Ehrin Yates

Knudson
UWRT 1103-004
Oct. 1st, 2016
Issues of Education Response
After reading the assigned readings so far, the group of readings I connected most with were the
issues of education readings because they are personal to me and my experiences with education.
I thought the best way to show the connections of this set of readings to myself and the outside
world was to describe some of my experiences with the struggle to pay for college and
necessities, privileged education, cultural literacy and its relation to socioeconomic status, and
immigration.
College is expensive. We all know that, but how many of us really stop to think about
what that means? The ignorance of those who do not have to worry about how they will pay for
college, while simultaneously paying rent, bills, buying groceries, etc. because someone else is
doing it for them astonishes me. Im not saying its a bad thing to have that option because it
isnt; it is a luxury that many college students neglect to reflect upon or be thankful for. Almost
everyone is guilty sometime or another of failing to stop and realize that there is always someone
worse off than yourself. These readings do a decent job of trying to paint the picture of our
current education system by giving statistics such as the average student debt of over $25,000
dollars, the continuous rise in tuition for four year universities of 6.5% each year, and in 2012
two thirds of students seeking bachelors degrees took out loans (Myth of Education 104). They
explain how education came about, the change in viewpoints on education throughout history,

and the changes in its practice. They also tie in the concept of cultural literacy and stress the
necessity for it by saying The issue of cultural literacy is socio-economically coded and
describing how the lack of cultural literacy lessens social mobility (Schweizer 53).
In Delbancos College at Risk, He talks about the differences between our country and
other countries around the world in regards to how we structure and operate our education
system, saying that in most other countries, students choose their major before arriving at a
university. In my Spanish course this semester, I have also learned about this practice of
education in Latin America. Higher education throughout Latin America is almost tuition free
and students attend high school for 4-5 years with their last year revolving around a specialized
subject area in which they choose. While I think doing this in our country would be very
beneficial in lessening the college debt for those who do not have a clear idea of what they want
to do when they start college or change their minds during their education, it wouldnt be very
practical unless college was made more accessible to the majority of young people in the United
States.
I thought it was interesting that education was first frowned upon and is now highly
valued in the United States. When education was first seen as aimed at self-improvement, it was
thought to be a menacing, sinful luxury and caused people to view teaching as a menial
profession (Myth of Education 105). I find it interesting that what really changed this viewpoint
on education was the revolutionary war due to its goal of creating loyal Americans who were
very proud of their country (Myth of Education 106). The essay, The Myth of Education and
Empowerment, states that education was seen as a tool to build the nation during this time period.
I never would have made the connotation of war and the improvement of education without
reading this essay. Also surprisingly, factory work introduced the idea of putting students into

different categories for different tracks of education based on where their qualities and where
teachers thought they would be a better fit in the world (Myth of Education 107). This actually
happened to me as early as elementary school when I was plopped onto the conveyor belt for
college. Having a label put on me for pre-college education is something I resent now because
those who are told from an early age that they arent meant for something, do not have a fair
chance at working hard to achieve their goal. For me, I have always felt obligated to go to
college because I was labeled as smart throughout school and I was taught that without a
higher education, I wouldnt be successful or find a good paying job.
The reading on cultural literacy really opened my eyes to how high quality the education
you receive is can be heavily impacted by the area of the country you grow up in, and even who
your parents are. In Cultural Literacy: Is it Time to Revisit the Debate?, Schwuizer says the
issue of cultural literacy is socioeconomically coded. This stuck with me because it means that
if you grow up attending a school where cultural literacy is not valued and you simply are not
educated with it, you are automatically very likely to be stuck in the social class you were born
into. However, the opposite is also true. If you attend a school that values education using
cultural literacy, you have that common platform of knowledge and are able to work your way up
because you can work with a higher variety of people. I especially liked the section where
Schwuizer discusses the importance of making everyone culturally literate, not just the wealthy.
This is where the idea of privileged education comes in. What makes it fair that just because a
child is born in a certain area, they are not privileged enough to receive a high quality education
that could eventually improve their life?
Immigration has been a hot topic in our country for some time now which is why
I thought it was important that the reading, Walking Across the Stage, was included in this

grouping about the issues of education. We often hear about jobs when it comes to immigration
issues, but usually do not hear anything about education and what the children of those
immigrants have to endure and overcome just to receive and education in the United States. It
wasnt their choice for their parents to enter the country illegally, but they have to suffer the
consequences of it. This reading talks about the federal dream act which gives students who are
under 16 and are children of immigrants the chance to become a citizen once they finish high
school and complete either 2 years of college or service in the military (Valdez 226). This hasnt
been put to vote yet, and I wonder why because it seems like it would help a lot of people and is
very fair. When Veronica tells her story, she describes her struggles to pay for college because
she was unable to receive any financial aid due to immigration. She also talks about how it was
extremely difficult to find work other than menial jobs that would pay under the table. She
describes the struggles her mom went through as well, such as not being able to get a drivers
license, lack of job security, and not having any health benefits. Veronica did not know about her
immigration status until she was 15. It is hard to put myself in her shoes because I dont see
myself ever having to leave the United States and go to another country because of issues here. I
can understand why Latin Americans want to come to our country because they hear so many
promising things about life here and want to make a better life for their families. It must be very
disappointing to arrive and have to struggle so much just because you came from another
country. Veronica discusses so many things that I never thought would be affected by lack of
citizenship such as not being able to visit her home country to see friends and family.
Overall, these readings opened my eyes to the real issues that are present in our country
revolving around our education system. These need to be discussed and solved in order for more

people to have a fair chance of receiving a well-rounded, high quality education regardless of
their financial situations, socioeconomic status, nationality, etc.
Works Cited
Delbanco, Andrew. College at Risk. Learning Power, 219-227.
The Myth of Education and Empowerment. Learning Power, 104-109.
Schweizer, Bernard. Cultural Literacy: Is it Time to Revisit the Debate?, The Higher Education
Journal, 51-56, Fall 2009.
Valdez, Veronica. Walking Across the Stage. Learning Power, 229-233.