Essay/Term paper: O'neil's arguement on education

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Education

Eng 102 project 1
4/8/1997


O'Neill's Debate on Education



Students are not getting the Basic Knowledge needed

today due to the poor upbringing and lack of respect for the

need of education.



In O'Neills editorial his reason for this was because

the students as a whole did not want their ignorance

exposed. However, he forgot to include that teachers are

just as ignorant as the student. Give a teacher the

same test and see hoe much they remember about what they we

taught some odd number of years ago. It's not safe to

assume that because a person can't remember who the 31st

president was, that they don't have the basics of gobble

history . How many teachers know the basics, if asked on

the spot.



Lets Examine another quote from O'Neill's editorial in

his opine Charie Chaplin a classic movie star, and that

because when asked about him no one know who he was, Well ,

if the students didn't watch old TV shows on the late

night TV channels then how would they know of Charlie?

They don't cover a class in classic television. There fore

that question would be unfair to pit on the test. O'Neill's

just assume that everyone is raised in the same back ground

as him. Charles Darwin did not create gravity but he did

believe in evolution. The concept that we were originated

from organs to monkeys then humans. In church we stray away

from that kind of talk "that is the devil trying to score

your mind" that's what they would say.




O'Neill says "I broke the rules of this time-honored

gam when I presented my English-composition students with an

86 question test the first day of class." Know that all

students think of doing the first day of class.

Concentrating on a 86 question test is a common students

retinal. The student always for every question read it

through out and back and forward. O'Neill told the students

that the students that it wouldn't be graded. Any time you

tell students that, automatically that means just fill it

out. As long as it get done. You can't go by a test like

that for the simple fact that there is know evidence each

and every one gave it a true try. Sure they finished the

test but did they even read it. When students in the hall

where stopped and asked to fill out the questions stated on

the handout the results where the same. Charles Darwin

invented electricity. Christ was born around Elvis's

birthday. The geographical part of the test was

outstandingly wrong. The samples given out were to prove

student don't take that stuff serious. They see words with

answers. Students just want to get the test over and move

on. When the questioners were told a free candy bar ( only

5 people were ask told this.) if they could score majority

right. do you know 3 of them got 10 out of 15 questions

right. They took time and really thought about it.



Students did learn the lesson then it was taught in

school. All they had to do was stay out of trouble and not

interrupt the often students with there learning. When a

student is kick out of school and at home what are they

doing to replace to time spent out of school. They either

not at home or getting ready to leave. Their parents don't

bother to physically correct them. They figure why bother

they probly do it again. Then the parents give up hope and

with out the parents help of confidence the student modifies

change from suicides to get by. More and more student are

just getting by they don't bother learn to remember for

good. They remember for know. Just enough to get them

through the year then they for get every thing they where

tested on. Even if they got A's on the test they for get

over half of it.



Your whole life your learning things that every one

says you are going to need to know that. It's hard to

comprehend what you need to know to get by and what you need

to know. The funny thing is youth today are not getting the

knowledge they need but they are doing the best with the

know how they got to work with.