Femininity

This week in class we discussed femininity, and woman's roles in society. For example, we read an article that discussed what happened to men in a small town when their wives went on a women's march for a weekend leaving men, "to juggle schedules on their own."(Bondyjan). This was down to outline the importance of women in daily lives which related to our broader topic of women's roles in society. Women are important to society today, and have many more opportunities than in the past. Yet in the Marvel movie universe, women have only been seen as a love interests and side characters. Though many of them are really cool and strong, such as Black Widow, we have yet to see a strong female lead character. This may be a clue into how women are still perceived in society. Though we have come a long way, and recognize woman's value, simple things like this show how much farther we have to go as a society. Marvel has planned to release a Captain Marvel movie in the next year, who is a female. Whether this was done as a response to the criticism they received for not having a current female lead or not, it is definitely a step in the right direction. I hope society can one day officially advance past any prejudices.

The Failing American School System

By many standards, the American school system is failing. According to a study by professors from Stanford University, only 6 percent of students in America are in advanced math, while over 20 percent of students in countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea are in advanced math. So, why is that the American system is failing compared to other countries, and how can it improve? Well, I believe the problem lies within the restrictions put forth by the NCLB, or No Child Left Behind. The NCLB states that all students must be proficient in math and reading by 2014, regardless of students with special needs, students who speak English as a second language, and students with less societal advantages. This is a problem because many schools are focusing in specifically teaching math and reading, instead of other important subjects like history, science, the arts, geography, and even recess. Children in the American school system are being deprived of very important subjects, all because of the restrictions made by the NCLB. Not to mention, schools that fail to meet the proficiency rate, are at risk for closing, or becoming a charter school. Without these restrictions in place, teachers would be able to teach students all the valuable subjects,without fear of losing the school.

Standarized Testing

This week in class, we furthered our discussion on the American school system, specifically standardized testing. The discussion is lead by the question of, "Who does the American school system serve?" In an article by Lori Higgins, it is revealed that Michigan government will be closing school that are underperforming on standardized tests, specifically, "in the bottom 5% academically,"(Higgins 1). I believe that this will benefit both student and government respectively. According to the article, "Schools wouldn't close if there are no high-performing options for the kids who are displaced."(Higgins 1). This means, that students will not be deprived of an education. On the contrary, they will be transferring to a high-performing school, which will give them an opportunity to learn at a better school. Closing schools also benefits  government because the money that went to that school, can be used somewhere else. Not to mention, the poor scores of the closing schools will no longer bring down the state's education rates. The only downsides are the possible relocation for families and the difficult transitions for some children to a new school. Though they will be entering a higher-performing school, this transition can be detrimental to students who already struggle in school. This can be resolved if they are relocated with many of their peers. In conclusion, I believe it is a win-win situation to close schools, despite a couple downsides.