GRE英语写作工具箱详述

GRE写作工具箱

写作工具箱（新东方一孙远）

下面的材料旨在丰富学生在是非问题写作方面的思想和语言，考生在复习时可以先分类阅读这些篇章，

然后尝试写相关方面的作文题.

对于文章中用黑体字的部分，特别建议你熟读，背诵，因为它们在语言和观点上都值得吸收。学习语言

的人应该明白，表达能力和思想深度都靠日积月累，潜移默化。从某种意义上说，提高英语写作能力无

捷径可走，你必须大段背诵英语文章才能逐渐形成语感和用英语进行表达的能力。这一关，没有任何人

能代替你过。

因此，建议你下点苦功夫，把背单词的精神拿出来背诵文章。何况，我并不是要求你背了之后永远牢记

在心：你可以这个星期背，下个星期忘。这没有关系，相信你的大脑具有神奇的能力。背了工具箱里的

文章后，你会惊讶的发现：IcanthinkinEnglishnow.

经常有学生告诉我：不知道背诵什么好。现在我可以告诉各位：背诵下面的文章错不了，至少对GRE的

写作来说有立竿见影的效果！可别再找借口了哦！

目录

1.Sectionone:Education

1.1Proverbs

1.Agraduationceremonyisaneventwherethecommencementspeakertellsthousands

ofstudentsdressedinidenticalcapsandgownsthatindividualityisthekeytosuccess.

2.Theprimarypurposeofaliberaleducationistomakeone'smindapleasantplacein

whichtospendone'stime.

3.Nextinimportancetofreedomandjusticeispopulareducation,withoutwhichneither

freedomnorjusticecanbepermanentlymaintained.

4.Theclassroom-notthetrench-isthefrontieroffreedomnowandforevermore.

5.Education'spurposeistoreplaceanemptymindwithanopenone.

6.Itisthepurposeofeducationtohelpusbecomeautonomous,creative,inquiringpeople

whohavethewillandintelligencetocreateourowndestiny.

7.Yousee,realongoing,lifelongeducationdoesn'tanswerquestions;itprovokesthem.

8.Peoplewillpaymoretobeentertainedthaneducated.

9.themostimportantfunctionofeducationatanylevelistodevelopthepersonalityofthe

individualandthesignificanceofhislifetohimselfandtoothers.Thisisthebasic

architectureofalife;therestisornamentationanddecorationofthestructure.

10.Theessenceofoureffortstoseethateverychildhasachancemustbetoassureeach

asequalopportunity,nottobecomeequal,buttobecomedifferent-torealizewhatever

uniquepotentialofbody,mind,andspiritheorshepossesses.

11.Agreatteacherneverstrivestoexplainhisvision-hesimplyinvitesyoutostandbeside

himandseeforyourself.

12.Ifyoucanreadanddon',youareanilliteratebychoice.

1.2DamagingResearch

AstudybyNationalParent-TeacherOrganizationrevealedthatintheaverageAmericanschool,

eighteennegativesareidentifiedforeverypositivethatispointedout.TheWisconsinstudyrevealed

thatwhenchildrenenterthefirstgrade,80percentofthemfeelprettygoodthemselves,butbythetime

theygettothesixthgrade,only10percentofthemhavegoodself-images.

1.3EducationandCitizenship

AnimportantaspectofeducationintheUnitedStatesistherelationshipbetweeneducationand

citizenship.Throughoutitshistorythisnationhasemphasizedpubliceducationasameansof

transmittingdemocraticvalues,creatingequalityofopportunity,andpreparingnewgenerations

ofcitizenstofunctioninsociety.Inaddition,theschoolshavebeenexpectedtohelpshapesociety

itself.Duringthe1950s,forexample,effortstocombatracialsegregationfocusedontheschools.Later,

whentheSovietUnionlaunchedthefirstorbitingsatellite,Americanschoolsandcollegescameunder

intensepressureandwereofferedmanyincentivestoimprovetheirscienceandmathematics

programssothatthenationswouldnotfallbehindtheSovietUnioninscientificandtechnological

capabilities.

