Big Expectations for School [HW #44]

Obama made his point very clear when he said, "That's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education." Education is viewed as a "responsibility." It's something we are bound to because as the children of America, it our duty to succeed and thus rid this country of all of its problems. Obama's point of view on education is clearly education as an escape route. But it's not just an escape route for each individual, it's one for the entire country. Obama, as a functionalist believes that if we succeed, so will the country. And "if you don't do that -- if you quit on school -- you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country."

To Obama, education is what we, the seeds need to grow. It is clear that he has a trascendent point of view. He repeatedly emphasized on the future, and how if we worked hard it will all towards the greater good. And the only times he mentions the present is the amount of work we need to put into our education now. He didn't once talk about education as something we can enjoy. Of course, this point of view is a bit harsh. It makes it seems like we're all just growing to become tools of society. But Obama does a good job in softening that up. He tells them that: "No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future." Despite the overall theme of his speech being about responsibility, he's telling us that we choose our paths, and that no one else has control. This is true to some extent, but our paths are right along side with the mainstream road. In his speech he also uses the terms "you" and "each of you," as opposed to "you all" (disregarding "I’m glad you all could join us today."), he places a sense of self-significance to each person, making each student seem like they are the hero of this story. Also, by using himself as an example and relating to the students through himself, he makes it seem possible that all of those students have potential in becoming the president- the greatest hero of all.

Kiyosaki's New Mission, in my opinion, will not work. To split the schooling system into "two different public school programs: one for employees and one for entrepreneurs" would be like asking people to choose whether they want to be the star actors or to be an extra. Most people would want to be the star. They would want to transcend rather settle down for a mediocre life. Even disregarding the issue, people would rather be listened to than to listen. Although I do not think this method will work, I do think that considering alternatives is important; and it's not just considering alternatives to solve the crisis, but it's to consider alternatives with that in mind, in addition to making school more enjoyable. So that we aren't learning out of commitment, and instead out of desire. Kiyosaki says, "we need to pledge ourselves to this New Mission: job creation by those who are true job creators" and "it was drummed into our souls that our mission was more important than our lives." Although, it is important to have a mission, and think of the end results, it should not dictate how you view any aspect of one thing, especially not education. In his case, Kiyosaki seems to only be looking at education as a way to solve society's issues, which is important, but it is also important to look at it in a much smaller scale- not just think about the future, and how education may future issues, but also think about the present, and how we can shape the experience.