I just wanna be average mike rose

Analysis

While summaries are concerned with restating an author’s ideas in order to demonstrate our understanding of a text, the goal of analysis is to respond to and examine an author’s ideas or arguments. Think of an analysis as an investigation. Most of us have seen on TV, or at least heard of the various Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) shows. Think of what a forensic detective does when he or she is analyzing a crime scene. The detective doesn’t simply look around for a few minutes, then say, “Wow, that’s messed up,” and leave. The detective slips on the rubber gloves and gets down to business by looking at the small—oftentimes, microscopic—detail to see beneath the obvious. When WE analyze, we try to see beyond what is apparent or obvious to come to a deeper understanding of a given text. The objective is to get to the center of HOW something works. For example, we know that people may fluctuate between a fixed and growth mindset, but when we analyze, we’re trying to understand, explain or argue what factors cause people’s mindsets or beliefs to fluctuate. Sample Paragraphs: Topic Sentence: One factor in the school environment that can put students in a fixed mindset is their teacher’s expectations of them. Context: In “I Just Wanna Be Average,” Mike Rose relates his experiences with his vocational education teachers. One teacher, Mr. Mitropetros, had his students read Julius Caesar aloud for the entire semester. Rose writes: Quote/Example: “We’d finished the play way before the twenty weeks was up, so he’d have us switch parts again and again and start again” (Rose 2). Explanation/Analysis: The fact that Mr. Mitropetros only gave the class one text to read for the entire semester says a lot about what he expected from his students. He obviously did not expect a lot from them considering reading only one text for the entire semester lacks any kind of intellectual rigor. When a teacher has low expectations for his students, or sets the bar low in the class, the students will not push themselves to strive for growth. Some students may even start to believe they cannot handle challenging work since the teacher does not believe they can anyway. Thus, many students like Mike Rose that come from vocational education classes or remedial classes, taught by teachers with low expectations, end up with a fixed mindset. Transition: When a teacher has low expectations of student, the students may end up with low expectations themselves. Topic Sentence: Ken Harvey is one such student that developed a fixed mindset because of the low expectations set by his vocational education teachers. Context: When Rose’s Religion Studies teacher asks the class about goals and ambition, Ken Harvey responds: Quote: “’I just wanna be average’” (Rose 3). Explanation/Analysis: Years of low expectations and the lack of challenges in his classes put Ken Harvey in a fixed mindset. He not only thought he could not learn anything new but Ken Harvey even lowered his own expectations. This is a trait of the fixed mindset. He perhaps lowers his expectations in order to avoid challenges and rigor that he could potentially fail, which would make him appear “dumb.” Many students become complacent or accustomed to doing things the easy way when little is expected of them, but when they face a challenging task or question, they end up retreating into themselves in order to avoid what they or others consider a failure. When students aren’t expected to excel, they will develop lower expectations of themselves and a fixed mindset.