Sathya Tadinada

Period 3

12 May 2021

What I Learned - Roz Chast

To an extent, I believe that this is a very accurate depiction of the education system that

we have in our public schools. One of the best examples of this is during kindergarten and

elementary school, when all the kids are required to follow the word of the teacher, with little to

no disobedience whatsoever. This correlates with one of the panels of the comic, which states,

“Do what teacher says… Listen to teacher… Pay attention to teacher…” Another example of

how it accurately represents education is the fact that students are forced to learn and memorize a

lot of random facts across various subjects and topics, with very little correlation between each

of them. According to the character, in middle school, they learned various math operations,

biology, vocabulary, and more. My prediction for the reason that the school system does this

might be because they throw things at the student and hope that at least one of them sticks, and

the student is able to find interest to make it a career. I also find it hilarious that in the comic,

they tease at the fact that financial education is barely taught, if at all, in schools. It is a growing

concern nowadays that students are not being prepared with the proper tools to be successful in a

capitalist society that America is and those people advocate for an increase of money-related

education. Overall, I believe that this comic illustrates the American education system very

accurately and shows several examples of it.

Painting - Norman Rockwell

In the painting by Norman Rockwell, it shows a girl being taught what “The Spirit Of

Education” is by an adult. It also depicts the girl looking mildly irritated or annoyed by that

(maybe even uncomfortable a bit), while the teacher in the back is looking very proud and happy.

This reflects quite a lot of things about the American education system. It shows how the

students in the schools are not always happy or pleased with the form of education they are

receiving (which is why many consider school to be a waste of time). However, many teachers

are oblivious to this, and teach as they have been taught to do: with a smile on their face, ready to

bring knowledge to the kids (whether they want it or not). The fact that the teacher is forcing the

information on the student is also portrayed, and it relates to how there is not much freedom in

the learning environment. Students are not allowed to choose what they want to pursue or learn

until they get into a higher level of education (like college). In general, this painting provides a

good analogy for the school system by providing lots of symbols that can be interpreted to

illustrate the nature of the public education system.