School and Community Portrait What makes a good school? What makes a good teacher? Does this school help the student to achieve the American Dream?

Abstract: <Tab/>The following paper addresses three main research questions regarding Pleasantville High School, in Pleasantville, NY. I spent half a day, once a week for seven weeks observing for the most part a physics class taught by Mr. Greg Dimurro, where I kept notes in an observation log. The three questions I address are was it a good school, was Mr. Dimurro a good teacher, and whether or not the …showed first 75 words of 8107 total…

…showed last 75 words of 8107 total…vast majority of students must be willing to learn and want to be successful. Only then will a school truly be able to be successful. Those three things are like pillars holding up a bridge. If you take one of them away, the bridge will come crashing down, just as a student's chance of achieving the American dream does when they are not given the same opportunity as a student who lives in Pleasantville, NY.