Kadoka High School
Kadoka, South Dakota
Teacher: Teresa Shuck
Have We Abandoned Excellence?
By Jamie Brown
11th grade
What is excellence? According to www.dictionary.com, excellence is defined as the quality of being excellent; state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; exalted merit; superiority in virtue. One question that everyone is wondering is: Have we abandoned excellence? In my opinion, I think that we have abandoned excellence. I believe that we have abandoned excellence in school and race, medicine, employment, government, and many more categories.
In school, the teachers are not as strict as they used to be. I am not saying that they would necessarily need to assign more work for us to do, but just simply explain what they are teaching better so that all students understand what they are doing. Many students are either average or below average, and there are not many students that are above average. The above average students are striving for excellence. I think that many students are average or below average because some of the teachers are not teaching to their full potential. Being from a small town, I know that there are many teaching jobs available, but many do not apply for them. Maybe one teacher is teaching five math classes a day, but there is another teacher that only teaches two math classes a day. Why not let the teacher with the two math classes a day teach one of the math classes that the teacher with five a day is teaching? I think that would put less pressure on the teacher with five math classes a day.
A federal court judged in San Francisco ruled that Chinese-American students must score 66 out of a possible 69 to receive admittance to the Lowell High magnet school. Spanish students only need 56 out of 69, and other ethnic groups need 59 out of 69.
In medicine, it seems that doctors that live in different countries are coming the United States with just as much, if not more, knowledge then the doctors in the United States. The doctors in the United States might learn something new from the doctors that have come from different countries, and maybe the doctors that come to the United States from different countries will learn something new from the doctors in the United States. If we strived to do our best in medicine, I think that we would be able to find cures for things such as cancer, AIDS, HIV, Steven Johnston Syndrome, and West Nile.
There are many people in the world today that do not have jobs. Many businesses are looking for employees; but the people that apply for the job do not have the right qualifications to do the job, so the business rejects them. Why not accept the closest people that apply for the job and teach them what it is that they would want them to do. If people have messed up in their life and want to get back on track or start over, giving them a job would be the first step in helping them achieve their goal.
It seems that in government, the president, vice president, and whomever else is involved, are able to get way with just about anything now days. One example of this would be the President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky ordeal. Another example of this would be when United States Representative for Congress, Bill Janklow, killed a motorcyclist near Flandreau, South Dakota. If it were anyone else, he or she would have been thrown in jail right away. In but in this case, it was Representative Bill Janklow, so he was not thrown in jail right away.
I believe I, myself, have abandoned excellence. For many things that I do, I mostly settle for just mediocre, unless I am very interested in what I am doing. I know that I should try to strive for more excellence, but I am content with just being mediocre. Most of the time I try to look for the best in people. This will help me be a better person. I'll admit that sometimes it is not the easiest thing in the world to do, but I know I try. I also believe that I am moving in the right direction to better my excellence. Sometimes I seek out people, books, magazines, and movies that will help me with my excellence. So far, I believe that I am doing all right with excellence in that category. If I am able to reach my highest goals in my life, I will know that I have strived for excellence in myself.
Questions
Q1 - Am I really where I want to be?
No, I am not where I want to be as far as excellence goes. I know that I could do better, and I try every day to be better.
Q2 - Am I moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution?
Yes, I believe that I am moving in the direction that will enable me to make the greatest contribution.
Q3 - If I could achieve my highest goals, what would my accomplishments look like?
If I could achieve my highest goals, my accomplishments would be to win a State Basketball or Volleyball title, going to and placing at the State Track Meet, and to play basketball at a top-ranked school or to play in the WNBA.
Q4 - Do I recognize excellence and search it out or do I find mediocre acceptable and am willing to settle?
I recognize excellence, but I do not search it out, I usually find mediocre acceptable and am willing to settle.
Q5 - Do I seek out people, books, movies and other things that encourage me to be the best I can be?
Yes I do. Sometimes if I am having trouble with my work, I will ask someone else for help or I will refer to the Internet to find the answer.
Q6 - Do I recognize the best in others?
I'll admit that sometimes I don't recognize the best in others, because sometimes it is hard to do, but I try to recognize the best in others.
Q7 - Do you agree with Morrow (paragraph seven) that: "Excellence demands standards. It does not usually flourish in the midst of rapid, hectic change. This century's sheer velocity has subverted the principle of excellence; a culture must be able to catch it breath."
Yes I do agree with it, because not very many people can strive for excellence when they are in a rapid and hectic change.
Q8 Interpret this quote from paragraph nine: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion."
I think that this quote is saying to bring great sorrow to the people that are free from trouble in Zion.
Q9 - Argue pro and con Morrow's contention that "Americans not yet successful (the struggling, the underclass) are apt to aim at ease, not excellence"?
I think that the unsuccessful people should aim for ease right now, and then later on strive for excellence.
Q10 - Explain what Morrow means when he says (A) "the confusion contaminated character and disables ambition." Do you agree?
I think that Morrow means that when you are confused you are not able to think as well so that disables your ambition.
Q11 - Argue pro and con the effect of over stimulation and under stimulation as discussed in paragraph 10.
I think that the over stimulation makes excellence harder to come by in the American culture. The under stimulation is like a cultural resource.
Q12 - Contrast practical excellence with metaphysical excellence as used in Morrow's last paragraph.
Practical excellence is more real life then metaphysical excellence