I Just Wanna Be Average Essay

I Just Wanna Be Average Summary
In "I Just Wanna Be Average", Mike Rose talks of his high school experience. He test was
accidentally switched with another student and placed in vocational classes because of the lower
scores on the test. This included a lower level English class, business math, and typing. Rose talks
about his classes and his teachers he had and their lack of enthusiasm. The students he was now
surrounded by liked to fight, and were even bullied by gym teachers. Rose was put into a vocational
education program with those who were not doing as well as others. Rose states "Students will
float to the mark you set" (126). What he is saying is that if you have low expectations for students,
they will only reach those expectations. They will not do as well
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Teachers In Rose's I Just Wanna Be Average
In Rose's "I Just Wanna Be Average", readers can determine from what he says that teachers play
an integral role in the educations of students. When others are teaching you what to do, it
becomes easier to understand; when others are not teaching you, it becomes harder to understand.
You can tell how essential a teacher is to a student if you were to read Rose's narrative and see
that: students float to expectations, if teachers don't expect anything of you they won't help you,
and how beneficial it is to have a teacher who challenges you to be better. If a teacher doesn't
challenge a student then that student will end up not trying their hardest in class, they will
instead work with only half a mind. Rose says this when he talks about how the students effort
depends on how much metaphorical water there is (Rose 2). If there is a lot of that water
students will only work as hard as they need to be able to breathe, and if there is very little of the
metaphorical water they wouldn't work as hard. Rose's idea of the bobbing students, shows that
students only try as hard as the teacher pushes them. When teachers don't expect anything of you
they won't try to teach you. Rose tells about how each of his teachers didn't think anything of him
due to being in the vocational track, like when he wrote "''Rose'? What the hell kind of name is
that?' 'Italian, sir,' I squeaked. 'Italian! Ho. Rose, do you know the sound a bag of shit makes when
it hits the wall?' 'No, sir.' 'Wop!'"

Mark Rose's Essay I Just Wanna Be Average
Mark Rose once said in the essay I Just Wanna Be Average, "Students will float to the mark you
set." This quotation means that in order for students to succeed in there academics they need a
teacher who will demonstrate to the students that they believe and have faith they will succeed in
there class. In order for many students to reach there potential the teacher needs to be supporting
and willing to take the time to help there students and give the encouragement they need to succeed.
Students are all at different levels so some will "float to the mark" at a faster pace than others, but
some will be lazy, and others will drown. Throughout my life education has pushed me to succeed in
my future, and has motivated me and many students through the education system. The first day a
child attends pre–school they begin to reveal talents and potential as they get older. It's a child
responsibility to perform there best in his or her studies, but that cannot be achieved without the
support and help of a teacher. Growing up as a child I've always attended a Catholic school. During
freshman year of high school both of my grandparents died, this made me...show more content...
Many teachers can see students that do not have any motivation to want to progress in there studies.
Similar to my situation they can counsel the student to help motivate them. Also by staying late after
school to help students with topics they have difficultly understanding they can pass easily and
pursue a better career. Another way that can help students motivate themselves through the
educational system is through guidance counselors. In my high school students were assigned
counselors that they needed to talk to at least once a week about anything we were dealing with.
This helps many students because they can discuss problems at home which can cause difficultly in
school, or help find other ways to help in a certain

Summary Of I Just Wanna Be Average By Mike Rose
In his essay "I Just Wanna be Average," Mike Rose approaches his argument based off of his own
personal experience, revealing the unjust curricular and teaching styles in lower level education.
Rose utilizes his credibility and relatability to the subject and the systemic organization of his essay
to further his claim.
Mike Rose has a long list of acclimations and credentials. He is a publisher, a professor, and "has
won awards from the National Academy of Education, the National Council of Teachers of English,
and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation." The fact that he is a successful writer
and teacher, and clearly has experience in the education system greatly increases his credibility.
From the small background section on Rose in the beginning, the reader knows that the author is
qualified to state his claim on this subject, because he is a well educated and well respected man.
This is made even more clear through his writing. The premise of Rose's essay is delivered as a
narrative. This is his most fundamental approach in developing his claim. In his essay, he is
essentially addressing two audiences; directly addressing those who have experienced the
vocational track, and informing those who have not. He is able to relate to both audiences because
he was placed into and "remained in the vocational track for two years," and then was later
recommended to "begin his junior year in the College Prep program." His first hand experience in
each educational program