Educationisoftenviewedasatoolforsolvingsocialproblems,especiallysocialinequality.Theschools,

tisthought,cantransformyoungpeoplefromvastlydifferentbackgroundsintocompetent,upwardly

mobileadults.Yetthesegoalsseemalmostimpossibletoattain.Inrecentyears,infact,public

educationhasbeenatthecenterofnumerouscontroversiesarisingfromthegapbetweentheidealand

thereality.Partoftheproblemisthatdifferentgroupsinsocietyhavedifferenthavedifferent

expectations.Somefeelthatchildrenshouldbetaughtbasicjob-relatedskills;stillothers

believeeducationshouldnotonlypreparechildrentocompeteinsocietybutalsohelpthem

maintaintheirculturalidentity(and,inthecaseofHispanicchildren,theirlanguage).Onthe

otherhand,policymakersconcernedwitheducationemphasizetheneedtoincreasethelevelof

studentachievementandtoimproveparentsintheirchildren'seducation.

Somereformersandcriticshavecalledattentiontotheneedtolinkformalschoolingwithprograms

designedtoaddresssocialproblems.SociologistCharlesMoscos,forexample,isaleaderinthe

movementtoexpandprogramslikethePeaceCorps,Vista,andOutwardBoundintoasystemof

voluntarynationalservice.Nationalservice,asMoscosdefinesit,wouldentailuthefull-timeundertaking

ofpublicdutiesbyyoungpeoplewhetherascitizensoldiersorcivilianservers-whoarepaid

subsistencewages"andserveforatleastoneyear.Inreturnforthisperiodofservice,thevolunteers

wouldreceiveassistanceinpayingforcollegeorothereducationalexpenses.

Advocatesofnationalserviceandschool-to-workprogramsbelievethateducationdoesnothavetobe

confinedtoformalschooling.Indevisingstrategiestoprovideopportunitiesforyoungpeopletoserve

theirsociety,theyemphasizetheeducationalvalueofcitizenshipexperiencesgainedoutsidethe

classroom.Atthiswritingthereislittleindicationthatnationalservicewillbecomeaneweducational

institutionintheUnitedStates,althoughtheconceptissteadilygainingsupportamongeducatorsand

socialcritics.

1.4TheTeacher'sRole

Giventheundeniableimportanceofclassroomexperience,sociologistshavedoneaconsiderable

amountofresearchonwhatgoesonintheclassroom.Oftentheystartfromthepremisethat,along

withtheinfluenceofpeers,students,experiencesintheclassroomareofcentralimportancetotheir

laterdevelopment.Onestudyexaminedtheimpactofasinglefirst-gradeteacheronherstudents5

subsequentadultstatus.Thesurprisingresultsofthisstudyhaveimportantimplications.Itisevident

thatgoodteacherscanmakeabigdifferenceinchildren'slives,afactthatgivesincreasedurgencyto

theneedtoimprovethequalityofprimary-schoolteaching.Thereformscarriedoutbyeducational

leaderslikeJamesComersuggestthatwhengoodteachingiscombinedwithhighlevelsofparental

involvementtheresultscanbeevenmoredramatic.

Becausetheroleoftheteacheristochangethelearnerinsomeway,theteacher-student

relationshipisanimportantpartofeducation.Sociologistshavepointedoutthatthis

relationshipisasymmetricalorunbalanced,withtheteacherbeinginapositionofauthorityand

thestudenthavinglittlechoicebuttopassivelyabsorbtheinformationprovidedbytheteacher.

Inotherwords,inconventionalclassroomsthereislittleopportunityforthestudentstobecome

activelyinvolvedinthelearningprocess.Ontheotherhand,studentsoftendevelopstrategies

forundercuttingtheteacher'sauthority:mentallywithdrawing,interrupting,andthelike.Hence,

muchcurrentresearchassumesthatstudentsandteachersinfluenceeachotherinsteadof

assumingthattheinfluenceisalwaysinasingledirection.

