Janavia Cousins To me success cannot be defined.

I think success is what an individual takes pride in, what they are proud of, a major goal they have accomplished. Everyone has their own standards for being successful. You do not need to have a four year degree to be successful. Nor do you have to know how to run a football down a field or dribble a basketball down a court. You most certainly cannot let a bad teacher determine your success. In the Basement of the Ivory Tower by Professor X has so far been one of my favorite articles that we have read in class. In this article Professor X stated, I work at colleges of last resort. For many of my students, college was not a goal they spent years preparing for, but a place they landed in. I completely disagree with this statement and I am kind of offended. My mother went to a community college because she gave birth to my sister right out of high school and wanted to stay home and take care of her and get her education at the same time. Its not like she didnt want to attend a four year college, she just couldnt at the time. My mom received her associates degree and is now a big shot boss at Hewlett Packard and she achieved that without having to go off to school. She wants to go back to school to get her Bachelors degree to learn more about database administration dealing with her job and I commend her for that because she really does not need or have to. People also go to community college because they cant afford the expensive tuition at a state university. There are many reasons people decide to go to community college but I do not think it is a last resort at all. Going to a community college does not mean someone is less of a person or below someone who attends a four year school. I am the first person in my immediate family to attend a four year college and I have never and will never look down on anyone in my family for not making the decision I made because they are all successful in their own way.

Janavia Cousins I think society as a whole expects everyone to attend college and get their Bachelors degree and then just go work. Society is boring. Gatto stated in his article, And plenty of people throughout the world today find a way to educate themselves without resorting to a system of compulsory secondary schools that all too often resemble prisons. Why, then, do Americans confuse education with just such a system? I dont think it is necessary to come to college to be successful because Im pretty sure there are people in this world who are successful without any type of degree. Who determines the success of another person or what one person feels is successful? For the job and the goals I want to accomplish later in life, yes, I do need a degree. But if someone wants to be a very successful dog walker whos going to tell them they cant do it and be the best dog walker in the nation without a degree? College isnt for everyone and if someone feels like they can achieve whatever they have their mind set on without a degree why not go for it. Laziness is probably the number reason people think that certain indivduals dont go to college. Just like people think that students in remedial or vocational classes are lazy. There were quite a view stereotypical messages expressed in the article I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose that we read in class; such as the dumb jock. I can admit that in high school the guys that played sports were somewhat babied, meaning they didnt have to go to class if they didnt want to and still passed the class without doing half of the work. If the teacher and the coach were close or if the school needed a win on Friday night their lack of attendance was unnoticed. But I do know some athletes who didnt get down with being babied. One of my classmates was offered an athletic scholarship from one school and an academic scholarship from another school. Many people were shocked that he was even offered the academic scholarship but it just goes to show how people judge athletes from the jump; but they arent all

Janavia Cousins dumb. Now some of the jocks were lazy and in remedial classes but that doesnt necessarily mean theyre dumb; they just didnt apply themselvesfitting right into the stereotype. I dont think its always the students fault, its the teachers fault sometimes too. I think teaching and learning are a 50/50 relationship when it comes to teachers and students. Everyone needs a push and drive coming from somewhere. As students we dont know what to expect when stepping into a classroom, we just know we have to learn whatever the subject may be. But who gets excited about history? I know I dont so thats where the teacher comes in. Teachers arent just supposed to teach the subject, I think theyre supposed to teach us somewhat of a life lesson. Teachers are supposed to be role models. If my teacher comes into class late with a nonchalant attitude and acts if theyre being forced to teach with a gun to their head Im not going to care about doing my work or let alone showing up on time or at all. Its all a chain reaction; good student gets a bad teacher, good student turns into bad student, bad student gets good teacher, good teacher gets frustrated by bad student and becomes a bad teacher and it repeats over and over again. Ive had a few bad teachers in this school journey but Ive never let them get to me. They have their degree and job, whether they enjoyed it or not wasnt my problem or concern. I just needed them to fulfill their duties and educate me so I could move forward. Consistency, understanding, enthusiasm and drive are what I look for in a good teacher. Theres no need for a teacher to waste their time in the classroom if they dont like/love what they do. And theres no need for a student to be taking up space in a classroom when they have no long term goals to do anything with the information being taught to them. No one is forced to go to school so I think that if you decide to attend school you are making it your responsibility.

Janavia Cousins You can only do what is best for yourself whether you enroll into a community college or a four year school; be proud of that. Not ready for standard and want to stick in remedial classes? Then stick to that. Thinking that your only way out is to have a ball in your hand? Then by all means do what you have to do. Just remember no one can determine your success; only you can.