Week 7 (Second Paper Rough Outline)

My outline is not completely organized and thought out yet, but I have a general idea of where I'm going. The following is a list of what I need to cover (typed in bold) followed by some general thoughts and helpful quotes that I will use when discussing that portion of my paper.

Thesis: Our country’s educational system measures success in numbers. A successful career is one that leads to a well-paying job. A well-paying job comes from a successful education at an expensive university. A successful higher education comes from high grades and great grade point averages in high school. While these scales by which we measure students are relevant, the ultimate goals of education have fallen to the wayside. As a country we need to change our definition of success so as to better equip students to create a better society.

Current Definition of Success High expectations for academic “success”, that is, all A’s with no regard to whether the material is really learned.

“Overindulging kids, with the intention of giving them everything and being loving, but at the expense of their character” -Tough

What’s wrong with it “ “This push on tests,” he told me, “is missing out on some serious parts of what it means to be a successful human.”” –Tough

“And in most highly academic environments in the United States, no one fails anything.” -Tough

“They’ll go to college, they’ll graduate, they’ll get well-paying jobs — and if they fall along the way, their families will almost certainly catch them, often well into their 20s or even 30s, if necessary…” -Tough

New definition of success: Success will be when schools teach students not only facts and figures to reach some social standard, but how to learn and take responsibility for what you learn. A person is successful when they have the knowledge to pursue their goals, and pursue them in such a way that it benefits, or at least does not harm, the greater good.

Why this definition is better: Prepares students to pursue their dreams responsibly, and adding a human element that allows for a happier and more responsible educated society.

“I would like to propose that knowledge carries with it the responsibility to see that it is well used in the world.” –Orr

“The students who persisted in college were not necessarily the ones who had excelled academically” –Tough (and as such, a different definition of success could lead to better achieving on the initial scales as well)