1.5EducationPhilosophy

ForthepastfiftyyearsourschoolshaveoperatedonthetheoriesofJohnDewey(1859-1953),an

Americaneducatorandwriter.DeweybelievedhattheschooPsjobwastoenhancethenatural

developmentofthegrowingchild,ratherthantopourinformation,forwhichthechildhadnocontext,

intohimorher.IntheDeweysystem,thechildbecomestheactiveagentinhisowneducation,rather

thanapassivereceptacleforfacts.

Consequently,Americanschoolsareveryenthusiasticaboutteaching“lifeskills”-logical

thinking,analysis,creativeproblem-solving.Theactualcontentofthelessonsissecondaryto

theprocess,whichissupposedtotrainthechildtobeabletohandlewhateverlifemaypresent,

includingalltheunknownsofthefuture.Studentsandteachersbothregardpurememorization

asanuncreativeandsomewhatvulgar.

Inadditionto“lifeskills"，schoolsareassignedtosolvetheevergrowingstokeofsocialproblems.

Racism,teenagepregnancy,alcoholism,druguse,recklessdriving,andsuicidearejustafewofthe

modernproblemsthathaveappearedontheschoolcurriculum.

ThisallcontributestoahighdegreeofsocialawarenessinAmericanyoungsters.

1.6StudentLife

Tothestudents,themostnotabledifferencebetweenelementaryschoolandthehigherlevelsisthatin

juniorhightheystart“changingclasses**.Thismeansthatratherthanspendingthedayinone

classroom,theyswitchclassroomstomeettheirdifferentteachers.Thisgivesthemthreeorfour

minutesbetweenclassesinthehallways,whereagreatdealoftheimportantsocialactionofhigh

schooltraditionallytakesplace.Studentshavelockersinthesehallways,aroundwhichthycongregate.

Societyingeneraldoesnottakethebusinessofstudyingveryseriously.Schoolchildrenhaveagreat

dealoffreetime,whichtheyareencouragedtofillwithextracurricularactivities—sports,clubs,

cheerleading,scouts—supposedtoinculcatesuchqualitiesasleadership,sportsmanship,abilityto

organize,etc.thosewhodon'tbecomeengagedinsuchactivitiesorhaveafter\schooljobshaveplenty

ofopportunityto“hangouC,listentoteenagermusic,andwatchtelevision.

Comparedtoothernations,Americanstudentsdonothavemuchhomework.Studiesalsoshowthat

Americanparentshavelowerexpectationsfortheirchildren'ssuccessinschoolthanothernationalities

do.(Historically,therehasnotbeenmuchcorrelationbetweenAmericanschoolsuccessandsuccessin

laterHfe.)"He'sjustnotascholar"，theAmericanparentsmightsay,contentthattheirsonisontheswim

teamanddoesn'ttakedrugs.(Someoftheyoungdochoosetostudyhard,forreasonoftheirown,

suchasdeterminingthattheroadtorichesliesthroughHarvardBusinessSchool.)

WhatAmericanschoolsdoeffectivelyteachisthecompetitivemethod.Ininnumerableways

childrenarepittedagainsteachother-whetherinclassroomdiscussion,spellingbees,reading

groups,ortests.EveryclassroomisexpectedtoproduceascatteringofA'sandF's(teachers

oftengradeA=excellent;B=good;C=average;D=poor;andF=failed).AteacherwhogivesallA's

lookstoosoft-sostudentsareawarethattheyarecompetingforthelimitednumberoftop

marks.

Foreignstudentssometimesdon*tunderstandthatcopyingfromotherpeople'spapersorfrombooksis

consideredwrongandtakenseriously.Here,itisimportanttoshowthatyouhavedoneyourownwork

andaredisplayingyourownknowledge.Itismoreimportantthanhelpingyourfriendstopass,whom

wethinkdonotdeservetopassunlesstheycanprovidetheirownanswers.Groupeffortgoesagainst

thecompetitivegrain,andAmericanstudentsdonotstudytogetherasmanyAsiansdo.ManyAsiansin

thiscountryconsidertheirgroupstudyhabitsalargecontributortotheirschoolsuccess.

