Poorly Funded Public Schools: Essay #2

 In this section of the course, we are looking at the repercussions of poorly funded public schools. The book Savage Inequalities has given us a view into the problems caused and enabled by having only bad schools as an option in some communities. What is a bad school, what happens to the children that attend these schools and what solutions to the many problems can I offer are all questions you should be asking yourself while developing your paper. Also, think of the documentaries we have or will watch. They are texts that you will be able to reference in your essay as well.

Pick one of the following topics to focus on and use the questions below to get you thinking:

School resources (this can include small things such as crayons all the way up to library books and workout equipment)

·      Do materials really matter? Why or why not?

·      Are there circumstances in which they do matter and times that they do not?

·      How does a child feel when he/she does not have them and why?

·      How does a child feel when he/she does and why?

·      What can we do for schools that don’t have materials/supplies if no one else will help?

·      What types of citizens are produced from a lack of materials in poorly funded public schools?

Bad Teachers (remember if you define what is a bad teacher you must say what a good one is and how he/she could make a difference)

·      What schools are prone to having bad teachers?

·      Why do bad teachers exist?

·      What affects do bad teachers have on a child?

·      Why can’t we get rid of them?

·      What standards should we hold teachers to?

·      Are bad teachers just as bad as bad parents?

·      What types of citizens are produced from a lack of good teachers in poorly funded public schools?

Protecting the wealthy by providing a lesser education to the poor.

·      What makes this observation true?

·      Who is mostly affected by this practice?

·      How are they affected?

·      Do you believe this is a problem or a necessity? We need people to fill entry-level jobs. What’s wrong with making sure a certain demographic fills them?

·      If a public education system’s pedagogy is heavily influenced by big business, what types of citizens are produced?

You may also submit your own paper topic proposal. If you do so, you will need to give me your focus as well as five questions you will ask yourself to help you dig deeper into your ideas.

***For any of these topics, you should ask yourself where your thoughts come from. For example, if you think a bad teacher is one that limits children’s hope for the future, tell me where that opinion came from. What did you reach for in your mind to form your opinions?