Enthusiastic Reader > Recent Status Updates

"Most middle and high school students plan to receive four-year college or advanced degrees... The younger students have the most ambitious educational aspirations; the percentage of students who expect to receive college or advanced degrees decreases from sixth to tenth grade, but then slightly increases at twelfth grade."

Disappointed that they seem to value technical skills, analytical, processing, and organizational skills, but don't have any reference to communication or social skills.

"Even such seemingly safe, state-of-the-art skills as computer programming, robotics, or genetic engineering may not exist in their present form by the time our children are ready to enter the labor force."

Given the speed at which technology changes, I would think that those sorts of skills would actually be LESS safe than things like accounting or teaching or medicine.

"Until just one or two generations ago, parents could feel that they were helping their children by teaching them to save and to work hard... When the most visibly successful people create wealth by manipulation phantom paper transactions, what is the point of learning a difficult craft?"

Um. Bankers and stock brokers have been around for way more than two generations. ;D

"The other staples of youth culture, such as video games, listening to music, and mall cruising, are not much better."

These are passive activities... except... oh wait... one of them isn't.

"Whether the activity be scholarship, or performance (as in dramatics or athletics), or the creation of physical objects, or still another activity, it is the concentrated involvement itself, rather than the specific content, that is important." (Coleman, quoted)

Video games clearly fall into Coleman's category here but the authors of the book specifically exclude it on the next page.

"most jobs are intrinsically rewarding... work usually provides the same kind of enjoyment as sports, games, music, or painting... when people work they do not realize that they feel better than when they are not working."

There is no support for this given in the text. Where is their evidence for (a) people feeling better when working, and (b) the claim that the reason is intrinsic rather than extrinsic or social?

"It is an axiom of modern life that one works only to make enough money to pay the mortgage, put the children through school, take pleasant vacations, look forward to a secure old age, and perhaps leave some of it behind."

This completely ignores housework, child rearing, and other forms of work that aren't employment. A job isn't the only type of work, but the authors consistently ignore that.

"Rather than drawing one's identity from the job, a job is now more and more perceived as an extension and a fulfillment of individual potential, and therein lies its main value."

It is still connected to identity, but I would suggest that the connection is less one of definition and more one of expression.

Ugh. Esteban is trash. I really want to spend less time with him. Bleugh.

Welp. This is definitely not going to fly as a class text.

I think this is the first time I have seen "maleficent" used as a word.

I think the nonlinear narrative would be quite challenging for my students; it does not have clear purpose.

I wonder what sort of audience this is intended for. 'Veshya' is not translated, but 'illegitimate' is presented in English.