1.7AdultEducation

AftercomplainingaboutmanyaspectsofAmericanlife,a40-year-oldwomanfromHongKong

concluded,uButwhereelsecouldsomeonemyagegobacktoschoolandgetadegreeinsocialwork?

Hereyoucanchangeyourwholelife,startanewbusiness,dowhatyoureallywanttodo.”

Soatleasttothisperson,schoolrequirementsweren'tinhibiting.Andtomillionsofothers,adult

educationisthepathtoanewcareer,orifnottoanewcareer,toanewoutlook.Schoolsgenerally

encouragetheolderpersonwhowantstostartanew,andbesidesregularclasses,scheduleevening

classesinspecialprograms.Todaytherearesomanypeopleofretirementageincollegethatitisno

longerremarkable.

1.8MoralRelativisminAmerican

ImprovingAmericaneducationrequiresnotdoingnewthingsbutdoing(andremembering)somegood

oldthings.Atthetimeofournation'sfounding,ThomasJeffersonlistedtherequirementsforasound

educationintheReportoftheCommissionersfortheUniversityofVirginia.Inthislandmarkstatement

onAmericaneducation,Jeffersonwroteoftheimportanceofeducationandwriting,andofreading

history,andgeography.Buthealsoemphasizedtheneed“toinstructthemassofourcitizensinthese,

theirrights,interests,andduties,asmenandcitizens."Jeffersonbelievededucationshouldaimatthe

improvementofbothone's“morals”and“faculties”.Thathasbeenthedominantviewoftheaimsof

Americaneducationforovertwocenturies.Butanumberofchanges,mostofthemunsound,have

divertedschoolsfromthesegreatpursuits.AndthestoryofthelossoftheschooPsoriginalmoral

missionexplainsagreatdeal.

Startingintheearlyseventies,Uvaluesclarification”programsstartedturningupinschoolsall

overAmerica.Accordingtothisphilosophy,theschoolswerenottotakepartintheir

time-honoredtaskoftransmittingsoundmoralvalues;rather,theyweretoallowthechildto

“clarify“hisownvalues(whichadults,includingparents,hadno“rights“tocriticize).The

Uvaluesclarification,,movementdidn'tclarifyvalues;itclarifiedwantsanddesires.Thisformof

moralrelativismsaid,ineffect,thatnosetofvalueswasrightorwrong;everybodyhadanequal

righttohisownvalues;andallvaluesweresubjective,relative,andpersonal.Thisdestructive

viewtookholdwithavengeance.

In1985TheYorkTimespublishedanarticlequotingNewYorkareaeducators,inslavishdevotionto

thisnewview,proclaiming,uTheydeliberatelyavoidtryingtotellstudentswhatisethicallyrightand

wrong."Thearticletoldofonecounselingsessioninvolvingfifteenhighschooljuniorsandseniors.In

thecourseofthatsessionastudentconcludedthatafellowstudenthadbeenfoolishtoreturnone

thousanddollarsshefoundinapurseatschool.Accordingtothearticle,whentheyoungstersasked

thecounselor'sopinion,uHetoldthemhebelievedthegirlhaddonetherightthing,butthat,ofcourse,

hewouldnottrytoforcehisvaluesonthem.IfIcomefromthepositionofwhatiswrong/heexplained,

*thenI'mnottheircounselor.n,

Onceuponatime,acounselorofferedcounselor,andheknewthatanadultdoesnotformcharacterin

theyoungbytakingastanceofneutralitytowardquestionsofrightandwrongorbymerelyoffering

“choices"or“options”.

Inresponsetothebeliefthatadultsandeducatorsshouldteachchildrensoundmorals,onecanexpect

fromsomequartersindignantobjections(I'veheardoneversionofitexpressedcountlesstimesover

theyears):“Whoareyoutosaywhatsimportant?”or"Whosestandardsandjudgmentsdoweuse?”

Thecorrectresponse,itseemstome,is,iswereadytodoawaywithstandardsandjudgments?

