Essay 2
Many would argue that failing students are either not intelligent or not applying themselves, but these arguments tend to ignore the education system’s inability to detect different types of students and adjust teaching styles accordingly. In the article “On Education: Intelligence in the Classroom”, Charles Murray suggests that intelligence is largely predetermined. He elaborates that some students, despite the quality of their education, are simply not capable of achieving academic success beyond a certain level. While this is obviously true in some extreme cases, I disagree that the problem is as widespread as the article claims it to be.
To use a clichéd metaphor, we treat education like a hammer and the students as nails. This is fine for the average everyday student who follows the same path taken by the majority. Some students; however, are simply not nails. This type of teaching is not compatible. Some people’s brains are different and the current education system does not take this into account. For example, I was sent to the “Special Class” in grade school because I was having trouble reading. Every time I …show more content…
Just because a student struggles to memorize a massive amount of information that they find both boring and pointless does not mean that they lack intelligence. The right teacher with the right style of teaching could inspire them and send them on a path to success. Murray states, “It is true that many social and economic problems are disproportionately found among people with little education, but the culprit for their educational deficit is often low intelligence. Refusing to come to grips with that reality has produced policies that have been ineffectual at best and damaging at worst.” (2). While I do agree that the policies are flawed, I find it hard to believe that the majority of the failing students have simply hit their personal ceiling of
Many would argue that failing students are either not intelligent or not applying themselves, but these arguments tend to ignore the education system’s inability to detect different types of students and adjust teaching styles accordingly. In the article “On Education: Intelligence in the Classroom”, Charles Murray suggests that intelligence is largely predetermined. He elaborates that some students, despite the quality of their education, are simply not capable of achieving academic success beyond a certain level. While this is obviously true in some extreme cases, I disagree that the problem is as widespread as the article claims it to be.
To use a clichéd metaphor, we treat education like a hammer and the students as nails. This is fine for the average everyday student who follows the same path taken by the majority. Some students; however, are simply not nails. This type of teaching is not compatible. Some people’s brains are different and the current education system does not take this into account. For example, I was sent to the “Special Class” in grade school because I was having trouble reading. Every time I …show more content…
Just because a student struggles to memorize a massive amount of information that they find both boring and pointless does not mean that they lack intelligence. The right teacher with the right style of teaching could inspire them and send them on a path to success. Murray states, “It is true that many social and economic problems are disproportionately found among people with little education, but the culprit for their educational deficit is often low intelligence. Refusing to come to grips with that reality has produced policies that have been ineffectual at best and damaging at worst.” (2). While I do agree that the policies are flawed, I find it hard to believe that the majority of the failing students have simply hit their personal ceiling of