The big picture!

Ok something just popped into my head in the reading and since this is extra credit...I'm going to rant a bit.
In the reading when talking about a world made smaller by adhering to one religion or one belief the author said "We cannot flourish in such a world, we cannot soar." (p.165)That is when it hit me. What these kids need is to understand the world outside of County, the world beyond graduating high school! I succeeded because I understood "ok get through high school, go to college, become a famous singer" All these things were seen as necessary steps. What the kids at County see is "get out of county so that these teachers and parents will stop bugging me." That is why it is so important to have them stay in touch with the outside world by visiting colleges or having guest speakers with different professions come in or by doing community service. If they don't see a world outside of this school...why even try? All their friends are here and the only future they are seeing is later that day...not the BIG PICTURE!
ok...
So I also see that some of the kids "get it". They see that they need to do their work to get the credits to graduate...but that is just the first step...they also need to actually DO the work. "The shock and the awakening are only preparatory. The next crucial question is how and whether one pursues, engages with, and emerges from one's struggle." (P144) A lot of the kids can see what they need to do, they just don't do it. All of the students are intelligent but not all of them have been awakened mentally as to what they need to DO to succeed. The students see the struggle ahead of them but are not willing to do the work to make it so that it is no longer a struggle.