I Just Wanna Be Average By Jean Anyon Analysis
Jean Anyon's essay and study of "The Hidden Curriculum of Schools" argues that the quality of
education you receive is solely based on your standing in the different levels of social classes in
which you were born into. Mike Rose's essay "I Just Wanna Be Average" confirms this hidden
curriculum as he recalls his misplacement into vocational school in which the parents of the students
that attended worked blue–collar jobs. Mike Rose's essay confirms Jean Anyon's study in showing
that your education is heavily based upon the social class you are in. The lower you rank in social
class the less of an education you receive whereas students that rank higher receive a more quality
education. Both authors argue, correctly, that education should work...show more content...
There were a few teachers who worked hard at education..." (...). He uses words such as "dumping
ground' and "disaffected" to how that the Vocational track education that Rose received relates
closely to the education of students in most working class schools. The teachers in this school were
almost always uninterested and untrained which then reflected onto the students. The same
disinterest of education that the teachers showed oftentimes reflected onto the students. The students
in the Vocational track rarely cared about making high marks or actually receiving a meaningful
education thus trapping them in the same unskilled jobs as their parents."If you're a working–class
kid in the vocational track, the options you'll have to deal with this will be constrained in certain
ways: you're defined by your school as "slow"; you're placed in a curriculum that isn't designed to
liberate you but to occupy you, or, if you're lucky, train you, though the training is for work the
society does not esteem."(...). If these same students in Rose's essay had received a more quality
education just like the students of higher classes, then morale amongst the students would have
increased and encouraged the students to do better and break the cycle of entrapment in low paying
working class

The main point of Mike Rose's Essay "I Just Wanna Be Average" is that being average is not the
only thing for you to do. Throughout the essay he talks about how he started at the lowest part of
the class. Where all the kids who weren't doing very well in school or kids who didn't really care
much about school. He went through some hard times during his life and he failed at many things
in school and wasn't getting the best grades. However, he showed compassions in Biology. He did
very well and actually got put in college prep classes, where the smarter kids in his school were.
Rose is trying to say that there is a lot more to education than what most kids want from it, which is
just doing the minimum and getting C's. When Rose was placed

I Just Wanna Be Average, By Mike Rose
"I Just Wanna Be Average", is a book written by Mike Rose, which goes into detail about how he
went through an education system that wasn't designed for himself, but more so for the students that
we're not so smart. In this environment he was with both teachers and students that didn't care much
about school. He went to describe how even though the students wasn't very educated many of
them was special in their own ways, while others just never tried in school. One of the students he
meet was Ken Harvey, who when asked about their opinion on working hard to reach their goals
said, "I just wanted to be average". Rose questioned why Harvey would settle for less than he had
potential for. During Rose's sophomore year his teacher checked his school

I Just Wanna Be Average By Michael Rose Summary
In Michael Rose's essay I Just Wanna Be Average, he claims that "[s]tudents will float to the mark"
teachers set, based on his experiences in a vocational education program and a more liberal
education program. In my opinion, I agree that "[s]tudents will float to the mark" teachers set if they
do not strive to find their own individuality as they go through the different stages of schooling and
do not value the education that is being taught to them at a specific level.
For starters, I believe that in elementary school, students do not necessarily have a choice in
whether or not they want to "float to the mark" that teachers set, because elementary school is a time
where students are being prepared to learn and get the basics of subjects...show more content...
As students were forced into their growth of knowledge in elementary school and middle school by
continuously being taught basics, in order to prepare them for high school and beyond, they get to
gain their freedom and decide whether or not they want to meet their teachers' marks in high school.
Throughout the school year, there comes a time where students have to sign up for classes. By
having this choice, students can decide on how they want to challenge themselves in the next
school year. During my two and a half years of high school that I have conquered so far, I learned
that in a classroom setting there are students who take advanced courses, enjoy the subjects that they
chose to take, and try their best to get the best grades that they can receive, in order to prepare them
for their future in adulthood. However, there are also students who do not try or realize the
importance of the free education given to them because they do not have an interest in the subjects
that teachers are teaching them or are just being forced by their students to attend school. Some
teachers try their best to bring out the motivation in these students who do not yet see that education
is power and freedom, but there are also teachers who ignore these helpless students that are blinded
by the present things that affect them like popularity or living with the motto that "you only live
once", because these teachers do not have the inspiration in the

