Paper instructions:
Essay #1: Response Essay

Prompt:  In his essay, “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto, the author argues:  “Boredom is everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as I  often did, why they felt so bored, they always gave them the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it.  They said they wanted to do something real, not just sitting around.  They said teachers didn’t seem to know much about their subjects and clearly weren’t interested in learning more.  And the kids were right: their teachers were every bit as bored as they were” (xiii).

Do you agree or disagree with the above argument that students and teachers are bored with the curriculum in most schools?  Why is that? Use at least four (4) specific examples to argue and persuade your reader of your position, and why the current “boring” system should be changed. Do not simply recapitulate what Gatto said (that would be a paper about him).  You should build a persuasive argument to convince the reader that you agree or disagree with him.  Use his book and personal experiences (if you like) to prove it.

Quality: Your essay should contain a compelling, college-level thesis and several well-developed and college-level paragraphs that support a thesis and reflect the description above for the assignment. Your essay must convince the reader.  Use persuasive argumentation.

Use CLAIM, EVIDENCE and RESULT to build strong paragraphs:

Claim (your argument), Evidence (depending on the topic you choose: data, compelling arguments, and/or evidence you gather to prove or support it) and Result (a consequence, effect, or outcome of something that will prove your point). Each paragraph is different: you may use one, two or even three of the above sets to create a solid argument.

Format: In fairness to everyone, essays must be formatted in the exact same way. Refer to the formatting procedures for “First page of MLA paper” in The Little, Brown Handbook. If you do not format properly, your essay will be handed back to you and considered late until it has been correctly formatted. Essays should be 4 pages minimum, double-spaced, 12 Roman font, paginated, and stapled.

Works Cited page: You must create a correctly formatted Works Cited page in order to receive credit for this assignment.  See The Little, Brown Handbook for details.