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Final Exam Essay I am not a babysitter

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Terrence Hendrix Professor Phil West English 1301- 468 11 December 2014 I Am Not A Babysitter: A Rhetorical Analysis Teaching is not a lowly job as most people think. Teaching is a profession that is highly, commendable just like banking, nursing and other professions. However, some people often ridicule the teaching profession merely because of its poor pay, poor career prospects, not to mention the perceived monotony of the daily routine writing lesson plans and preparing lecture materials. Despite all these criticisms, not many teachers have defended themselves. However, in the article “I am not a babysitter,” Heather Robinson takes a stand to defend the teaching profession effectively by appealing to ethos, pathos and logos. This …show more content…

Thus began my career in education.” She also lightly complained about minimum wage, uninvolved parents, and on the poor benefit structures but then states that they are also important issues faced by teachers. The last and most notable rhetoric element in this article is logos, which refers to the logical appeal of the argument. In this article, Robinson’s strength lies in her ability to make logical appeal to the readers. Robinson used causes and consequences, analogy, testimony and syllogism to appeal to logics. In causes and consequences, Robinson reflected on how and why she decided to become a teacher. She stated that she never wanted to be a teacher. She started as a social worker in youth services. However, because she wanted to contribute to youth development, she decided to join the teaching profession to assist youth before they become a statistic. Additionally, she argues that teachers make all professions and because of the important role that teachers play in the life of future generations, she wanted to contribute to a better tomorrow. She states, “How can we not give all of ourselves, our intellect and our talents to this work? After all, it is our current students whom we will be voting for in a future presidential election, who will care for us when we're ill and who will educate our grandchildren.” In analogy, Robinson compared teachers and other professions. She pointed that if

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