"I just want to be average"

“I Just Wanna Be Average” By Mike Rose
At first, I had a really hard time trying to figure out the point that Mike Rose was trying to make. The first part of this writing was all just a story about his educational experience. I wondered how this mediocre student described in the story became the well educated and respected author he now appeared to be. The story he described sounded like scenes from one of those movies like Dangerous Minds, or Freedom Writers. I guess in a lot of ways his story does parallel those movies. He was counted amongst a group of students the education system had written off. No one expected much more from him then some sort of vocational career. I remember kids like that from my high school. They sat in the back of the class and joked around, often acting as the class clown. Most of the time the teachers would ignore them, they were headed nowhere anyway. I just wonder how many of those students had the same potential the author of this essay had, and I wonder how it was over looked.
It amazes me the impact a good teacher can have on students. I’m sure that we have all had at least one or two teachers who truly inspired and encouraged us. I know that I did, and without them I would never have gotten all the things I did out of high school. I don’t want to blame the failing education system on bad teachers. The past readings we have done make strong arguments that a lot of the problems facing our education system are bigger than that. It ultimately depends on the student if they pass or fail. The truth is, there are probably hundreds of thousands of kids written off by the system who have more potential then we could have ever dreamed. It makes me wonder what kind of great minds could have been unlocked had the right teacher come along. I wonder too, if every teacher had the same kind of ability as Mike Rose’s teacher, Mr. MacFarland, what kind of great minds would our education system produce. Mike Rose gives us a firsthand account of the difference a good teacher can make.
I found this writing to be a lot more uplifting and positive then the other two readings we have done concerning the education system. His writing was a little jumbled and confusing at first but towards the end he makes a clear point. A good teacher, who captures the interest of a class room, can do more for a student than an entire school full of unprofessional, unmotivated teachers. A good teacher is worth ten thousand mediocre teachers. They encourage and challenge students to not only be “normal” but to rise above any preconceived expectations.