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Kar Shin Lin

Ms. Thompson
AP Language, Block 2, Skinny A
31 January 2015
IJWBA Paper: Draft 2
From the Teachers to the Youth
No one wants to be a pawn in a highly conformed society. The uniqueness of every
individual in a community is the binding force which allows businesses to thrive, schools to
prosper, and citizens to flourish. Education molds the basis which this trait inside everyone. It is
the single most important tool in cultivating a life that sees no limitations, and is essential in
casting a view that anyone can achieve anything he or she wants to, that boundaries are abstract,
and that there is no such thing as discouragement. Education empowers the youth with the ability
to make significant discoveries, construct notable innovations, and orate memorable speeches. If
there is one facet of society that influences all others, it is undoubtedly this. In agreement with
James Baldwins view in A Talk to Teachers, knowledge, and more importantly, effective
knowledge, gives people the key to understanding the problems of society and shaping it into
being lucrative and auspicious.
James Baldwins view encompasses many focal points of society. In his essay, he
expresses the value of education and its effect on young minds all across the nation, as well as
across the world. Baldwin blames the inaccurate portrayal of history for the current problems in
society: he hypothesizes that had people been taught a more comprehensive understanding of
Americas history, society would be hesitant towards the many injustices towards African
Americans and other minorities. He conveys the view that it is the nave qualities of todays men

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and women which hinders real progress. All of Baldwins concerns addressed in A Talk to
Teachers stem from effective, or rather ineffective, learning. Baldwin mocks the aims of society,
particularly its desire to have a uniform citizenry which will obey the rules. This mockery is
further supported in his essay when he emphatically states that young minds of African
Americans do not possess the necessary knowledge to interpret and understand the situations
they are forced to live through and experience. A young African American boy or girl does not
know why he or she is forced to live in the projects of New York while wealthy white
businessmen live lavishly just a few districts away; he or she does not know why only few black
leaders represent their community compared to the thousands of white politicians and leaders
that are well known across the nation. Baldwins approach to criticizing the school systems
inability to teach the young generations is logical and is an accurate portrayal of the necessary
changes that need to be made.
Many schools across the nation deliver a myriad of programs aimed at furthering the
successes of a plethora of students. However, not all schools are as effective in sponsoring
childrens success. There are the schools in poor communities that do not have the right
curriculums to engage the students. The teachers of these ineffective schools also contribute to
the worsening problem. Neglect and the inability to grasp the students curiosities plague even
the best schools. Teachers must want to teach the students; they must want to take a direct stake
in all of their students futures. If these schools were to be improved, then society would have a
growing generation that is prepared for lifes challenges and will face such obstacles with
capability and optimism. Conversely, students who come from less-than adequate schools
approach their futures with a lack of determination, drive, and appetite for success. It is the jobs
of teachers and other educators to change the perspectives of these students. If the younger

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generations cultivate a desire to accomplish great things in their futures, then society as a whole
will reap the benefits.
It is a fact that there are schools in the United States which are not up to par with their
curriculums and programs. Schools, and teachers at these schools, have used physical
punishment and intolerable teaching methods to force knowledge and discipline into the minds
of young and adolescent students. How can students who are at a disadvantage in school aim to
improve their education or better their situation when their school does not provide the means to?
It is horrendous to even think of how a student in a vocational education program would
independently shape his future when the teachers and faculty around him or her do not show any
initiative to help him or her. Students will float to the mark you set. Teachers and their
respective schools simply prod along throughout the year without keeping their students
successes at the top of their priority list. When a student goes through a lackluster vocational
program, he or she cannot perform well in later years of schooling. The foundation being set
educationally is critical in adding new abilities to a childs expandable list of attributes. If a
student was not taught the necessary mathematical criteria in a vocational education program, he
or she cannot grasp the high level algebra techniques that are offered in higher grades or even in
college. This is a prime example of the teachers responsibility in setting their children up for
success. Students have an innate potential to learn and rise to very high levels in society. It is the
job of the teacher to the guide the students in the best direction possible to achieve that merit.
Baldwin proposes that had he been a teacher, he would teach his students to be aware of
their situations and to understand themhe said he would teach his students that the world can
be a beautiful place if his students generation works hard to make it so. He would teach his
students to use the tremendous potential that this world possesses to shape a world that is

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forgiving to each other and a world that has no limits as to what a person can achieve. Baldwins
assertion about the importance of education holds true. In addition, his complaints about the
education of students show how such a tool cannot be taken lightly. In order to live in a world
that knows no boundaries, shows great compassion, and utilizes great judgment, the youth needs
to be given a meaningful education.