According to author the teacher plays tremendous role in child’s development and I totally agree with this statement. Childhood is important part for the healthy future. In many times children unfortunately have chaos in the family and neighborhood. the school is the place where they can have quality few hours. I am not judging their care-givers, it can be various reason what can cause parent to be oblivious. Therefore, the system should be responsible to help families like that at least provide schools where children can see and hear that they can have education and become professionals and don’t have to be criminals. I had interactions with various teachers, some of them had positive and also negative impact on my education. as a student you always obey your teacher, I was raised in society where teacher is always right. I recall my biology teacher from the first day when she entered the class, she was rude and was bulling the children. I started having aversion to her subject and never wanted ever look at her book and biology. She was horrible teacher.

James Baldwin made correct decisions when he was very young, I assume he had excellent teacher or someone who told him that there is better life and you are responsible for your fortunate future. I can relate myself in some degree with him, because my life was turned upside down when I was 10 years old. I always think it had huge influence on my education in negative way. Psychological satisfaction is crucial for child. Fortunately, two years later life started to go back to normal and I was able to come over obstacles.  I loved my teachers. My parents could not afford to buy book from me. school was not providing books for children and you were responsible to purchase your own book.  I had teachers how helped me with math for free because I was two years behind in the program. My family always wanted my brother and I to have high education and of course I am convinced that it was my inner voice whispering to me that education can give you a better life. I truly believe, every child deserves to have a teacher   who can make them feel that they worth something and there is always path to the successes.

The author is using various rhetorical one of them sounds positive he is using ethos in the last paragraph when the author shares his ideas what would he do if he was a teacher. Baldwin would encourage the child with following sentences “I would try to make each child know that these things are conspiracy and he must never make his peace with it.”

1- A contradiction of “Education” where they were supposed to awake children hungry to think on their own and questioned about their surroundings instead of that when they were washing their brains. Even in today’s days sometimes you feel that the system is against you. Blacks and Latinos, are so questioned when we are trying to look for a decent place to live. Our schools don’t have all the benefits other peoples have. We don’t receive the same treatment as white people received. If you are a hard worker and you buy a house, a car; just because being a Latino or a Black person people associated you or labeled you as a “drug dealer” or you must have done something wrong because some for them we don’t deserve that.
2- Yes, I believed the experiences of other marginalized people or groups resonated with Baldwin’s sentiment. Even though the situation differs a little bit. Yet, the same mistreatment, bringing people down because they look different, because of their skin color, or just because of a stupid reason. For example, Asian American people are suffering this moment of discrimination and they are been blamed because of COVID.
3- One of the examples is “…, that any Negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic” (Page 1, paragraph 3) What he means by the system is making Black people insane because they are been teach something but in reality the living and seem something very different.
An example is “I had to realize when I was very young that I was none of those things I was told I was.” (page 3, for 3). I love this part, I love how Baldwin set his mind and his determination about he would not let others label him a slur. He is not what other peoples think he was.
4- Every educator I had has impacted my life, ones more than others. Last year around this time I was taking mathematics at CUNY Start, after years of no seem that subject. Professor Terrance made me love Math. He is a strict guy, very diligent in his role of him. When someone in the class did not understand something he would not continue to the next topic until the whole class was clear enough to keep walking. However last semester I have a different experience sadly the oppositive of the first one. Yet, I learned to advocate for myself when things are not right with a professor and the class.

1.  I think what Baldwin means is that education holds the power in shaping oneself to have the ability to face society and decide to fight against it. This disconnects with my own experiences in school because I always felt like the system teaches kids what to think instead of how to think for themselves and kills creativity. The strict compartmentalizing of classes and teacher teaching students, without any freedom and initiation from kids, is of concern. I remember an instance in my 10th-grade government political class where we were all having a class debate and this one student had a different opinion than the majority and my teacher silenced him because it upset and riled up the others. This bothered me because it felt like the kid had to accommodate other people’s feelings because he didn’t think the same way they did. I connect this to what Baldwin was stating that “ The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions….. But no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around. What societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry that which will simply obey the rules of society.” This is evident in most classrooms and it really goes beyond into the world where there’s that mentality to just go along with the majority.
2. I believe education is vital in tending to the injustice in society. Individuals are more inclined to accepting the myths taught than to be critical and take action. As Baldwin illustrates prejudice in America and how it is experienced by black children and adults other marginalized groups can also relate to that feeling of exclusion and feeling powerless.
3. The first sentence in the reading is an example of ethos used by James Baldwin stating “Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time. Everyone in this room is in one way or another aware of that. We are in a revolutionary situation, no matter how unpopular that word has become in this country.’’Baldwin is identifying himself with the audience as an American citizen. He further establishes his credibility and knowledge by talking about his own experience in being a black man in the 60s. An example of pathos is at the beginning of paragraph 3 on page 1 stating “ Now, if what I have tried to sketch has any validity, it becomes thoroughly clear, at least to me, that any Negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic.” This is an example of pathos because of the way the statement appeals to the emotion of the audience as he talks about how black people live in the shadows of our society watching white people succeed while they are pushed to the side.
4. An educator who had a significant impact on me was one of my middle school teachers because he acknowledged me as an individual instead of just overlooking me as a quiet kid. I remember he once told me that I would do something great in life. That was really all I needed as a kid was for someone to believe in me and to this day that pushes me to prove him right.

