Readers Response Blue Collar Brilliance free essay sample

In â€Å"Blue-Collar Brilliance,† Mike Rose observes his mother, Rosie and his mother’s brother, Joe, in their occupations(96). Rose explains how his mother uses complex learning strategies and adaptation to fully excel in her blue-collar occupation. Rose explains how Rosie devised elaborate memory strategies while grouping and sequencing tasks in her head to become more efficient to â€Å"make every move count (97). Rosie used critical thinking skills to solve problems that arose, at an instant while taking into account the emotional state of her co-workers. Rose explains how Rosie became fluent at reading social cues and managing feelings of the costumer’s and her own to increase her chances of getting a bigger tip. Rosie expresses, â€Å"There isnt a day that goes by in the restaurant that you don’t learn something†(97). Rosie used complex psychology as well as major critical thinking skills, without formal teaching, to exceed at her profession. We will write a custom essay sample on Readers Response : Blue Collar Brilliance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Rose then goes on to explain how Joe lacked formal knowledge but made up for with with hands on experience. As Joe worked on the assembly line and General Motors, he learned to be more efficient with his body by acquiring a set of routines that were quick but preserved his energy. Joe became a consummate multi-tasker while keeping a cool head under excruciating production schedules. Joe was able to study, up close, technological and social dynamics, machinery and production processes as well as paint chemistry. Because of this, Joe â€Å"not only Shimizu ! 2 solved problems but found problems to solve†(99). Joe states that the shop floor provided what school did not. â€Å"It was like Schooling. You’re constantly learning†(99). Rose contends certification of diverse intelligence does not result in a tender mind. To recognize and accept a wide range of intellectual capacity is to effectively apply cognitive thinking. A person must appreciate the work of the mind that strives for accomplishment thus shaping that person’s personality. Rose concludes that a mind capable of applying its entire self, even without formal education, to seek out and solve problems while constantly learning something new, is a mind worthy of a democratic society. I, personally, agree with Rose’s argument. I believe that hands on experience, depending on the ability of one’s mind to adapt, may be more effective than learning through a book first. I believe one learns by doing. As I grew up, I was always taught, â€Å"you’ll never know until you try. † This, I never fully understood until I had come across problems of my own. I was able to read, and study things pertaining to my problem but never really solved the problem until I â€Å"tried†. Taking the problem and putting my handwork and knowledge to use created better results than reading and studying the problem alone. I’ve discovered over the years that one can never fully understand how any object or idea works until it has been physically applied or broken down. I believe that one can only learn through experience and experience can only be gained through trial and error. In accordance to Rose’s assumptions, I believe that even without formal teaching, the human brain always has the ability to absorb and process thing. One would only have to allow their brain to do so. Humans grow through hands-on experience. Without this experience, our generation would not be as evolved as it is. Shimizu ! 3 Rose explains that a mind willing to experience and attempt enhancement shapes the mind bearer’s personality. Character is built through experience. Taking the idea, â€Å"you’ll never know until you try†, and applying it to every day life shapes how a person thinks and views the world. Rosie observed her fellow employees and costumers but never learned how to cope with them until she â€Å"tried†. She experience what worked or did not work with the problems she faced, as for Joe too. They took the knowledge obtained through hands-on observation, devised a possible solution, applied it, and experienced first hand the results. In a way, they completed the perfect scientific method without even knowing it. Mike Rose observed his family and realized that â€Å"brilliance† does not necessarily come from a book, but from hands-on experience. This hands-on experience is what allows society to evolve. If knowledge is never applied, the society is stuck. The drive to solve problems, become more efficient, and make things easier should be instilled in every mind, thus allowing every mind to observe, hypothesize, and apply even without formal knowledge.