Isanyonegoingtoargueseriouslythatalifeofcheatingandswindlingisasworthyasalifeof

honest,hardwork?Isanyone(withtheexceptionofsomeliteratureprofessorsatourelite

universities)goingtoargueseriouslytheintellectualcorollary,thataMarvelcomicbookisas

goodasMacbeth?Unlesswearewillingtoembracesomeprettysillyposition,we'vegotto

admittheneedformoralandintellectualstandards.Theproblemisthatsomepeopletendto

regardanyonewhowouldpronounceadefinitivejudgmentasanunsophisticatedPhilistineora

closed-minded“elitist"tryingtoimposehisviewoneverybodyelse.

Thetruthoftherealworldisthatwithoutstandardsandjudgments,therecanbenoprogress.

Unlesswearepreparedtosayirrationalthings-thatnothingcanbeprovenmorevaluablethan

anythingelseorthateverythingisequallyworthless-wemustaskthenormativequestion.It

maycome,asasurprisetothosewhofellthattobe"progressive"istobevalue-neutral.Butas

MatthewArnoldsaid,Mtheworldisforwardedbyhavingitsattentionfixedonthebestthings"andifthe

worldcan'tdecidewhatthebestthingsare,atleasttosomedegree,thenitfollowsthatprogress,and

character,isintrouble.Weshouldn'tbereluctanttodeclarethatsomethings,somelives,books,ideas,

andvaluesarebetterthanothers.Itistheresponsibilityoftheschoolstoteachthesebetterthings.

Atonetime,weweren'tsoreluctanttoteachthem.Inthemid-nineteenthcentury,adiverse,

widespreadgroupofcrusadersbegantoworkforthepublicsupportofwhatwasthencalledthe

“commonschool"，theforerunnerofthepublicschool.Theyweretobechargedwiththemissionof

schoolfeltthatthenationcouldfulfillitsdestinyonlyifeverynewgenerationwastaughtthesevalues

togetherinacommoninstitution.

Theleadersofthecommonschoolmovementweremainlycitizenswhowereprominentintheir

communities-businessmen,ministers,localcivicandgovernmentofficials.Thesepeoplesawthe

schoolsasupholdersofstandardsofindividualmoralityandsmallincubatorsofcivicandpersonal

virtue;thefoundersofthepublicschoolshadfaiththatpubliceducationcouldteachgoodmoraland

civiccharacterfromacommongroundofAmericanvalues.

Butinthepastquartercenturyorso,someoftheso-calledexpertsbecameexpertsofvalueneutrality,

andmoraleducationwasincreasinglyleftintheirhands.Thecommonsenseviewofparentsandthe

public,thatschoolsshouldreinforceratherthanunderminethevaluesofhome,family,andcountry,

wasincreasinglyrejected.

Therearethosetodaystillthatclaimwearenowtoodiverseanation,thatweconsistoftoomany

competingconvictionsandintereststoinstillcommonvalues.Theyarewrong.Ofcoursewearea

diversepeople.Wehavealwaysbeenadiversepeople.AndasMadisonwroteinFederalistNo.10,the

competing,balancinginterestsofadiversepeoplecanhelpensurethesurvivalofliberty.Butthereare

valuesthatallAmericancitizensshareandthatweshouldwantallAmericanstudentstoknow

andtomaketheirown:honesty,fairness,self-discipline,fidelitytotask,friends,andfamily,

personalresponsibility,loveofcountry,andbeliefintheprinciplesofliberty,equality,andthe

freedomtopracticeone'sfaith.Theexplicitteachingofthesevaluesisthelegacyofthecommon

schools,anditisalegacytowhichwemustreturn.

