Lodh 1

Kriti Lodh
Ms. Thompson
AP Lang Block 2 Skinny A
September 7, 2014
Draft #1
IJWBA Essay
After analyzing and comparing the memoir, I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose
and the passage, A Talk to Teachers by James Baldwin, it can be seen that the two share quite
similar thoughts. Rose goes about a more personal account as he discusses pressing issues with
the education system, particularly the vocation education system, and how they affected him in
life. On the other hand, there is Baldwin whose views are all based off of observation and how he
sees the students in society being affected by the system. It is seen that both have a negative view
on the system as it doesnt call for students to achieve their full potential unless they are quite
exceptional at academics on their own. From Baldwins statement, The purpose of education,
finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own
decisions, to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there is a
God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then learn to live with those
questions, is the way he achieves his own identity. (page 1) it can be noted that the initial
purpose of education is to transform students into confident people with individualized identities.
Although the initial intent of the education system is one of positive regard, as it attempts in
making students individualized and unique, it does not follow through as society influences it to
create those that will simply abide by the rules. Mike Rose would concur with this idea from
James Baldwin as he has had personal experience with this pressing issue.

Lodh 2
From the passage, A Talk to Teachers by James Baldwin it can be concluded that the
purpose of education and the system is merely an illusion.When we think of education, we think
of the bettering of the minds of our future. Initially, the intention is to create an individualized
community that could broaden the horizons of what is known into the deeper chasms of what is
unknown. Basically, us as people expecting to gain from the system expect this. The idea is to
create students that know what they want with complete decisiveness that can be the future
leaders of our society. As much as all this is wished for, and even though this is what schools
want to do, it doesnt actually happen. Students are not thoroughly cared for and after schooling
they are then just passed away. Basically, society just is trying to achieve the bare minimum, and
except for the excelling students, most students are only provided with the bare minimum,
placing them on the opposite side of the spectrum. Society just wants people to follow the rules
and not speak up or be different. With the idea of just getting good citizens that abide by the
rules, students are falling short of receiving a proper education with teachers that tend to their
needs at all costs.
In Roses memoir, I Just Wanna Be Average, Rose discusses the ongoing problem that
the education system is flawed as it doesnt have concern to aid the students to find their identity,
but it simply seems as if the system is trying to pass them to get rid of them.Throughout Roses
years in the vocational education program at Our Lady of Mercy, Rose felt as if the teachers did
not care about the students, as he gained no knowledge and lost the interest to acquire
knowledge. The teachers here had no passion to teach or help the students, and no actual
qualifications. A key example from the memoir would be Mr. Mitropetros who ...had little
training in English, so his lesson plan for his day work had us reading the districts required text,
Julius Caesar, aloud for the semester. (page 2) Since he had no evident knowledge in the field

Lodh 3
of English, he was incapable of sparking passion in the students to enjoy learning the material of
the class. As the years went by, the students were never challenged, hence making them feel as if
there was no reason to try or aspire. Without rigor and something to look forward to, the students
lacked motivation, Since Rose was once in an education system that catered to his needs he was
able to sense a significant difference in the two. He once aspired to learn and loved to learn, and
after being placed with teachers that didnt care, he didnt care. This is just a vicious cycle. Not
only did the teachers not care, but they were also abusive. Not caring is one thing, but actual
abuse is much too far. If a student is beaten up by one of higher power that is teaching them, of
course they would have no intention to learn. Rose didnt believe that there was any point in
achieving a better education or to try to find out who he was and what he wanted in life. All his
peers around him lacked motivation which caused him to lose any perseverance to try. In
addition, students were never challenged, so there was no need to study and try on tests and
assessments. Since they never studied and lacked motivation, many students would cheat their
way through and many a times, the teachers did not care because they just wished for the
students to pass and leave. Overall, Rose had a very bad experience with the education system,
as he saw it as an unjust way to get rid of all the students that werent able to excel in the
academic field with ease. Rose discusses how it is unfair that the students at the bottom receive
the teachers that are at the bottom, so they have no chance of getting to the top, while those that
are at the top get the best of teachers and have passion to teaching, only making the excelling
students even better. Furthermore, this only widens the gap between the excelling and the
vocational education students. After leaving the program, it was difficult for him to adjust to
college and that level of thinking and learning, so the vocational education program negatively
affected the opportunities and capabilities that Rose could have had if he had been with teachers

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that cared in an education system that was not flawed. All in all, we have this disfigured notion
that education is there to better and to help, when all it does is passes along the students in order
for them to be good, ideal citizens, rather than actually helping and forming a society filled
with diverse minds.
Based on all the points addressed, it is clear as day that Rose does agree with Baldwins
interesting statement. From Roses personal experiences, he can support what Baldwin has to
say based off of his observations of society. The education system is flawed, and students arent
being able to reach their full potential. If the student is not exceptional by his or herself, it seems
that there is no point to provide them with equal opportunities. Those that are lower level
students are graded easily just to be passed so they can go on a fulfill societies wish for them to
stick to the norm and be model citizens. Basically, individualized and different thought is
frowned upon.
From deciphering both excerpts, it is safe to say that the thoughts on the education system
do integrate with one another. By analyzing the tone and the personal accounts of Roses journey
through the vocational education system, it is lucid that Rose agrees with Baldwins statements
from his observations. The fact of the matter is, the education system is just corrupt.