Skills for 21st Century

The article Rigor Redefined written by Tony Wagner presents how the current schools are failing to teach and develop some skills that will be primordial for the students in the future. Based on some researches, the article analyzes which skills and acquirement are most required nowadays from the employers in the world of work. The main points are about critical thinking and work with other people. Employers want a person who asks questions and search for their solutions, who knows how to work in teams and have an easy adaptability. After observing how is the education students are receiving in classrooms for many years, Tony Wagner could conclude that, in the majority of the classes, students are not motivated to work on the "7 skills" the world of work is looking for today; they are "feed" from their teachers, and just get prepared to pass on the tests. Wagner presented how the schools are failing nowadays in prepare the students for the future, but also showed the solution: push them, creating situations that can engage their thinking, that will prepare them not just for their careers, but for their role as citizens. 

 The labor market is increasingly rigorous and demanding, and the 7 skills Tony Wagner presented in his article are the minimum a student should be developing today, to be a great and successful professional tomorrow. A huge majority of the students are not so engaged in their learning, and it is not 100% their fault. They grew in a system where they are supposed to get ready to get a score, which is a number, not learning. The technical skills they "learn" can be memorized during school time, but when they get in the world of work, many other skills are fundamental to survive in a good career. Their employers look for someone who is going to make the difference in their company, someone who asks questions and seek for their solutions, and will bring innovations and make the company grow. They have to be challenged everyday in the classrooms, and it is probably what the teachers don't know, or don't know how to do, because it is easier to just feed the students with books and lessons, and also, answers. It is something we should be more concerned about, because the students today are the leaders tomorrow, and if they are not well prepared to face the world and its changes, we will have a problem. 

Media controls what we think

    Just because you have your remote control in front your TV, doesn't mean that you are the one in control.

     The article " How the news media controls society " written by Carlos Hurworth, explores the idea of the current media controlling and influencing what we think, how we act, and the way we live using their tools to make the society do what is good for their interest. The author talks about the power the media has and how it can control people's lives by the creation of fear. Their main goal is to control consumption  and they invest all they can to sell their products. If the population wasn't living in fear of something, the need to seek out, the news would be lower and wouldn't be so strong. People wouldn't wonder what they should be aware of, fearful of, careful of, looking out for or thinking about. Their need to consume would dissipate. The media can choose the information that arrive in people's homes, they show the society just what they think people should know about their politics, the world, and culture values too. The media works in serving people, but in essence satisfying its own need to generate its massive profits.

     The media plays a big role in influencing society to believe certain views, especially through cultural values. There is also the influence of leaders and public figures. They can control how we think because people rely on the news ( The human's necessity to be seeking for something act here and make the population rely on the news) and in many instances accept the commentary/views in the various media without analyzing the information and coming up with their own views. A good description for our massive society nowadays is alienated; it's because, first of all, the media starts to manipulate some area of people's lives, some people believe it, and some others who are a big massive population just "follow the crowd" and are not capable to have a critical thinking about the information that come to them, and just "eat" what is given to them. Cultural values are a good example about how the Media has the power to control us; In the beginning it can shock people, but when it gets normal and common, the crowds seem incapable to judge what they see anymore. A good example about how the Media can shape people's values are some human behaviors and gay ideals that would shock people in the past, but nowadays they became common, and people can accept it better. Many other ways of behaviors followed the same path. Their tools to try to control what we buy are pretty efficient when they deal with the massive crowds. Just because you have your remote control in front your TV, doesn't mean that you are the one in control.

What is 'presidential greatness'?

The article "What is 'presidential greatness'?, written by Joseph Ellis, Aida Donald, Joan Hoff, H.W. Brands, and Richard Reeves, explores the ideas of what makes a president great, comparing some points in common between great presidents the United States had. As Truman said:  "A leader needed a true heart, a strong mind, and a great deal of courage." 'Roosevelt, who probably understood the presidency better than anyone else, was the greatest president of the 20th century because he knew what people wanted from the highest office in the land: action, words and optimism. As the article always says, and is the biggest truth when they are talking about great presidents, in good times or bad, a president is expected to do something! Sometimes he does the right thing and becomes great for it. Can also be observed that great presidents in history usually were involved in some war or conflict; but, as Aida Donald said:  "No, Franklin Roosevelt was a great president before World War II started. His domestic program had already made him a great president."
     Wartime Presidents are regarded by Americans as the greatest Presidents. That is what we discover when we examine the polls. Americans revere wartime Presidents. That’s the essence of  the great presidents in history. To Americans, a great President is heavily associated with war. It doesn't affect his greatness that Lincoln started the war, for example, which, if you think about it, should detract from his greatness. Wilson got the country into World War I and he ranks number 6. Franklin Roosevelt got the country into World War II and he ranks number 2. Their high rankings are also associated with the fact that they presided over the country during large-scale wars. Maybe it is all because, during a war, people feelings are more easily controlled, and the government could try to shape their opinion in favor to the president, creating a proud of their nation and its leader, during a war. As people usually say:  "anybody can grow up to be President." But, not everybody is cut out to be President. It takes a special kind of person, someone tough, smart, and driven, just to run for the job. It takes still more talent and character to hold up under the pressures of life in the White House.