I Just Wanna Be Average Essay
Denise Cid
Professor Gaydosh
English 101
13 March 2017 Education is what initially builds us and sets us apart from others. In "I Just Wanna
Be Average" by Mike Rose, vocational education "a euphemism for the bottom level" is what set
Mike Rose and his classmates apart from the rest of the school. VocationalEducation seemed to
affect Mike Rose in a negative and positive way. From the negative experiences he went through
with his teachers and the low perspective others had of the "vocational track and their students" to
the positive outcomes of how having other teachers that care for him and his education and only
want what is best for him and his future. Throughout the two years of vocational education Rose
had some terrible experiences with the teachers. Rose was physically abuse by his teachers. "..And
occasionally he would lose control and shake or smack–us. I hadn't been there two months when one
of his brisk, face–turning slaps had my glasses sliding down the aisle."(Pg.125) Rose was abused by
his teacher just because the students would get...show more content...
Vocational Education was viewed as the key point to Rose life. It prepared him to the "real
world." "Vocational Education has aimed at increasing the economic opportunities of students who
do not do well in our schools. Some serious programs succeed in doing that... there were a few
teachers who worked hard at education; young Brother Slattery, for example, combined a stern
voice with weekly quizzes to try to pass along a skeletal outline of world history."(Pg.126) Rose was
blessed with some teachers in that track that found one way or another to help them and get things
stuck to

Essay on I Just Wanna Be Average
"I Just Wanna Be Average"
By: Mike Rose
Summary:
In the story "I Just Wanna Be Average" the author Mike Rose argues that society very often neglects
and doesn't see the full value and potential of students.
As a student you're not the only that is frustrated. Rose explains how even dealing with the issues
and difficulty of a highly respected professor you can still somehow find comfort as a student and
learn to deal with the issues of the professor in your own way. Rose also points out that the impact
a teacher has on his or her students is very powerful. I know from experience that when you as a
student can respect and relate to a teacher your more willing to put as much effort as you can into
your own work. Rose...show more content...
The students in this track were often labeled as "unruly, and not motivated" and of course the
parents and students are faced with embarrassment which can be tragic just from an error this
school had made. If Professor Rose had not taken that single Biology course his sophomore year in
"Our Lady of Mercy" his educational career as a professor would not have been a success. It is
always very important teachers understand the importance and responsibility of their role that is in
these student's everyday lives, they shape the way these students think, and understand everyday
education we use. During the essay Ken Harvey mentions that he just wants to be average and
considers himself to be below average while Rose is thinking to himself what an absurd comment it
was. When an individual is constantly told that he or she is not smart they can't do this or that it
lowers their confidence and they actually start working at that level and not striving for the highest
standard. Teachers and or professors have many responsibilities including the most important one
which is knowing and making sure the student or child understands every single lesson they teach.
Logos:
Mike rose clearly demonstrates that teachers and students as well have to and must take active roles
in any education program. Any type of person of education which can be a teacher,

Why I Just Wanna Be Average
One of the main quotes Rose adds is when Ken Harvey says "'I just wanna be average" (80).
Hearing this shocked Rose because people never strive to be just average, but in a place where
they are already seen as being slower this was what they wanted. Depending on the background that
someone comes from can affect the way they are in a classroom compared to others. Some have
advantages right off the bat over some students because of their family or other influences. It can be
easy for a student to work to be average but it can be difficult for people like this to work to be
beyond this. It can be challenging when you are basically told by being in lower level classes that
you are suppose to be doing that well in the first place.

Rhetorical Analysis Of I Just Wanna Be Average
Rhetorical analysis: "I Just Wanna Be Average"
In the schooling system that we have now a days students are separated by their intelligence. The
way that they are separated by their intelligence is by taking a test for their IQ, they are then
separated into different classes. What people don't realize is that even the students who are put in
the lowest classes can have great potential and can move up. In article "I Just Wanna Be Average"
author Mike Rose uses ethos and pathos in order to prove students who are wrtiiten off of the school
system have unrealized potential and the failure of students who go through high school belligerent,
fearful, bored, etc.
Roses article used pathos to prove that students fail because of fear . An example to prove that
Rose uses pathos is when he says in the article "his voice would rise in paranoid accusations, and
...show more content...
They are separated by their IQ test scores and then separated. These students are basically defined
if they will make it by the way that they are separated in school. Basically all of the lower class
students are written out of the system as if they wont make it while the smarter students get
fancier things and will make in with their schooling. Also the teachers do not really encourage the
students to progress especially the students who are in the lower classes because they are
considered to be slow. Also because the teachers were rude or also hitting the students it would
cause them to have fear and not want to go to school and that would not help them to excel. Also
what I understood is for example how Rose had Mr.MacFarland to help him out and push him and
make him to things schooling wise it made rose better himself and want to excel in school. Wich
helped him out because he made something out of himself and he proved others wrong that one
from the lower class can be something in

