Misrepresentation

What is a good school they ask? In my opinion, I think a "good school" does not exist. If it involves a place in where equal educational opportunities are available to everyone, I believe it is simply fulfilling its job as a school. Visiting Little Rock Central High School today and watching the HBO Special on the school 50 years later was eye-opening. Seeing these allowed me to make the inference that a good school is just an overused term that causes school to lose its purpose: teaching people how to learn. With everyone trying to live up to the idea of a "good school," the meaning of why education is vital gets misinterpreted. I think education is important because it gives young adults like me the opportunity to discover themselves, whether it be socially or religiously.

Little Rock Central High School today is very diverse when it comes to the student body. However, when the type of class comes into play, the lack of integration is seen. Whites dominate the AP Program, while the basic classes are filled with black students. This school is an example of a school that has not yet reached equal educational opportunities. Although this school is mixed with all races, it is still segregated. In the HBO Special you can see the students sitting with their own race, as opposed to eating with people that do not look like them. Also, the black students tend to come from more difficult backgrounds than the white students do, which divides the school even more. Finding this information out added a profound impact to my way of thinking. By this I mean, I was able to realize that with Little Rock Central High School, the concept of a good school is invalid.

Ariel Keene

12^th grade, City College