1.9SchoolsShouldTeachValues

Peopleoftensaid,HYes,weshouldteachthesevalues,buthowdoweteachthem?nthisquestion

deservesacandidresponse,onethatisn'tgivenoftenenough.Itisbyexposingourchildrentogood

characterandinvitingitsimitationthatwewilltransmittothemamoralfoundation.Thishappenswhen

teachersandprincipals,bytheirwordsandactions,embodysoundconvictions.AsOxford'sMary

Warnockhaswritten,4<Youcannotteachmoralitywithoutbeingcommittedtomoralityyourself;andyou

cannotbecommittedtomoralityyourselfwithoutholdingthatsomethingsarerightandotherswrong.H

ThetheologianMartinBuberwrotethattheeducatorisdistinguishedfromallotherinfluences“byhis

w川totakepartinthestampingofcharacterandbyhisconsciousnessthatherepresentsintheeyesof

thegrowingpersonacertainselectionofwhatis,theselectionofwhatis'right',ofwhatshouldbe."Itis

inthiswill,Bubersays,inthisclearstandingforsomething,thattheHvocationasaneducatorfindsits

fundamentalexpression.”

Thereisnoescapingthefactthatyoungpeopleneedasexampleprincipalsandteacherswho

knowthedifferencebetweenrightandwrong,goodandbad,andwhothemselvesexemplify

highmoralpurpose.

AsEducationSecretary,IvisitedaclassatWaterburyElementarySchoolinWaterbury,Vermont,and

askedthestudents,ulsthisagoodschool?”Theyanswered,uYes,thisisagoodschool."Iaskedthem,

“Why?”Amongotherthings,oneeight-year-oldsaid,uTheprincipalMr.Riegel,makesgoodrulesand

everybodyobeysthem.^^SoIsaid,uGivemeanexample."Andanotheranswered,uYoucan'tclimbon

thepipesinthebathroom.Wedon*tclimbonthepipesandtheprincipaldoesn'teither.**

Thisexampleisprobablytoosimpletopleasealotofpeoplewhowanttomakethetopicofmoral

educationdifficult,butthereissomethingprofoundintheanswerofthosechildren,something

educationshouldpaymoreattentionto.Youcan'texpectchildrentotakemessagesaboutrulesor

moralityseriouslyunlesstheyseeadultstakingthoserulesseriouslyintheirday-to-dayaffairs.

Certainmustbesaid,certainlimitslaydown,andcertainexamplesset.Thereisnootherway.

Weshouldalsodoabetterjobatcurriculumselection.Theresearchshowsthatmost"valueseducation”

exercisesandseparatecoursesin"moralreasoning"tendnottoaffectchildren'sbehavior;ifanything,

theymayleavechildrenmorallyadrift.Wheretoturn?Ibelieveourliteratureandourhistoryarearich

quarryofmoralliteracy.Weshouldminethatquarry.Childrenshouldhaveattheirdisposalastockof

examplesillustratingwhatwebelievetoberightandwrong,goodandbad—examplesillustratingwhat

aremorallyrightandwrongcanindeedbeknownandthatthereisadifference.

Whatkindofstories,historicalevents,andfamouslivesamItalkingabout?Ifwewantourchildrento

knowabouthonesty,weshouldteachthemaboutAbeLincolnwalkingthreemilestoreturnsixcents

andconversely,aboutAesop5sshepherdboywhocriedwolfifwewantthemtoknowaboutcourage,

weshouldteachthemaboutJoanofArc,Horatiusatthebridge,andHarrietTubmanandthe

UndergroundRailroad.Ifwewantthemtoknowaboutpersistenceinthefaceofadversity,theyshould

knowaboutthevoyagesofColumbusandthecharacterofWashingtonduringtheCivilWar.Andour

youngestshouldbetoldabouttheLittleEngineThatCould.Ifwewantthemtoknowaboutrespectfor

thelaw,theyshouldunderstandwhySocratestoldCrito:"No,ImustsubmittothedecreeofAthens.MIf

wewantourchildrentorespecttherightsofothers,theyshouldreadtheDeclarationofIndependence,

theBillofRights,theGettysburgAddress,andMartinLutherKing,Jr.'"LetterfromBirminghamjail.”

FromtheBibletheyshouldknowaboutRuth'sloyaltytoNaomi,Joseph'sforgivenessofhisbrothers,

Jonathan'sfriendshipwithDavid,theGoodSamaritan'skindnesstowardastranger,andDavid's

clevernessandcourageinfacingGoliath.

