1. Describe Rose’s life in voc. Ed. What were his teachers like? Have you ever hadexperience with teachers like these?Vocational educational was very boring for Rose. This is because that level of education was associated with failure, and the students in Voc. Ed. knew as much.
Consequently, there was no enthusiasm in the classes for both Rose and his pool of friends. Much of this colorlessness in the learning experience in Voc. Ed. was the
result of teachers assuming that all the students in that level were not bright at all. This assumption manifested as a lack of drive and passion on the part of the
teachers, an energy that was duly absorbed and radiated by the student in Voc. Ed. The indifference of the teachers to the fact that these students needed extra effort
on the teachers’ part in order to grow made it worse since the teachers even tried to simplify some of the concepts they taught; this move grossly disadvantaged Rose
and other learners in Voc. Ed. as he would find out in College Prep. Fortunately for me, I have not yet had an experience with teachers like those in Rose’s Voc. Ed. 2. What did voc. Ed. do to Rose and his fellow students? How did it affect themintellectually, emotionally, and socially? Why was it subsequently so hard forRose to catch up in math?Voc. Ed. was a program for the weakest students. As Rose explains, the ‘vocational track’ was just a euphemism for the bottom level. This is the reason why a few
months in Voc. Ed. made the students there to grow numb to what the school and society expected of them. Since the school system defined them as “slow”, the students
would “flaunt ignorance’ and act as if they were not fazed by their intellectual weakness—which was not as profound as Voc. Ed made it appear as indicated by Rose’s
growth in College Prep. These students became rude, reckless, and completely unconcerned with their education. They chose to focus on physical prowess and looks as a
means of emotionally fortifying themselves against the unending criticism and prejudice that came with their weak grades. The combination of these factors augmented
the disinterest in some of the subjects that Voc. Ed students did not like and rendered them almost entirely unable to focus and concentrate on things that did not
interest them. This is why Rose’s inability to solve even the most basic math problems stayed with him throughout. 3. Why is high school so disorienting to students like Ken Harvey? How does he cope with it? What other strategies do students use to cope with the pressures and judgments they encounter in school?High school can be challenging and damaging for students like Ken Harvey because it has notions that work in variance with the student’s beliefs and assumptions.
Similarly, there is a clash of ideas and notions from teachers even as the student battles for a place in an environment that is composed of young people from all
sorts of socio-cultural and economic backgrounds. Issues of insecurity are likely to kick in as one becomes increasingly aware of students who are far superior
intellectually. Worse still, all these changes and the need for adjustment are swarming the student against emotional, physical, and hormonal changes that he/she
cannot handle without patience and guidance. As a result of so much pressure in such a cacophonous environment, most students become numb to pressure and develop
personas that they wear in order to sustain their inability to cope. In other cases, students may just aim for average performances; this is the bare minimum that one
needs to avoid being labelled as a loser. 4. What does Jack MacFarland offer Rose that finally helps him learn? Do you think it was inevitable that someone with Rose’s intelligence would eventuallysucceed?Rose eventually comes into his own in English and Biology chiefly because Jack MacFarland imparted in him—as he did with all the students in Rose’s class—the notion
that he was bright and deserved to experience the deep and profound ideas that the ‘bright’ students were known to handle so easily. As Rose would say, Jack
MacFarland, through writing, reading, and talking, created a literacy club and invited Rose and his entire class to join. One of the most direct ways the teacher did
this, particularly for Rose, was by allowing Rose, Art Mitz, and Mark Dever to access his personal collection of books. This move would mark the turning point for
Rose’s intellect and would set him on the path that would make him a successful professional later in life. Even so, it would not be wise to assume that a person with
Rose’s intelligence would eventually succeed; Rose’s entry into, experiences during, and exit from Voc. Ed. comprise a narrative that reveals that, sometimes, bright
students and futures can be sabotaged by the innumerable flaws in the school system. 5. To what extent do Rose’s experiences challenge or confirm John Taylor Gatto’scritique of public education in “Against School” (p. 141)? How might Gatto accountfor the existence of truly remarkable teachers like Rose’s Jack MacFarland?Rose’s experiences strongly confirm John Taylor Gatto’s critique of public education in “Against School”. Just as Gatto says, Rose and his friends in Voc. Ed were
utterly bored, but only because the teachers who were in charge of these students were just as bored, if not more. In addition, these teachers were clearly
disinterested in what they were teaching. This is obviously the main reason why Rose’s life took a turn for the best when he met MacFarland; he was a teacher who
practiced what he preached and created personal and beneficial relationships with his students. Gatto may argue that teachers like MacFarland (who are what the school
system needs if it is to deliver what is claimed to be its original role) exist; they are teachers who teach because they wish to and because they are passionate to
see growth and offer value as opposed to just following a curriculum and being in the teaching profession because it is just a job like any other.