Racism+-+'I+Just+Wanna+Be+Average'

Racism: "I Just Wanna Be Average" I think it's ridiculous that no one caught the paperwork mix-up that put Rose on the vocational track in the first place, it just goes to show that there's something wrong with the system. That being said, I think it was interesting to see that despite the bitter treatment, the students on the vocational track weren't complete slackers, nor idiots. My personal favorite student that Rose mentioned was Ted Richard because he represented the intellectual slacker; the student that could take on the more learned students and fare well, if not better against them. I also thought Rose's thoughts on the students' mentality were interesting and very true. High school is one of the most important times in a person's life, not for education, but to find who they are. I feel as though all of the curriculum, not just lower-level class work "isn't designed to liberate you but to occupy you" (186). Of course, the mindset is more visible in the lower-level classes because in the upper-level classes everyone's saying how important the class is to your future and how great life will be once you get through everything. Either way, advanced or remedial, other high schoolers always pick up on the "cues" and treat you in accordance. The "slow" kids, not always slow, are looked down upon, even if they're trying their hardest to escape while the "fast" ones, not necessarily fast, are looked up to and take on more stress by putting up a facade that they can do it all no problem. All in all, I admire the kids like Ted who simply let their minds roam; it may not be structured, it may not get them anywhere, but the scenic road is probably nice.

Rose's shift from remedial to advanced-level courses was really interesting. Theoretically, it should never have worked out, and for a while there it didn't, Rose was too far behind in the information to make sense of anything given to him. Again, Rose makes some good insights about his "mixed blessing." As an undisciplined student, he approached the class work with the perspective of a vocational-class student: there was no way one would use this stuff in the workforce, why worry about it? It's kind of a refreshing perspective because as a upper-class student, it means that it's okay to miss a few things, you'll still get through. One of the things Rose mentions was the self-loathing he had for not knowing the material and I think that it's true for advanced students too. In the higher classes, especially the math and sciences, everything will make sense in class, and even on a very basic level but then come more complex problems, and then the tests and you really aren't sure what to do, while at the same time you know you know the material and end up hating yourself for not being able to do the work. It seems as though Rose attributes a lot of student problems to thise "I should know this" mindset, and I think he's pretty spot-on. It makes sense, students just give up because of "embarrassment and frustration and, not surprisingly, some anger in being reminded once again of long-standing inadaquacies" (188).

"While it's certainly true we've created ... cynical grade collectors ... I loved getting good grades" (191). This doesn't really surprise me at all, on either part. There are plenty of students that are simply in a class for the grade, the challenge. Personally, I don't like to look at it that way, though grades do get into my head; I'd rather take a class that actually interests me and if I take a class, I want to know what it's about. Even the cynics like the good grades, any kind of a reward is usually really nice to get, so I'm not surprised that Rose would love getting the sense of accomplishment that comes with getting good grades. Now, had Rose gone into the more advanced classes earlier, there's a chance he would've become one of those cynics too, but I think the fact that he started late prevented that from ever happening. There's a fine line between feeling good about a grade and getting a good grade to feel good and I think Rose was able to make that distinction clear.