Theseareonlyafewofthehundredsofexampleswecancallon.Andweneednotgetintoissueslike

nuclearwar,abortion,creationism,oreuthanasia.Thismaycomeasadisappointmenttosomepeople,

butthefactisthattheformationofcharacterinyoungpeopleiseducationallyataskdifferentfrom,and

priorto,thediscussionofthegreat,difficultcontroversiesoftheday.Firstthingscomefirst.Weshould

teachvaluesthesamewayweteachotherthings:onestepatatime.Weshouldnotusethefactthat

therearemanydifficultandcontroversialmoralquestionsasanargumentagainstbasicinstructionin

thesubject.

Afterall,wedonotargueagainstteachingphysicsbecauselaserphysicsisdifficult,againstteaching

AmericanhistorybecausethereareheateddisputesabouttheFounders,intent.Everyfieldhasits

complexitiesanditscontroversies.Andeveryfieldhasitsbasics,itsfundamentals.Sotheyaretoowith

formingcharacterandachievingmoralliteracy.Asanyparentknows,teachingcharacterisa

difficulttask.Butitisacrucialtask,becausewewantourchildrentobehealthy,happy,and

successfulbutdecent,strong,andgood.Noneofthishappensautomatically;thereisno

genetictransmissionofvirtue.Ittakestheconscious,committedeffortsofadults.Ittakes

carefulattention.

1.10CollegePressures

MainlyItrytoremindthattheroadaheadisalongoneandthatitwillhavemoreunexpectedturnsthan

theythink.Therewillbeplentyoftimetochangejobs,changecareers,changewholeattitudesand

approaches.Theydonnotwanttohearsuchliberatingnews.Theywantamap—rightnow-thatthey

canfollowunswervinglytocareersecurity,financialsecurity,SocialSecurityand,presumably,aprepaid

grave.

WhatIwishforallstudentsissomereleasefromtheclammygripofthefuture.Iwishthema

chancetosavoreachsegmentoftheireducationasanexperienceinitselfandnotasagrim

preparationforthenextstep.Iwishthemtherighttoexperiment,totripandfall,tolearnthat

defeatisasinstructiveasvictoryandisnottheendoftheworld.

Mywish,ofcourse,isnaive.Oneofthenationalgodsveneratedinourmedia-themillion-dollar

athlete,thewealthyexecutive—andglorifiedinourpraiseofpossessions.Inthepresenceof

suchapotentstatereligion,theyoungaregrowingupold.

Iseefourkindsofpressureworkingoncollegestudentstoday:economicpressure,parental

pressure,peerpressure,andself-inducedpressure.Itiseasytolookaroundforvillains—to

blamethecollegesforchargingtoomuchmoney,theprofessorsforassigningtoomuchwork,

theparentsforpushingtheirchildrentoofar,andthestudentsfordrivingthemselvestoohard.

Buttherearenovillains:onlyvictims.

ulnthelate1960s.”onedeantoldme."ThetypicalquestionthatIgotfromstudentswas'Whyisthere

somuchsufferingintheworld,or4howIcanmakeacontribution?*Todayifs'Doyouthinkitwouldlook

betterforgettingintolawschoolifIdidadoublemajorinhistoryandpoliticalscience,orjustmajoredin

oneofthem?'"manyotherdeansconfirmedthispattern.Onesaid:"Theyaretryingtofindan

edge—theintangiblesomethingthatw川lookbetteronpaperiftwostudentsareaboutequal.M

Notetheemphasisonlookingbetter.Thetranscripthasbecomeasacreddocument,thepassportto

security.Howoneappearsonpaperismoreimportantthanhowoneappearsinperson.Aisfor

AdmirableandBisforBorderline,eventhough,inYale'sofficialsystemofgrading,Ameans“excellent”

andBmeans“verygood.^^Today,lookingverygoodisnolongergoodenough,especiallyforstudents

whohopetogoontolawschoolormedicalschool.Theyknowthatentr