Public Schools Need to Improve Their Academic Performance

Teachers and parents should encourage students to improve their academic performance skills for a better future. In the article “In Praise of The F Word,” Mary Sherry claims that a minority of public schools’ students will graduate this year, but without the necessary skills to perform future job tasks. They could be consider “semiliterate” by their future employers. Many students are discouraged by having been passed along in school until they could no longer even pretend to keep up. In addition, Sherry suggests that “flunking” can be a positive tool that works well with students, but both teachers and parents should work together, to make sure students are learning and doing their   homework. 

I am not surprised at all by this passage because I believe that United States’ public schools are lacking in academic performance. When students finish high school and have to take the ACT test, they fail the test because they are not able to do it. The facts are that students do not prepare well in high school, so their writing and reading skill are not competitive to go to college or to find a job. On the other hand, in Ecuador, the education system is strict with its academic performance. Also, it is very important to have a bond between teachers and parents to encourage students to achieve their diploma with good grades. 

The United States’ Board of Education academic performance is not good enough. Nowadays, many American students have difficulties when they finish high school because their academic skills are very low. The reading says that students in the U.S.A graduate without basic academic skills. It is reminds me of my cousin Stephanie, she was born in U.S.A, and her first language is English. One day Stephanie asked how to spell Manhattan, that was ashamed to my because it is a word that everyone knows how to spell. In addition, many American students do not know about geographic, history and cultures. It is incredible how to not to know this basic skill. When my other cousin Kathy who her first language is English. She graduated from John Jay College. Kathy told me that she did not know that there are countries named Paraguay and Dubai, it is lacking of knowledge. I believe that United States’ Board of Education must change its education system to improve its academic performance, sending more homework and being strict in order to help their students to improve their academic knowledge skills. 

There are many factors that are affecting to students from public schools in United States. Students have problems in their academic performance. The first problem is that in one class room, there are many students. So the teacher cannot be focus in the student who is in trouble. The second problem is that teachers and parents should have a better communication, and should make meetings more often to talk about if students are doing well in the school. Students must have a better attention because they need someone who encouraged them in their academic performance. 

To contrast, Ecuador where I come from. Ecuador’s academic performances, it makes me proud. Ecuador is a small country, where students fight to pass to the next class and to be a professional in the future. This is their goal.  The reading says that flunking students is a positive tool to students. I identified with this reading because when I went to the school in Ecuador, I had to study hard to pass my class. It was not easy and I was afraid of losing my class because in Ecuador if someone fails the class, students have to find another school. In Ecuador, the schools require to the students to have clean notes book and to make a perfect handwriting. Also, students must have basic knowledge of many subjects such as social sciences, natural sciences, humanities and math, if the students do not have these requirement, their grades would be lower or fail the class. Ecuador’s schools tend to persuade to the students to finish school with excellent grades. So students are ready to go to college with excellent academic skills. 

To conclude, this article “In Praise of the F Word” is very informative because United States’ Board of Education should realize the importance of changing the academic performance to improve students’ academic skills and to apply extra hours to students who are not doing well in the school. In addition, Ecuador would be a good example for the United States to follow their academic performances. An important suggestion, public schools should make meeting more often between teachers and parents to talk about their students and their academic grades because it is going to work in a positive way for students’ future. Education is the key to open many doors.

Are Women Better Organized Than Men?

Women always have everything under control in their lives. The article “Are Women Really Better At Multi-tasking?” is about how women can cope with many tasks at the same time while men cannot. Also, the reading explains how researchers gave to both genders three similar- chores at the same time, in order to see their potential skills at multitasking. The result of the experiment was that men did well their two first chores without problem, but women impressed the researchers with the third activities. It was complicated, but women did well. The reading says that men did not have a clear idea how to do their chores. They just started faster and also they did not organize the activities. On the other hand, women tended to plan how to finish their activities in order to find their aims.  

First, I am astonished by the differences described in the article. Women and men develop their skills in different ways. The reading says “women really are better than men at juggling more than one task at once.” They just need to know in which activities they can be multitasking. For example, a man cannot cook while he talks on the phone. He may burn the house. On the other hand a woman can cook, clean and take care of children at the same time.  A woman can manage a big company without a problem. Also, a woman can be a housewife and worker at the same time while a man cannot.                       

Second, this reading makes me think about single parents. The reading says that men are not as organized as women. This is true because there are many cases where single parents cannot take care of their children on their own. This passage reminds me the show “Full House” about a widow father named Danny Tanner. He cannot take care of his three children. He needs help from his best friend and his brother to watch and feed his children, also, do the house work because Danny is not capable of doing by himself. In addition, Danny works as a TV host and he is not organized with his life after his wife passed away. This is evidence even on a TV show that men need extra help to have an organized life.                          Third, women just are better organized than men at home and at work. The reading says that women are more organized and they start step by step while men jump and dash around and to do their activities. Men do not analyze the situation first. On the other hand women are meticulous and organized with chores. For example, my mom who was a widow twenty years ago raised my two sisters and me by herself. My mom never complicated her life. She always made a agenda for activities such as homework, dinner and bath time. She was a both worker and mother at the same time. I am aware that women do an excellent job handling house chores and work at the same time especially when they are single mothers. After read the passage I believe that women are better than men at multitasking.                                   To conclude, the passage “Are Women Really Better At Multi-Tasking?” is very informative because it shows the differences between men and women when dealing with many activities. The result of this experiment is the women are better organized than men. Men should learn from women how to be better organized.  Men can handle different chores at the same time and they can improve their lives.                

Airports Try to Improve Their Security

• In the article “ Administration to Seek balance In Airport Screening,” By Scott Shane States that airport screening has increased due to threats of new terror attacks on aviation. Also, Shane points out that passenger, pilots and members of congress voted showing that about 80% of the public supports the use of body scanners and a minority of 1% of passengers avoid using scanners because there is no privacy. In addition, Shane points out another security alternative which includes “based on advance intelligence, questioning travelers and watching their behavior”.