Education Prompt

For this first essay, you will need to utilize the Horace Mann text and address three problems in education today. I am looking for a minimum six-paragraph essay with an introduction, a paragraph summarizing the problems that Mann had with education, three additional paragraphs, a conclusion, and also a works cited page. Your essay should reach four to five pages not including the works cited. The essay must be double-spaced, have one-inch margins, and size twelve Times New Roman font. Furthermore, you will need to use one of the four additional essays that we have read in class plus two outside sources (you need a minimum of four sources). For this first essay, I am not going to grade heavy on MLA; however, I am looking for structure (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion), how you implement in-text sources, and how well you develop your argument.

You have two options for this essay:

1. You can discuss the problems in Mann’s time such as political, moral, and religious education and how these problems still exist today; however, please be aware that these ideas are too broad for your essay. For example, physical education, today, breaks down into three categories: exercise, nutrition, and sexual education—it is impossible to write a paragraph on physical education alone; therefore, you might want to focus on funding for phys. ed. programs, or obesity caused by school cafeteria food, or lack of nutritional studies. Also, moral and religious education are simply too broad; therefore, if you want to assess these problems today, you will have to narrow down the topic.

2. You can discuss how we have more important problems than those in 1848, and you will need to address issues that we face today such as textbook costs, standardized testing, etc. You can also address any level of education; however, I would like you stay consistent with this level. For example, you can discuss problems in college such as textbooks, high tuition costs, but make sure that your next problem does not address elementary school issues. Please keep in mind that the only section that must address Horace Mann explicitly is paragraph number two; your whole essay should not summarize Mann’s points or ideas.

I included the essay from the class.