Reading Journal 6

The Littlest Schoolhouse

This article starts off by talking about the author, a black man. He describes his difficulties he faced in school and his want to drop out of school in fourth grade. His parents told him the only future he has is college or jail. He went to college and eventually dropped out and became a journalist, but never being proud that he never finished his education. Then he talks about a new program they have come up with in New York called School of One. This is a different approach to teaching. In a classroom of 30 students teachers try to teach students a way that the majority of the class will understand, but what happens to the remainder? Joel Rose, a former elementary school teacher came up with a computer program to let students learn at their own pace and in their own way. Some students learn better with a tutor or some need a lecture or some may need a dry erase board. Each child learns differently and this program allows it to find a way that works best. The author ends the article by describing how his life would’ve been different if he had this program growing up. I liked the analogy he used at the end, “I wondered if all I had ever really needed was the equivalent of a warm hug from a cold algorithm.”
The Littlest Schoolhouse