WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT EDUCATION, THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T

The article I read was from the Mercury News Editorial section.  The article Retraining Workers must be Silicon Valley's number one priority is a short argument that states that until we put our focus back on education, we will not begin to see an improvement in our local economy.

This article speaks to a harsh reality that all of us realize, but many of use take for granted.  Education in American is slumping behind other developed nations.  California is slumping behind most states--we are 47th in the nation.  

All of our successes are due solely to our education and therefore, it is only fair that our failures, or lack of ability to extend our successes, is due in large part due to our lack of education.  For this reason I do not understand why we are falling behind in education.  It seems to me that education spending has become just one of those things that we must do, instead of the most important thing that we must do.  In our country the most important things are never the "sexiest things", which is sad.  In California the first item to be cut when the budget is short is higher education (thank god that k-12 is mandated spending), instead of raising taxes, or cutting other spending.  Politicians focus on the things that get them elected, such as making sure that the other guy looks bad, or making sure they get their face on CNN, or making sure that they support the most popular stance on the war.  But they never spend their precious time debating the most sacred thing, education.  It is sad.  

It's religious not religion that inspires...

Religion, in my opinion, is not as important to advocacy, as membership in a religious community.  To me my religion does not advocate or inspire me to act as much as my church may. Reading the bible makes me think, but going to church makes me act.  While I do not know if this holds true for a majority of people, or even the members of AVODAH, it is plausible that it does.  For example, Mark Goodman wrote, "I always knew that Judaism commanded us to a mission...but the nuts and bolts of how and why were inaccessible..."  He later states that AVODAH showed him how to make a difference.  I believe Mark means that he knew that helping to make the world a better place was his duty as a Jew, but the inspiration to carry out that mission was not found until a organized community (in this case AVODAH) gave him the inspiration needed.  Abby Maier echoed Mark's thoughts by saying, "AVODAH facilitated the collaboration of faith, working for justice, trying to understand poverty, looking for community...all of these things I had been trying to figure out on my own."  To me religion was a necessary aspects of the AVODAH member's service, but it was not sufficient.  They all needed that inspiration that comes from an organized effort.

A San Jose REVOLUTION

The article that I chose is titled Race to oust San Jose Councilwoman Madison Nguyen heats up. The article was written by Denis C. Theriault.

This article discusses the March 4th recall election, in which Madison Nguyen’s future as a Councilmember from District 7 will be decided. Nguyen first came under fire when she voted to name a section along Story Road as the Saigon Business District instead of Little Saigon. The vote infuriated some within the Vietnamese community who view Little Saigon as a defining and sentimental name. The vote sparked numerous protest, including a hunger strike, and national news.

I am a Political Science major and I am also a follower of all things political, so it is logical that I would enjoy this story. This story showcases local politics at its dirtiest because a single vote on something that has no legal or economic impact for community members, has created a situation in which the elected official now finds herself in a battle for her job. A single vote has sparked a revolution that seeks to remove Nguyen from office. Nguyen, in response, has assembled a team of Bay Area political operatives who have devised a strategy to win the vote.

This story is a political junkies’ fix. Fights like this are rarely seen at the local level and even rarer to be in your own community. We usually equate these stories with fights in Washington, or even in Sacramento, as we saw with Governor Gray Davis, but to be in San Jose and to witness the protests at City Hall, or to see lawn signs that advocate for or against Ms. Nguyen, are great for a political follower like myself.

Never accept an argument solely because of what is argued!!

The ideas in chapter 13 remind me of my love for persuasive writing. I am a student of the law. I admire, think, and write about the law. Legal writing is founded on the power to argue and persuade using logic. The discussion of ethos in chapter 13 can be echoed in a legal writing class because the power of an argument is not only based upon the words, but upon the unspoken characteristics of a given piece, such as the authority and expertise of the author, the tone and strategies employed, the author’s connection to the topic, and the context. While the editorials offered as examples in the chapter are not legal writings, they are meant to persuade. For example, the argument over affirmative action is one in which either side attempts to discredited the others argument by pointing out logical flaws. A great example of this is Mr. Ogletree’s counter argument to the idea that test scores are an effective way to judge a candidate’s possibilities. He counters this by pointing out that the argument takes for granted that all who take the test have been privy to the same opportunities and thus everyone who takes the test are standing on equal footing.

The editorial pieces showcased in chapter 13 all share a common goal--to persuade their respective audiences. This chapter emphasizes the importance of not just accepting a writer’s position, but to think about the writer’s qualifications and purpose for writing this piece. The preceding idea for critical analysis has been something that I have struggled with in the past. I was always one who believed or accepted an argument on its face value, which is not always a great idea.

Enjoying school work is OVERRATED

My favorite article was Floating in an ideological hot air balloon. I enjoyed reading this article solely for the last two paragraphs in the piece. The questions that she pondered were great questions to think about. For example, do students have to like the assignments to benefit from them? This is a great question not only for a professor to ponder but for students as well. Her answer to this question was, no, students do not have to like the assignments to benefit from them, but it helps when they do enjoy what they do in the classroom. My experience in college leads me to the same conclusion. For example, I have disliked many group projects because of a lack of motivation by some fellow group members, but I have learned a lot from the various projects that I have completed, such as my Project Citizen project. On the other hand, I remember more the projects that I have enjoyed, which probably means that I got more out of them.

In general, I enjoyed reading the articles that discussed the ways blogs lend a personal touch to academic works. Carlton Clark discusses how his blog has allowed him to open up to his students. This in turn has created a more open classroom, in which the students are more comfortable talking aloud. I can understand how this could be true. I tend to be intimidated by professors who are too "professional". On the other hand, I tend to be more comfortable and willing to approach professors for help when they seem “down to earth” and approachable. The articles have helped me realize that because blogs are personal, students take more ownership, which creates better work.