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Conformity In The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail

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Conformity in society is something that is seen in a mostly negative light. With that being said, while conformity in the outside world is frowned upon, it is not only being encouraged, but required in schools. With the implementation of common core in 2009, guidelines in schools have continually become more and more strict over recent years, lessening teachers range of freedom. Not only is conformity a major topic of debate in the present, it has actually been an ongoing problem for many years. Conformity, especially in schools, was a major topic in Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s 1971 play “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail.” This play, based in the year 1846, depicts the many problems with society’s need to conform, especially in the classroom setting. In this play, teacher …show more content…
Although experts argue that students will benefit from equal learning opportunities, that is not necessarily true. Those who support this conformity fail to realize “it is unreasonable to think that a child in a large city classroom will learn and perform just like a student in a small rural classroom” (FreedomWorks). All students are not the same; therefore, they should not be taught as if they were. In addition, although in theory common core was supposed to ensure a great depth in learning, it has not shown enough success to prove this to be true. Students have not shown high proficiency ratings, which provides insight into just how ineffective this system actually is. Furthermore, some educators believe that conformity can help students to become college ready. However, college is meant for each person to find themselves and pursue their passions, which is seemingly impossible when they were never allowed this opportunity prior to entering college. As a whole, conformity in schools, although may seem good in theory, is not an effective approach in

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