I Just Wanna Be Average
"I Just Wanna Be Average"
MIKE ROSE
Mike Rose is anything but average: he has published poetry, scholarly research, a textbook, and two
widely praised books on education in AmerВica. A professor in the School of Education at UCLA,
Rose has won awards from the National Academy of Education, the National Council of Teachers of
English, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Below you'll read the story of how
this highly successful teacher and writer started high school in the "vocational education" track,
learning dead–end skills from teachers who were often underprepared or incompetent. Rose shows
that students whom the system has written off can have tremendous unrealВized potential, and his
critique of the school system...show more content...
"'Rose' ? What the hell kind of name is that?"
"Italian, sir," I squeaked.
"Italian! Ho. Rose, do you know the sound a bag of shit makes when it hits the wall?"
"No, sir."
"Wop!".
Sophomore English was taught by Mr. Mitropetros. He was a large, beВjeweled man who managed
the parking lot at the Shrine Auditorium. He would crow and preen and list for us the stars he'd
brushed against. We'd ask questions and glance knowingly and snicker, and all that fueled the
poor guy to brag some more. Parking cars was his night job. He had little training in English, so
his lesson plan for his day work had us reading the district's required text, Julius Caesar, aloud for
the semester. We'd finished the play way before the twenty weeks was up, so he'd have us switch
parts again and again and start again: Dave Snyder, the fastest guy at Mercy, muscling through
Caesar to the breathless squeals of Calpurnia, as interpreted by Steve Fusco, a surfer who owned
the school's most envied paneled wagon. Week ten and Dave and Steve would take on new roles, as
would we all, and render a water–logged Cassius and a Brutus that are beyond my powers of
description.
Spanish I – taken in the second year – fell into the hands of a new reВcruit. Mr. Montez was a tiny
man, slight, five foot six at the most, softВ–spoken and delicate. Spanish was a particularly rowdy
class, and Mr. MonВtez was as prepared for it as a doily maker at a hammer throw. He would

Mike Rose I Just Wanna Be Average Summary
According to one study, over 7,000 American students drop out of high school each day; that
equals about 1.2 million students every year! ("11 Facts," n.d., p. 1). Mike Rose, the author of "I
Just Wanna Be Average" was almost included in this statistic. Luckily, Rose was "saved" by one of
his teachers, who stoked his love for learning. In his story, Mike Rose effectively addresses the
issues with public education by sharing his anecdote about taking vocational classes and providing
"several reasons for the 'failure' of students who go through high school belligerent, fearful, stoned,
frustrated, or just plain bored" (1989, p. 1). Rose's purpose for writing "I Just Wanna Be Average" is
to inform the general public of the current education system and how it needs to change. Through a
relaxed, yet passionate tone, Rose showed that teachers need to be more energetic and engaging with
their students. Because schools are unengaging and boring, student dropouts are occurring–– and for
the same reasons today as they were thirty years ago. A study that was released in 2005...show more
content...
These students "reported that high school was 'boring, nothing I was interested in,' or 'it was
boring... the teacher just stood in front of the room and just talked and didn't really like involve
you'" (Rumberger, 2011, p. 157). Mike Rose recognized this in his story when he said that the
vocational track was "most often a place for those who are not just making it, a dumping ground
for the disaffected" (1989, p. 3). The teachers had no clue "how to engage the imaginations of us
kids who were scuttling along at the bottom of the pond" (1989, p. 3) and lacked inventiveness. In
the 1980's and even in 2005, students were bored with the teachers because the teachers were
uncreative in their lessons. The students, in turn, stopped liking school and felt no need to

Students will become what their teachers believe they can become. If a teacher believes a student
lacks motivation and is in the lower level class, such as the vocational track instead of the college
track, often times the students won't care or put in effort to succeed. The expectations or absence of
them, damages the future of these students and their yearning for greatness. Mike Rose recounts his
years in vocational school in the short story, "I Just Wanna Be Average" as he struggles with physical
abuse from his teachers that utilized their power to control the ill–mannered youths, coupled with his
lack of desire to learn, only to discover how one educator could transform his view on education.
Physical violence causes negative effects...show more content...
MacFarland had a love for teaching that was unmatched and unseen by the vocational students
before his class. Rose had several years of academic indifference built up, only for MacFarland to
break that down. Rose described his relationship with MacFarland as a "role model that wasn't
shaped on physical prowess alone" (34), Rose acknowledges that he wasn't prepared for this new
style of teaching. MacFarland ignited Rose's love for reading and writing, simply by caring about
his students, something that wasn't done by the other educators. Rose was able to continue onto
college, because he had a teacher that was willing to put in the time and effort to ensure a positive
future for his student. MacFarland saw past the vocational track and lower level classes to actually
teach the class and encourage them to truly

