Gracee Veal

Profesor Lohmeyer
English 101: Composition
6 September 2016
Synthesis project dialogue
Tv Host: Hello everyone and welcome to tonights show! The decision of college
education and even high school education impacts every individuals lives. Mike
Rose and Charles Murray show their views on the subject through their essays! Lets
give a big welcome to our guests tonight, Mike Rose author of Blue-Collar
Brilliance, and Charles Murray author of Are Too Many People Going to College?

Tv Host: Its so nice to have you gentlemen here! Lets hear from Charles Murray
first. Tell us a little about yourself Charles.

Charles: Its great to be here. Well, I will start off by saying that Im proud to be the
W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Ive written many books on
issues that I find concerning; topics such as race, education, and public policy. I
wrote, Are Too Many People Going to College? because education is something I
have always been interested in, as many other people are. (Charles Murray)

TV Host: Thank you Charles we will come back to you in a few short minutes. Lets
head over to Mike Rose. What can you tell us Mike?

Mike: Much like Charles, education is a topic I have become interested in over the
years. When I was young I never imagined that I would be a professor at the UCLA
Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, but here I am!

Tv Host: Great Mike, thank you! Why do you say you wouldnt have imagined
yourself being a professor?

Mike: Until I got older, school wasnt something that was interesting to me. As you
can tell that has completely changed, and education has become an important part
in my life.

TV Host: Its fantastic you have found a career that makes you happy. Alright lets
get to the mind boggling question of many people, is high school or college
education a must? What is your thought on this Charles?

Charles: I feel as if knowledge in your common subjects such as history, science,

and literature are important, and high school is where this should be taught.
(Murray 237)

Mike: Charles Id have to disagree with you on this. Many careers arent based on
knowledge of history, science, and literature. Once you get out in to the real world
you find that many of these skills you learn in high school you rarely use. Fine-motor

skills are a necessity in hands-on careers such as carpenters, hair stylists, or

waitresses. (Rose 280) Although most careers dont require a high school literacy
level, reading does occur frequently in blue-collar careers.

Tv Host: These are both great points! I especially enjoy Mikes statement about
fine-motor skill they may not be something we are necessarily taught repeatedly,
but I can agree with you that they are important in your life. My next question is
how do you know whether college is for you? Is college education a must if you
want to be successful?

Mike: The decision of college completely depends the persons personality. As I said
at the beginning of the show, I struggled through all of high school until I found my
passion for English. I went to college and pursued my career in teaching education
and wouldnt even think about turning back. On the other hand someone like my
Uncle Joe may have never found a career in college he was passionate about.
Instead he found happiness in working in different jobs such as the railroad, Navy,
the assembly line, and the paint and body department. Joe once explained to me
that even though its not formal education he learns something new every day.
(Rose 277) He might have not attended college or even all of high school, but I
would define him as an extremely successful man.

Charles: I agree with you Mike. Personality does have a substantial impact in
choosing whether college is right for you. Many people suspect if they go to college

for a high paying job they will be successful in life. This isnt necessarily true. For
example, becoming a lawyer you would have to extremely committed, smart, and
enjoy learning about the government. To earn a large salary requires you to be in a
career you enjoy. Therefore, this isnt saying going to a four-year college or even
getting a doctorate is a good choice. Sometimes the best choice is attending a trade
school. Its less expensive and could be something you enjoy more than attending
school for a degree youre not necessarily interested in.

Tv Host: This is all great advice to our young adults. While reading your essay,
Charles, I found it interesting how you pointed out how many high-school students
find going to college to be the right thing to do. (Murray 251) Why do you say this?

Charles: Yes, many students find it necessary to go to college. This is because

everyone in the education field push them to do so. Guidance counselors continually
encourage students to look into a variety of colleges and push them to choose a
school. This makes the students feel like they have no choice. We took a survey and
more than 90 percent of high-school students said that their guidance counselor
encouraged them to attend college. (Murray 251)

Tv Host: Wow that is very interesting! I also find this to be true. Students dont
seem to have a choice whether or not college is for them. Mike, in your essay you
also bring up an interesting point on education. Why do you think someones
knowledge is so important when it comes to employers hiring someone?

Mike: Much like Charles explained how its become normal to go to college, its
become normal for our society to judge based on how well someone does in school.
Instead of focusing on an individuals experience, its more common for employers
to focus on IQ tests and grades you get in school. (Rose 279)
Charles: Isnt it just phenomenal to think about how much someones ability to
take a test outdoes someones experience? This should not be the case. Just
because an individual might not get the best grades does not affect how well
someone does the job. Especially if that person has passion for what they are doing.

TV Host: I agree with you both in how passion for a career affects how well you do
the job. I can tell, as everyone in the audience can tell, you two men are deeply
passionate in what you do. Your books and essays show it. One last question, what
is one piece of advice you could give our audience?

Charles: Dont be the person who is led to follow a certain career path based on
what society says you should do. A majority of our society drops out of school if they
go down the career path that isnt maybe quite for them. Dont make up your mind
to fast on a career, its a life changing decision think long and hard about it!
Remember four year schools arent the right choice for everyone, consider all your
options!

Mike: My advice to all of you is remember that education is important, but also
remember learning everyday skills is equally important. Figure out what you enjoy

and what your best at and do that, youll never regret it. My mother and Uncle Joe
have always been the people I look up to. They might have not been making the
salaries of a doctor or lawyer, but at the end of the day they enjoyed their life.

Tv host: Looks like we are about out of time here, so lets give our guests a big
round of applause and thank them for coming on the show tonight. Education
impacts your entire life, so I hope everyone learned a little something today.
Whether youre a senior in high school trying to choose the path you are going to
take, or someone who already has a job, but doesnt enjoy it. Its never too late to
keep learning and try something new! Thank you for tuning in on tonights show.
See you tomorrow!

Work Cited
Murray, Charles. Are Too Many People Going to College? Graff, Gerald. They
Say I Say. Ed. Cathy Birkenstein and Russel K. Durst. Third ed. New York: W.W
NORTON, 2014. 234- 254 Print.
Rose, Mike. Blue-Collar Brilliance Graff, Gerald. They Say I Say. Ed. Cathy
Birkenstein and Russel K. Durst. Third ed. New York: W.W NORTON, 2014. 272-283
Print.