Part II

 The American education system tries to educate children universally instead of individualizing a plan for each student. Everyone is taught in the same language and taught the same methods in classrooms that are typically aimed at students around the same level. They’re given tests on subjects the system deems as useful information and if they don’t test well enough they are held back by grade levels. Foreign children are often singled out because they get penalized for not speaking English and aren’t knowledgeable about subjects that the education system teaches. The reading also recounts stories of immigrants being told they couldn’t speak their home language at school. American children are usually raised speaking English as a main language or second language; they’re also familiar with the history, the measuring system, customs, etc. School: The Story of American Public Education also explains how foreign students were given tests in the English language (a foreign language to them) and were defined by these tests.

Rich children are given more one on one time because they can afford small private schools that have smaller classroom sizes. Private schools also typically have more funding and are able to afford new equipment, higher qualified teachers, specialists, materials, and hands-on activities like field trips. Rich children also receive extra help and opportunities like tutoring or exam prep classes. Everyone learns differently and individualized learning and private schools put rich children at an advantage over poor children in America. People born outside of American culture may have been taught different things that aren’t on the system's curriculum. People who have knowledge outside of the things being taught in schools are also smart and don’t deserve to be tested and categorized as having low intelligence. I believe the school system favors American-born children who speak English and have money.

 I also feel that the system can favor children who learn the way it's being presented and have good test-taking skills. Not everyone is good at taking tests; they often get so anxious and fail exams on subjects that they know. Everyone learns in a different way, some people learn through demonstration/visuals, some are hands-on, and some learn by reading steps and lessons. Children can also be very active at times and not be able to sit for long hours at a desk listening to lectures all day. Some children are better at athletics than academics and sports can be a motivating factor to sit down and figure out a plan to better their academics. Some schools can’t afford a sports program while rich schools never have to sacrifice one program over another. 

For example, the public high school I attended put its funds towards vocational programs that allow students to branch more toward their career interests. They also provided students with Chromebooks to use for their academics. However, my high school did not have a sports program because of the lack of funds. My high school was public but also had a strict enrollment process. Students who excelled academically or had connections to the school's administration had an advantage. I believe the American school system can do better at providing equal education for all but it needs more flexibility for the diverse group of students it’s supposed to serve. 

School: The story of American Public Education Part 1

         The first part of School: The story of American public education recounts the early history of the first conversations about the possibility of creating a functioning public school system. The book informs readers of the first attempt made by the colonizers to create schools for town children, which were called “common schools.” These early attempts unified communities because they all shared the goal of creating a space to educate their children. They would all scrap up anything they could together to hire a teacher. Though the settlers didn’t have much, they still came together as a community to do anything they could to hire a teacher.

                            

        The book then narrates the early efforts of people like Thomas Jefferson's work to push forward a public school system for the states. This early attempt divided the United states people because of the proposition to collect taxes to fund public schools. Funding for public schools causes a huge controversy over who deserves the taxpayers’ money. For example, in the early 1700s, schools were only available for white female children up to three years despite being much longer for white male children. Opinions on who deserves education also led to the conversation of what should be taught in these schools. For example, white female children’s education was mainly focused on housewife duties while the boys were taught more academic lessons. A divide between higher class and lower class people of the United States developed because those with more money could pay for longer or more education without depending on taxpayers’ money. 

        Later throughout the years in the book, the United States continues to divide itself within these conversations when other religions are brought into the conversation. The early settlers of the United States preached Protestant practices and this heavily influenced the public school education that they offered. Religion comes into conversation when immigrants with different religious backgrounds start to settle in the U.S. and don’t want their children being taught things that don’t fit their religion at home. As others begin to speak out about the unfairness in the public school system accommodating the majority more than other Americans, the conversation of schooling for African American and Native American children surfaces. The U.S. underfunded separate but “equal” schools for people of color. As more leaders of these under-represented groups began to emerge and speak out for them, it influenced the unity that exists today to pursue what’s known as the “American Dream.” 

                        

        Access to free public education is the reason the United States differs from other countries, especially back then in the earlier times of the newly recognized country. As Thomas Jefferson once stated, education is the key to preserving democracy. The country was founded as a way for citizens to obtain freedom away from a dictatorship or a monarchy. In order for democracy to live, education is necessary to push forward against any obstacles made by those who have the upper hand in society. Education is a weapon; it’s been utilized by every marginalized group in history, and it’s available to the average American citizen whereas, in other countries, that right has been stripped from its people. 

        Like many others that have come before me, I have planned to use education as my way out of unfortunate situations. My grandmother has pushed my education forward with the constant reminder that she wasn’t as fortunate as me; now, she has to depend on others to read and interpret important documents of everyday life. My hard work towards my education has awarded me free college and what’s considered “high-earning” jobs for a person as young as I am. My education has been my shield of protection from everything I’ve been through, and I couldn’t be thankful enough for this opportunity as a woman of color in today’s society.