Mike Rose Summary

Mike Rose, a professor of Social Research Methodology at the University of California, Los Angeles, has a self-proclaimed. driving interest in the post-secondary educational system, particularly how the educational system, specifically the junior college and community college entities, can be accessed and utilized by and for the less fortunate and those grossly under-prepared for the college scene, either by poor public education systems, legal and incarceration events that limit access, or other learning disabilities that preclude traditional entry into college. As an author and a blogger, Prof. Rose has done his fair share of research on the under-privileged and their access to higher education. The story that Prof. Rose discusses in this …show more content…
Rose notes that, on and off for twenty years, he has thought about this library encounter with Anthony and how Anthony looked at education. His powerful summary highlights the many lessons that arose from this brief encounter with Anthony, demonstrating “resilience and learning, about the power of hope and a second chance. It reminds us too of the importance of staying close to the ground, of finding out what people are thinking, of trying our best...This often means taking another line of sight on what seems familiar, seeing things in a new light.” The complacent professor sees his day as going to work, teaching, and looking forward to the end of the day when he can leave the campus and return home to his family. He has taken his opportunity to learn, and now his job is simply to impart his education to others, and frequently nothing more. The professor/instructor may look at the campus as nothing more than his office, and where he receives his paycheck. Contrast this with the optimistic outlook of a disadvantaged student, who has been given the opportunity to acquire basic education skills. The student sees the campus as the opportunity of a lifetime. (S)he sees the campus as opening doors to better paying employment, improvements in income and benefits, and betterment of him/herself for raising and providing for a family. For the student, the empty library, the nearly deserted campus, the dreary weather are not obstacles in the path; rather, the campus experience and classroom learning is the opportunity to succeed, even if it is later in life and a second chance. The education experience is not to be wasted on the young; the education experience is open to all willing to partake and put an effort forward. Like Anthony noted, it does not happen by osmosis; education requires effort, but it is available, regardless of background, disability, or other nebulous factors that could have, at some time, forced the potential student to forgo