Evan Moskal English 1102-014 Carrie Sippy 24 March 2013

Academic Conversation: Draft1 (Dialogue) Cast of Characters: Susan Adams-Forbes.com: Want your kids to succeed? Dont pay for their eductation Richard Rothstein-author of All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different? Bernadette D. Proctor: representative from the United States Census Bureau Gary W. Matkin:- author of Meeting the Challenge of Free Education Annonymous: - The New York Times: Public vs. Private Schools Me(Evan Moskal)- Student

Intro: I am late, very late for a meeting with my so-called team for my engineering project. It is not very helpful when no one shows up for a meeting when scheduled, and then reschedules for a time where the first 30 minutes of the meeting I am still in class. The thirty minutes following the prior thirty minutes have to be spent trying to scramble to a building on campus that I had no notion whatsoever of its existence. I leave class, five minutes late. I find my way to the building all the way across campus, and not only am I late but the day has also expired in my rush against time without giving me any warning. Upon reaching the building by foot,

because like I said it is late and therefor the stupid buses are no longer running, I second guess whether or not this building is even open because it seem as though all of the lights are off and no one is walking around in the emergency light lit foyer of the main floor. The door is propped, so I take that as a sign that this is the right place and I hike up my backpack and stumble in. I walk to the floor that they said they would be on, but I could not find the room number. The number doesnt even seem to fit into the rest of the room numbers around me. I hear voices down the hall though, and I sigh, push up my glasses, and trudge down the rest of the hallway to the room from which the voices originated. The voices turned to laughter, and yelling and carrying on and, while confused, curiosity kept placing one foot in front of the other even though I had realized this wasnt the meeting I had hoped for. I peeked inside the doorframe carefully. Quietly.

Susan: Its a waste of money really. No one can honestly deny that. A woman in black with a short haircut was talking to a group of about four or five other people. They were at a big round table in a well-lit room with no windows and a single coffee pot. Richard: I dont disagree completely, but its A man with a British accent, lanky limbs, and a crooked smile looked at me and broke thought. Richard: Are you lost, boy? Me: (backing back out of the door frame) I was just sorry I didnt mean to barge in Room 332? Do you know where I can find it sorry. Richard: Come in, come in. We have plenty to talk about that your sharp young wit and untainted perspective can weigh in on our conversation, I do believe. My name is Professor Richard Rothstein, and this is Susan Adams.

Me: No I mean I cant... Thank you but I have to b... Richard: Nonsense! (He cuts me off) Sit! I sat hesitantly. I got a better look at everyone around the table. Mostly teachers. All teachers. Except one woman standing up at the coffee pot with the most bland look on her brow. Richard: No time to get you up to speed boy, just jump in when you can or if we ask. Got it? Now. Susan, as I was saying, I dont entirely disagree. Susan nodded and leaned back in her chair as though she had just done something incredibly intelligent. I was pretty good at reading people. Or at least I thought so. Richard: From research that I have analyzed, being at a private school does not have enough of a correlation to better performance to say that it is entirely better. Me: Yeah, but just because you go to private school doesnt mean you abuse the privilege automatically. Susans remark about what I assumed to be private school stung me. Richard smirked at me. He was glad I poked in. Susan: So youre going to say that giving your children money for school doesnt make it so that they dont appreciate the opportunity theyre given. You mean to say that my statistics that have been carefully drawn are faulty? I mean the facts are there. Me: (Overwhelmed) Woah! Slow down! Im not accusing anyone of anything. She waited impatiently for me to continue. Me: I went to a private high school, and we had kids range from dropping out all the way to going to Harvard on a scholarship. It just depends on the kid, and the situation. Richard: Hes got a point Susan, it does depend. I relaxed into my chair. I knew I was missing my meeting, but to be honest I really didnt care. I sigh. Me: And even then, in my case at least, the idea of motivation from being grateful for the opportunity I have been given is my driving force.

Susan: But surely you know students who feel incredibly entitled to success because of their family wealth. Me: Well yeah, naturally. But just as naturally as I would meet someone who is humble and motivated. Thats what I dont think most people understand. Susan: Well cleeaarrlly. She was being sarcastic. (A man who had been previously swiveling back and forth in his chair nonchalantly chimed in.) Anonymous: I got an article posted in the Times about this. Havent any of you read it, haha. Gary: Everyone has read it for Chrissake, its only all you talk about every week. Anonymous: Im pretty sure everyone knows, Gary, that I was talking more to the boy. Whats your name son? Me: Evan Moskal. I voice cracked. I was nervous. He intimidated me. They all did. Expect Professor Rothstein. Annonymous: Evan, do you happen to read the New York Times? Richard: (half interrupting). Oh, go on will you. Annonymous: Anyways, as I was saying. My article. I believe that the high horse that the private school system is put on is based on a long chain of stereotypes and assumptions of the general public. We all were listening this time. Or at least is seemed like everyone was. Maybe they were humoring me. I was listening. Annonymous: Public is public, and private is private. The argument isnt always and shouldnt always be which one is best. Preference comes into play as well. Me: Yeah I agree completely. The focus should be on making all schools better too, and not just a battle and competition between which is better. Neither are going anywhere. Richard: Bernadette, can you give some insight into what kind of money the average American makes? Thats somewhat your former expertise.

A woman in a tan suit with glasses, and her hair back in a pony-tail looked up from over on the back table by the coffee pot. I had hardly noticed she was there. Bernadette: The average income for a family household in 2011 was approximately $65,000. That number is a rough $10,000 dollars less than a married couple without any children. After saying her tidbit with virtually no inflection whatsoever, the woman exited the room. Gary: (After seeing the look on my face) She worked for the Federal Census Bureau before coming here. The mundaneness of that job directly reflects her personality. A perfect match. Me: (I was becoming more relaxed as the conversation went on). Curiously. What do you think about money given that information? You havent said much it seems like. That seemed a little rude. I immediately regretted it. I glanced at the door. Gary: Well Im glad you asked Evan. (His voice was kind) I think the ideal world is one where all collegiate level education is free. Me: Is that possible? I mean do you think its possible? Susan: No. Gary: After glaring at Susan. Well thats the million dollar question isnt it. I think it can happen. But Im not sure I entirely believe we as a nation are headed in a direction that supports it. Me: How do you know it can happen? Gary: The University of the People is a completely tuition free college that offers courses in various languages for all nationalities. Susan: Im not convinced that isnt just a publicity stunt to see if it can happen. Me: Surprisingly I agreed with her in full. Me neither. Richard: I wonder if the degrees there are even competitive? He made a good point. I wasnt sure how I really felt about that one. I had to think about it. I looked at the clock. Just then I saw my team pass the door through the window. Evan: Crap, Im sorry guys I really have to go. I missed my meeting completely.

Susan kind of waved, the man from the times nodded. Gary: It was good to have you here. We can always use a young mind to stimulate our old ones. Me: Thanks. I turned for the door. Richard: Evan. Me: Yeah? Richard: Do think about this. Make a difference maybe. Just think about it. End Scene.

Works Cited: Adams, Susan. Want your Kids to Succeed? Dont pay for their education. Forbes. Forbes.com LLC, 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. Benveniste, Luis, Martin Carnoy, and Richard Rothestein. All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003. Print. DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011. Census.gov. 2011: 6-17. United States Census Bureau. PDF file. 12 Mar. 2013. Matkin, Gary W. Meeting the Challenege of Free Education: How to Make Money When the Competition is Giving it Away. Continuing Higher Education Review Fall 2011: 130-37. ERIC. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.

Public vs. Private Schools. The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 19 Jul. 2006. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.