., & Wilson, J. (2013). Thesis checklist [PDF]. College of Liberal Arts, Ashford University, San Diego, CA.
Adams, Caralee J., and Sarah D. Sparks. "Graduation Rate Reaches Highest Peak in Decades; Calculation Not the Same as 'official' NCLB Method." Education Week 30 Jan. 2013: 1. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Our education system is failing and in his essay “What Our Education System Needs Is More F’s” Carl Singleton writes that nothing else will right the ship or fix this issue except for his proposed solution which is to simply fail more students. As a matter of fact “by the dozens, hundreds, thousands, even millions” (Singleton 1) is how he describes the failing grades should be distributed. He claims that illegitimately passing students has existed for the past two decades and even implies that it stems further back than that with many teachers in the school system today “who never should have been certified in the first place.”(Singleton 1).
This article hasn’t provided an introduction; however a lengthy summary of the study which identifies the problem, purpose and rationale for the research study has been provided in the background. The introduction should give the reader a general sense of what the document is about, and preferably persuade the reader to continue reading. This prepares the reader for reading the rest of the document (Burns & Grove, 2001 p.636; Nieswiadomy, 2008 p.380; Stockhausen and Conrick, 2002).
...ing an exceptional paper and I am proud of my finish product. Upon completing this assignment, I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about informing my readers of a topic that I knew very little about. After retrieving credible information, the apprehensive that I first experience has completely transformed into utter fulfillment.
McArdle, Megan. "THE COLLEGE BUBBLE. (Cover Story)." Newsweek 160.12 (2012): 22-26. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
This essay received an "A." This essay's greatest strength is the writer's use of sophisticated syntax, employing phrases, and in dependent and independent clauses, modifying the main clauses, and creating a rhythmic reading pattern.
Mir, S. (2011), Education woes: Shortage of teachers a threat to public schools, Tribune, 3 April.