Eng 102 										project 1
								4/8/1997


		   O'Neill's Debate on Education 



	Students are not getting the Basic Knowledge needed 

today due to the poor upbringing and lack of respect for the 

need of education.



	In O'Neills editorial his reason for this was because 

the students as a whole did not want their ignorance 

exposed.  However, he forgot to include that teachers are 

just as ignorant as the student.  Give a teacher the 

same test and see hoe much they remember about what they we 

taught some odd number of years ago.  It's not safe to 

assume that because a person can't remember who the 31st 

president was, that they don't have the basics of gobble 

history .  How many teachers know the basics, if asked on 

the spot.  



	Lets Examine another quote from O'Neill's editorial in 

his opine Charie Chaplin a classic movie star, and that 

because when asked about him no one know who he was, Well , 

if the students didn't watch old TV shows on the late 

night TV channels then how would they know of Charlie?  

They don't cover a class in classic television.  There fore 

that question would be unfair to pit on the test.  O'Neill's 

just assume that everyone is raised in the same back ground 

as him.  Charles Darwin did not create gravity but he did 

believe in evolution.  The concept that we were originated 

from organs to monkeys then humans.  In church we stray away 

from that kind of talk "that is the devil trying to score 

your mind" that's what they would say.




	O'Neill says "I broke the rules of this time-honored 

gam when I presented my English-composition students with an 

86 question test the first day of class."  Know that all 

students think of doing the first day of class.  

Concentrating on a 86 question test is a common students 

retinal.  The student always for every question read it 

through out and back and forward.  O'Neill told the students 

that the students that it wouldn't be graded.  Any time you 

tell students that, automatically that means just fill it 

out.  As long as it get done.  You can't go by a test like 

that for the simple fact that there is know evidence each 

and every one gave it a true try.  Sure they finished the 

test but did they even read it.  When students in the hall 

where stopped and asked to fill out the questions stated on 

the handout the results where the same.  Charles Darwin 

invented electricity.  Christ was born around Elvis's 

birthday.  The geographical part of the test was 

outstandingly wrong.  The samples given out were to prove 

student don't take that stuff serious.  They see words with 

answers.  Students just want to get the test over and move 

on.  When the questioners were told a free candy bar ( only 

5 people were ask told this.) if they could score majority 

right.  do you know 3 of them got 10 out of 15 questions 

right.  They took time and really thought about it.  



	Students did learn the lesson then it was taught in 

school.  All they had to do was stay out of trouble and not 

interrupt the often students with there learning.  When a 

student is kick out of school and at home what are they 

doing to replace to time spent out of school.  They either 

not at home or getting ready to leave.  Their parents don't 

bother to physically correct them.   They figure why bother 

they probly do it again.  Then the parents give up hope and 

with out the parents help of confidence the student modifies 

change from suicides to get by.  More and more student are 

just getting by they don't bother learn to remember for 

good.  They remember for know. Just enough to get them 

through the year then they for get every thing they where 

tested on.  Even if they got A's on the test they for get 

over half of it.



	Your whole life your learning things that every one    

says you are going to need to know that.  It's hard to 

comprehend what you need to know to get by and what you need 

to know.  The funny thing is youth today are not getting the 

knowledge they need but they are doing the best with the 

know how they got to work with.