In Journal “Social Class and the hidden curriculum of work” by Jean Anyon
the idea of depending on the economic status of that community affected the
type of education or the “hidden curriculum” you will received and ultimately
would lead to a job held by people of that status. The journal illustrates the
daily interactions of five elementary schools of different economic statuses.
While reading I noticed how different these schools operated from each other
even though it was all fifth grade.
“it tells them exactly what to do, or they couldn't do it.” (Anyon, 75.)
At this young age students are being train for this type of work, like, a factory worker (like most of the parents of the observed children) or a very direction driven occupation. The teachers of the first two schools were not allowing their students to think, question, or come up with their own explanations. The teacher assumes the students in front of them can't do anything beyond their abilities. The teachers were enabling the students the opportunity to learn proper decision-making without explain the bias for the decisions” (Anyon, 76.)The working class teachers are teaching the skills if they never get a say in their learning. “.. made decisions without consulting the students and students to always obey directions, their only goal is to follow directions, which aligns very much to a future in a job that entails just that.
Typical directions of the observed middle class schools ask students to do “some figuring, some choice, and some decision making”(Anyon, 77). Students have choice and some decision-making chances but still the classroom is heavily relied on following directions and getting the right answer. “work tasks do not usually requests creativity” again students aren't really thinking for themselves even with choice presented.They are obeying what the teacher is saying and requesting. When explains to the observer what they do in school is “store facts in your head like cold storage-- until you creativity is involved it's usually for “fun” and no other meaning. A child from the middle class school need it later for a test, or your job”. (Anyon, 79). I’m sure students today think this. “Thus, doing well is important because there are thought to be other likely rewards: a good job or college” (Anyon, 79)
In the affluent professional school, work is creative and completed independently. More resources were available. Teachers are giving their students feedback. Similarly, in another high economic community, the executive elite school “School work helps one achieve, to excel, to prepare for life” (Anylon, 83.) The teacher at this school are asking students more decision driven questions and questions promoting independent thinking. Language arts was seen as a “complex system” and mechanics in their writing and speech, a topic barely if at all mentioned in the low economic schools student were expected to have a firm understanding grammar, sentence structure and proper observed. In comparison of the other schools, the elite school was expected so much more than other schools.
In this Def Jam Poetry clip, the African American poet, Lamont Carey, tells the audience about his inability to read and how athletics was his key out of his social class. But when his athletics are taken away, what are his options? What did his school prepare him to be?
Schools that give very few options for our younger learners makes the student believe they truly do have those options. This seems like the case for communities of families with low economic status. How can we let students believe they have limited options? What can we do to change that? In “The Only Valid Passport From Poverty”, Dana Goldstein mention the importance of educators influencing their students. After the passing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965 more funding was available for schools but at the cost of closing them and losing highly qualified teachers, most being black teachers. “Black schools were disproportionately closed and black teachers were disproportionately dismissed or demoted, regardless of their seniority, qualifications or success in the classroom.” (Goldstein, 118). Students should be able to learn from teachers of all races but the content means more to the student when they can relate to it. “Black teachers introduced black children to heroic figures from African American history”to build racial pride” (Goldstein, 122). If only the Def Jam poet, Carey was able to have a teacher that introduced him those heroic figures sooner, build that pride, he could have found an interest and have more options. His passport could have been “valid”.
Your "Game of Life" picture speaks volumes. This weeks readings really let you with that feeling "it all about the card you draw". And I wonder what Anyon would have said about today's focus on sports in schools and how, for many, it is their way "out of the ghetto", as Lamont Carey says. I think Anyon would find many more Lamonts in the lower socioeconomic class communities; students who have little expected of them in the classroom, but for whom many trust to lead the team to victory. As a coach, I see this this attitude frequently, student athletes pushed to play when they academically and physically shouldn't. To the keen eye it is obvious how little their coaches and teachers value them.
ReplyDeleteI fear we will look back at our obsession with this "way out" of sports and liken it to the "games" played at the Roman Colosseum. Played for the entertainment of the masses at the expense of the "prisoners" of our communities.
Lamont Carey's story reminded me of Dr. Harry Edward's book, Revolt of the Black Athlete, which was published in 1969. In it, he details as a former college student athlete how PWIs academically failed the black student athletes they enrolled to play sports. Black athletes hoping to earn their 'passport out of poverty' were consistently told to put sports above all else, and enrolled in and passed in courses for degrees that were essentially useless upon entrance into society. They were academically failed, which then led to employment and economic failure back home. The debate over student athletes continues today with #PaythePlayers protests against the NCAA, as that organization and the higher ed institutions financially benefit from the physical labor of the players. And although there are arguments that the players ostensibly receive a free education, they must also miss a great deal of classroom time, resulting in a reduced quality of education. It's clear that race and class continue to facotr into the quality of education, whether it's in the K-12 system, or in higher ed.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting perspective on a different type of "passport" that could lead one out of poverty. I have been pressured more than once by coaches and parents to pass a student just so that they would not be put on athletic probation. It connects back to what Boggs was talking about in last week's reading about socially promoting students regardless of their achievement levels. Like Lamont Carey describes in his poem, teachers, parents, and the school board are continuously making excuses and passing the blame for why students aren't finding success in public schools, rather than getting to the root of the problem.
ReplyDelete