Assignment Requirements

After viewing “An Education in Equality,” “Learning Begins at Home,” “A Military Education,” and “an Education,” write an organized and well-supported essay in which you make three observations about education and what impacts (and enhances) student learning. Consider impacts and influences such as parenting, home life, society, race, technology, ethnicity, socioleconomics, etc.

A well-organized essay has a beginning, middle, and an end. The beginning, or introduction, should include an opening sentence to grab your reader’s attention. Follow the opening sentence with a brief background on the topic or situation. In this assignment, it might be the state of education today. The last sentence of the introduction is the thesis statement. The thesis states the main point of the essay, which in this assignment, would be what impacts/influences student learning.

A well-supported essay includes supporting points, details, and examples. For this essay, you must decide the best way to organize the body of the paper. Will you have a paragraph for each impact or enhancement? Will you divide the body of your paper into three paragraphs, one for each impact? In any case, each body paragraph must support (explain) your reasoning (rationale) using specific details. Each body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph.

The conclusion typically summarizes the main points of the essay and/or closes with a lasting impression that connects the reader to their world. You may wish to offer suggestions to reader about what makes for exceptional student learning.

Papers must be double-spaced in Times or Times New Roman font (12 cpi) with standard one-inch margins.

The first person “I” is not used in a formal essay, nor is the passive “you.” In place of “you,” “one” may be used.

No secondary sources are to be used in the process of writing this paper; it is to be entirely written based on one’s point of view (I’m a Army Soldier with a wife and child) and supported with body points and details. If referring to any of the videos, be sure to provide the source in the first instance.

Video Sources:

Brewster, J., & Stephenson, M. (2013, September 23). An education in equality. The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000002460625/an-education-in-equality.html

Harris, R. (2011, September 2). Learning begins at home. The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/video/education/100000001024995/learning-begins-at-home.html

Harris, R. (2011, June 19). A military education. The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/video/education/100000000870304/a-military-education.html

Harris, S., & Dressner, J. (2011, September 15). An education. The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/video/magazine/100000001040165/an-education.html