Marita's Bargain is about a child who, when she was in just the fourth grade, was given a life altering opportunity. She was given the chance to get a good...no a great education. She applied to KIPP Academy, which is a prestigious school that accepts its applicants at random. Marita was accepted and her life radically changed. She began waking up at 5:45 a.m. and would be at school until 5 p.m. Upon arriving home, she would have multiple hours of homework that would keep her busy until 9 or 10 at night.
What makes this story incredible is not just the fact that Marita is able to handle this work load, but her attitude toward it. When asked about her amount of homework she states that “having a lot of homework helps us do better in class.” How many kids do you know that have that outlook on work? I’m guessing not very many.
Marita views her schooling and the immense amount of work she must do for it, as an opportunity to make something of herself and create a good life when she gets older. She doesn’t complain or ask to go to another school. She acknowledges that this is what she needs to do for her to succeed. So for her, it truly is a bargain because she is gaining a great education and setting herself up for a better life than what she may have had had she not been accepted into KIPP Academy.
Wow, thats really detailed. I really like the second paragraph. Yeah, I can't think of anyone who would correlate success with homework at that age. When I was little it seemed the meaning of homework was to prevent me from watching Rugrats until I finished it. I don't think I could've handled that workload, or be that positive, which makes her story even more amazing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good post. It's true that Marita was lucky to get into KIPP Academy, but after she got it, things didn't come easy for her. She did have to work really hard, and it's amazing how she had such a great attitude towards learning at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteokay i posted a comment on here a few days ago...anyways...I like this post a lot. Its crazy how awesome of an attitude Marita has. I think that her attitude will definitely help her succeed later in life. Marita saw an opportunity out of the bargain and she took advantage of it.
ReplyDelete