1: I agree with the quote that James Baldwin wrote because the last sentence is indeed a fact and it stated “It is your responsibility to change society if you think of yourself as an educated person”. If you’re educated about a certain topic and have a strong opinion about it, then it’s your right to speak out on it and be more involved within your community for a change. Baldwin also states that “One of the paradoxes of education was that precisely at the point when you begin to develop a conscience, you must find yourself at war with your society”. In my opinion, he’s stating that society is ideal when everyone just obeys the rules of it, and once you begin to develop a conscience that contradicts these rules you’re at war with the ideal society. The education system teaches you to have your own set of thoughts and those independent opinions can see the wrong in your society causing a change. However, Baldwin states that society doesn’t like those people to be around. In elementary school, I had a history teacher that would take points all of our grades if we didn’t stand up for the pledge. Not everyone would stand up for the pledge and would get in trouble. The students in my class were very stubborn and didn’t see the reason why we had to stand up for the pledge. This connects to what Baldwin was stating that once you develop your own ideas and views on society/laws, you are going to be at war with your society.

2: The experiences of other marginalized people or groups resonate with Baldwin’s sentiment because they’re all in a similar position but have a different history. For example, many women are marginalized as being less valuable than a man, and their history of how they were treated and developed their own rights can resonate with what Baldwin is talking about. He talks about a negro child that is forced to live in a ghetto place and lives in a society that’s “meant” for him. Many other marginalized groups can relate to feeling this type of way.

3: James Baldwin uses rhetorical situations through ethos, logos, and pathos. On page three of “A Talk to Teachers”, Baldwin states “The reason is that this animal, once he suspects his own words, once he starts believing that he is a man, has begun to attack the entire power structure…it was not an accident, it was not an act of God…deliberate policy hammered into place to make money from black flesh…in 1963, because we have never faced this fact, we are in intolerable trouble”. Baldwin uses pathos because he is showing pity emotions about our society as a whole that has never faced the facts about our past. It seems like we’re living in a lie and he feels saddened about it. He states that we’re in intolerable trouble and in the way, he feels empathetic for our society. This also demonstrates logos because he is showing logic and reason behind why in 1963 society is corrupted. An example of ethos that is shown on page four states “The Bible says somewhere that where there’s no vision the people perish. I don’t think anyone can doubt that in this country today we are all menaced, intolerably menaced, by the lack of vision”. He uses a reference to the Bible which can be an authority example to many people and he connects it to the American white men that are completely lost in the reality that they are brainwashed.

4: I had a teacher in my junior year of high school who has shown an impact on some of my perspectives of society because she was very educated and aware of many issues around the world. She was definitely a positive impact and shared with us her perspectives on certain things but not entirely because she was allowed to talk about certain issues in the classroom. She made connections with the book we were reading to our society now and made us develop our own opinions on how it’s changed, for the better or the worse. I had other teachers who were old fashion and didn’t believe in certain things. By reading “A Talk To Teachers”, I can say they were brainwashed and could have been more educated on topics we were learning in the classroom.

1. I think his quote makes some sense because when a person is educated or is taught, he/she will have thoughts and ideas about the society that educated them. They will examine what that society is really like. I think Baldwin’s quote means that an educated person always thinks he/she should contribute something to society to help or improve it. However, each person perceives and contributes to society in a different way, since people have a different conscience so there will be arguments. In addition, this is connected with my own experiences in school as we will learn different things so there will be different ways of doing something and perspective which is similar to the quote that finds yourself at war with your society because sometimes we change our original perspective by society. 

2. I think the experiences of other marginalized people or groups resonate with Baldwin’s sentiments because they may have to face what Black Americans face, and they may face the same treatment or encounters in their lives as Black Americans. As well as their thoughts and perceptions may also be more Black Americans like because of the perceptions of others in their lives. 