Mike Rose I Just Wanna Be Average Analysis
In the essay "I Just Wanna Be Average," Mike Rose explains how the failure of students is all
revolved around the teachers, when the fault should be put on everybody.
Mike Rose blames the failing success of students fully on teachers when in reality teachers have the
ability and responsibility to be the savior, but in order for teachers to become the savior they have
to be fully qualified to teach their curriculum. Mike Rose wrote this essay about himself when he
was a student, now back then teachers were ill prepared and could teach any curriculum that they
wished even though they weren't fully educated in that area. The educational system has changed
since then and teachers are now more fully equipped with knowledge for a certain field that

In the excerpt "I Just Wanna Be Average" written by Mike Rose, Rose describes his life in
vocational education, which are lower division classes for students. Rose was placed in vocational
educational classes accidentally when they confused his placement test with someone else's.
Moreover, his teachers, Mr.Montez, Mr. Mitropetros, were no help to in vocationaleducation. The
teachers had no interest in assisting with the students and utilized physical violence towards them.
Rose's fellow classmates were all different and unique in their own way, however, had on quality in
common– that they had no motivation towards learning and receiving an education. One of his
classmate named Ken Harvey stated: "I just wanna be average."(Rose 127) At first

In Mike Rose's, "I Just Wanna Be Average", he discusses his personal struggles during his high
school career. From the very beginning Rose was expected to do poorly due to being placed in a
vocational program. This literary piece describes a man's endeavors to make the best of his situation
and to eventually make something of himself. When Rose first enrolled in school he was mistaken
for someone else and put into a program designed for students who aren't expected to do so well.
Thus, the teachers were not enthusiastic about their jobs and the students were extremely
unmotivated, including Rose. During his sophomore year, however, Rose did exceptionally well in
his biology class. His teacher examines his academic records and uncovers the

Analysis Of I Just Wanna Be Average
Melinda Gates once said, "kids are falling through the cracks and nobody notices it. That to me is
what's wrong with the school system." The American school system claims to want every child to
thrive, but teachers give up on students they feel are not worthy of their time. In "I Just Wanna
Be Average" by Mike Rose, Rose discusses how his school placed him on a certain path that
eliminated his motivation and love for learning. The labels that brand every student make or break
their educational careers. Mike Rose's "I Just Wanna Be Average" depresses me as an alumna of a
public school system. Having seen friends and classmates caught by the current of my school's
expectations, I know that students are put on tracks as soon as they step...show more content...
By the time September rolled around students have forgotten what classes they registered for. My
school liked to move past things as quickly as possible. To elaborate, each student would receive a
book with every class the high school had to offer, regardless of grade and prerequisites. Then,
each student had to return a specific form with all the classes they would take within a week of
attaining the book of courses. Knowing which class to take and how it would affect your next
four years was a shared mystery to all the incoming freshman. While a flowchart detailing how the
mathematics classes lead into each other was provided, all other classes looked as if they would
never relate to one another. What the school failed to express to us is that once a student is put
into a class, there is no switching out or dropping the class if the class proves too challenging or
too easy, the class you take the following year has already been determined, and that if you want to
try something new, you had better take the prerequisite early. As Rose wrote, "school can be a
tremendously disorienting place" (127), and the absence of communication between students and the
rest of the school verifies this disorientation. The illusion that students have a choice in how their
education grows is perpetuated by a system that thinks it knows best. Not enough has changed over
the past 50 years when Rose attended high school. Yes, teachers can no longer berate troublemakers
with

I Just Wanna Be Average
" 'I just wanna be average'. That woke me up. Average? who wants to be average?" (155). Rose is
surprised that any student in reality wants to be academically average. As a student, it is desired
to succeed in school and do your very best. No one wants to known as the "fly by", meaning you
did what was asked for, nothing more nothing less. Just did what is required. Rose's test results
got confused with another student named Rose so he was placed in the vocational track; placed in
classes that meant "dead ends". Many of his teachers did not have the desire to be role models and
mentors instead they were driven to violence. "My homeroom was supervised by Brother Dill, a
troubled and unstable man, when his class drifted away from him, which

I Just Wanna Be Average Essay

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I Just Wanna Be Average Essay