Introduction
Darryl Robinson wrote the article “I went to some of D.C.’s best schools. I was still unprepared for college.” in collaboration with The Washington Post, published April 13th, 2012. Robinson talks about how he was an intelligent child and “attended some of the District’s better schools.” The critical aspects discussed in this paper are the low level of education and the biased attitude towards students in US schools, as well as the causes and consequences of the manifestation of surprise and anger in the process of reading the article.
Reactions
Primarily, being surprised at the current picture of reality within the academic moments in the USA is one of the first reactions in the process of familiarization with the article. Inequality, discrimination, allocating “favorites,” which have a veiled nature, the lack of transparent systems for obtaining knowledge and applying it empirically, insufficiently clear feedback from teachers, and several other equally important facts cumulatively shock. Hence, these aspects suggest how pronounced the discrepancy between educational standards and actual phenomena is in schools in America and Districts, in particular, occurring everywhere and continuously in some educational organizations. Based on such a point, Darryl says: “With a full scholarship, I quickly felt unprepared and outmatched” (Robinson). Behind some of the “best” schools, there are only false promises, as well as pompous and loud phrases, and this concern requires drastic changes through the interventions of the authorities.
With each line, plunging deeper into the investigation of the paper, the second completely “acceptable” reaction appears as anger. For example, one of Darryl’s teachers claims that “she would get paid whether or not we learned anything” (Robinson). Therefore, these and similar statements of educators, as well as their actions and deeds corresponding to such words, give a completely reasonable reason for bewilderment from such an irreverent attitude towards pedagogy and students as the main subjects of educational processes. Hence, it is especially apparent and understandable to many people that the problems mentioned above continue to appear and manifest themselves to this day, both in 2012 and 2022. Accordingly, this extremely deplorable situation requires prompt assessment of systems of teacher motivation and proper remuneration.
Conclusion
Summarizing the above information, it is required to note that Darryl’s trouble is not an isolated case but also an issue that manifests itself at the national and international levels. Indeed, there are excellent teachers “with a capital” in the world who appreciate and love each trainee. In particular, they understand and love each student, evaluate them on merit and allow revealing new talents. Nonetheless, most educators are negligent about their work and their learners, mainly appealing to insufficient wages to make any efforts to educate young people. Hence, such identical facts point to the inappropriateness of US schooling strategies in relation to the education and training of citizens.
There is absolutely no doubt about the fundamental changes in the field of pedagogical and academic aspects in US schools. Teachers should always encourage students and not hinder them. Moreover, they can show prospects and open doors to the future for learners. Accordingly, these points should always be realized in all educational institutions since the teacher-student relationship is the sphere of psychological relations that significantly affects learning outcomes.
While reading the article, several feelings and emotions can be expressed at once, reflecting anxiety, shock, anger, or sadness, and these are entirely natural reactions to such bitter truths. For example, when Darryl talks about the lack of preparedness for the University after the best schools, there is confusion due to inconsistencies and many questions about the quality of education in such institutions. Moreover, it becomes absolutely unpleasant to comprehend how some teachers did not allow Darryl to speak out in class or to show his abilities to the fullest. As a result, a biased attitude towards the student affected his further academic success in a not the best way. Hence, if Darryl had not taken control of the situation, he would not have been able to catch up and fill in the gaps in knowledge, the fault of which is partly the carelessness of schoolteachers.
Work Cited
Robinson, Darryl. “I Went to Some of D.C.’S Best Schools. I Was Still Unprepared for College.” The Washington Post, Web.