As a reflection for Unit 2, reflect on at least one of the following (approx. 250 – 500 words):  

1. What did I learn about my cultural myth and the associated issues by composing the annotated bibliography? How did I learn it?  Why is it important?  What will I do because of it?

2.  What did I learn about my writing and research skills by composing the annotated bibliography? How did I learn it?  Why is it important?  What will I do because of it?

3.  What did I learn about myself by composing the annotated bibliography? How did I learn it?  Why is it important?  What will I do because of it?

I learned that the elite education system is harming its students by making education about how much they can achieve rather than how much they can grow and develop. It leaves students with emotional problems ranging from extreme anxiety and depression to eating disorders and stunted intellectual curiosity and passion. Education has become a way to accumulating more wealth and power and forgotten that it is about teaching young people how to think on their own and grow into independent responsible adults. Knowing how the education system is failing its students is important because as soon as it is recognized we can find a way to fix it. I will show why as a whole the education system needs to be reevaluated. Merit shouldn’t only be based on how well a student does academically and extracurricularly, it should be about the qualities they possess that make them human as well. Once education shifts from only seeing success in terms of grades and achievements and looks at success in how well they actually grasp what they are learning and how much they actually think about why they are learning it only then will they be on their way towards a better system. I learned how much easier and fun it is when I research something I actually care and want to know about. I learned that it’s easy to find research about a topic if you know how to look for it and that there’s a difference between reading to understand and just reading. It’s important to give myself time to do things and everything is easier when I feel like I’m not rushing myself. Doing this research has helped me figure out what works best for me when it comes to outlining and actually writing a paper.