My view of the world is that the world is unfair. Some people in poverty and low living standards are greatly ignored and looked down upon.

In most cases, people may judge you based on where you reside, where you were born and where you grew up. Society generally has low expectations on the success of students and the youth, and this shows that very many consider success unattainable. This is also evident in the book by Szachowicz as stated by the former principal at BHS “Students have a right to fail” (Susan 12). From the text, the institution was also greatly misjudged due to the city it came from and even the state. For students in this city, success was significantly dependent on luck and their accessibility to good teachers.

To be human is to live a good life, take care of others and nature and also strive to succeed in all aspects of living with high hopes and expectations. The text reinforces my view of an unfair world as chances and opportunity are not equally distributed. Students from Brockton high school mostly came from rough neighborhoods with high crime rates, poverty, homelessness, and society expected many of the students to conduct certain criminal activities (Susan 20). According to the author, history does not affect the present as we can always change the future and strive to expect more (Susan 23) still. However, expectations are not enough for improving our lives. We also need to build and develop skills which will ultimately lead to success.

This text by Susan Szachowicz has dramatically challenged me. The optimism portrayed by the author is deeply impressive. Being brought up in a rough neighborhood myself, such confidence was not always present. It is also generally observable that people from poor neighborhoods suffer from low self-esteem and very few of them are motivated in life. The author has changed my entire view on success. The author firmly believes that literacy can transform; however I do not agree to this as many factors other than scholarship are involved in processing a society most importantly good leadership (Susan 27).  In the transformation of Brockton high school typical class competition had to be put aside as most students resolved to work together.

This shows that teamwork and cooperation is the only accurate way of permanently and fully transforming a society. In this specific scenario, I wholeheartedly agree with the author in his opinions and views in teamwork. Although he only presents his ideas in one context, the implications teamwork has in any company, cooperation, sports team, and even schools are directly translatable to any level of success they attain. Collaboration is critical if different people want to pursue and achieve the same goal. A society may entirely be transformed by cooperation and also specialization as even though people work and operate as a team, everyone has to do what they are good at. This is key to success in teamwork.

The text is very eye-opening and even life-changing as it can change a person’s entire views and perspectives on failure and success. It is also very inspirational as the critical story of how a low performing school in poor neighborhoods and students being exposed to a hard lifestyle, sought out and achieved educational success not only transforming the reputation of the school but also transforming their lives. The results in the school through the students will also bring about a positive change in the entire society. It is astounding how the determination of one individual can spill over and transform the lives of so many. This text clearly shows that communities and people’s opinions may be very wrong as we all can achieve more than is imaginable if we put our minds and efforts to the challenge or activity at hand.

I would recommend this text to my school mates, soccer team players and even large companies and institutions. This is because this text is not aimed at a specific audience and can greatly favor any individual who feels stuck and depressed in life. This text would make an excellent read for people in rehab as it will significantly help them in their fight and journey towards full rehabilitation and reintegration to society. The author’s work is excellently written and presented fascinatingly. His passion for the text is evident, and a reader has a lot to learn from the book regardless of occupation, age or religion. With his in mind, I will be very willing to read more of the author’s work as it is very compelling and also thought to provoke. The book also challenges the reader to be the best that he can be and also aim for the highest form of achievement as nothing is impossible if we approach it in the right way.

Work Cited

Szachowicz, Susan E. Transforming Brockton High School: High Standards, High Expectations, No Excuses. International Center for Leadership in Education, 2013.