3. Ethos: “It would seem to me that when a child is born, if I’m the child’s parent, it is my obligation and my high duty to civilize that child.” (Baldwin 1) This quote shows the author’s character and appeals to ethics and morality.

Pathos: “He is aware that there is some reason why, if he sits down in the front of the bus, his father or mother slaps him and drags him to the back of the bus. He is aware that there is some terrible weight on his parents’ shoulders which menaces him.” (Baldwin 2) This quote appeals to emotion because it will create an emotional response from the audience that the boy is pathetic.

4. I can relate to Baldwin’s articulation because there was a teacher who left a deep impression and influence on me. Well, it was a positive influence for me, when I came to America for middle school, everything was new to me, I couldn’t speak English at all, I was shy, sometimes I wouldn’t even say a word all day at school, but there was a teacher who tried to talk to me, and when he had time, he taught me basic English skills and told me some interesting things that happened in his life, and that made me improve a lot in English communication. 

1. I think what Baldwin says in the quote is that once the person becomes morally aware of what is being taught in the school system, they must go against it. This is because a truly educated person would realize that society and school education is stuck on old values. I believe this is true and have noticed that the way school systems are set up is to go in favor of richer and more privileged. I have connected with this because I saw the schools in my neighborhood, which are majorly Black and Latino, get little funding for extracurricular activities to maintain them. Which is needed for college applications and college scholarships because they like to see a well-rounded student. Schools with predominately white students get funding for these extracurricular activities and intern looks better in college applications and scholarships. Giving more opportunity for white students to get picked first for big-name colleges and scholarships.

2. I think the experiences of other marginalized people or groups that resonated with Baldwin’s sentiment is like I mentioned above the black and Latino students who were set up to not be able to shine through to get scholarships and a better opportunity to a fancier college. So like he said if he was a teacher he would tell them not to fall into the stereotypes, these kids would need someone to tell them the importance of things that are not directly set for their benefit. These students might also learn this information on their own and then teach the ones younger on how to correct those mistakes, which in turn is an educated person going against the school system for the better.

3. One example of this is “Every street boy – and I was a street boy, so I know – looking at the society which has produced him, looking at the standards of that society which are not honored by anybody, looking at your churches and the government and the politicians, understand that this structure is operated for someone else’s benefit – not for his.” (Baldwin 2) Another example of this is “And if that was so there was no point in dealing with white people in terms of their own moral professions, for they were not going to honor them. What one did was to turn away, smiling all the time, and tell white people what they wanted to hear.” (Baldwin 3)

4. In my school most of the teachers knew about the disadvantages that we had and educated us on information that we wouldn’t get unless it was top out of the school system. They read our books for college that we didn’t have funding for but went out of their way to get it so that we can have the same knowledge as those Ivy League schools. They would put money out of their own pocket to help fund extracurricular activities so that we could have a hobby and have something good to write from college. Taught us about taxes and credit cards and how to buy a car because they knew these things were important but weren’t put in the school system.

The reading section I chose is “ Bad ideas about what good writing Is”, specifically “ You can learn to write in general” by Elizabeth Wardle. I chose this piece because the title kind of puzzled me. I’ve heard this statement but I never understood what it means because literally speaking when putting pen to paper there is no “general’ topic to write, everything has intent behind it. The bad idea is the concept that people can learn to write generally. According to Mrs. Wardle, the term is just very broad and simply doesn’t exist because there is no such thing. Every piece written has a specific audience, context, purpose, etc. Wardle even argues this myth “..is a dangerous idea that needs to die because it hurts students and frustrates teachers and employers. And writers who believe it are easily discouraged because they don’t know how to learn what they need to learn in new writing situations.” I completely agree because personally, it can be frustrating not knowing where to start when I’m writing essays and I have been told to practice writing in general. It’s not really about writing in general but more so repurposing your skills to accommodate your situation. What I got from this reading is that “writing” already comes with a pair of basic skills like basic grammatical structures but writing without purpose doesn’t exist. Instead practicing and learning to write in situations is more effective than the idea to “write generally”. Honing your skills to be better equipped at different writing circumstances is a better idea than “ learning to write generally”, the phrase isn’t as exclusive and confusing. 

Unit 2 Topic: 

I decided to change my topic from my previous one and would like to write about the gentrification in NYC neighborhoods. Being born and raised here it hurts to see so many neighborhoods taken over and people being forced to move out. I think it’s a really important issue as I still see this being a future problem.