Anyon’s essay made me realize the way teachers actually go about educating their students. I was astonished by the way each teaching style had its own focus and rules. She explains that as the average social class of the students increases, the school’s way of educating becomes more open to let leaders or thinkers step up. The reason this essay amazed me is because I never looked at the way I was taught. After reading the essay, I can categorize how all my teachers informed me in my classes. In elementary and middle school, it was the regular, “Solve this, and get that” or “Just memorize this and you will be good on the test”. I would say I was in the working-class schools for those years. My high school experience was where all different teaching …show more content…
The working-class is restricted, but ensures that students can do what their told and follow instructions. The executive elite class is creating leaders and thinkers, but leaves obedience and normal ways of thinking as a lesser action. In life, you do not start at the top. People have to work their way up to get to the position of a leader. At first, working-class students can excel in the beginning years of work, but may have trouble progressing. Executive elite class students may have trouble adapting to being a worker for someone who needs a job done in one, certain way. Of course, this does not apply to all students of the respective classes. The problem with my generalization, and some of Anyon’s, is that the data is from elementary school’s only. Unlike middle school and high school, elementary schools usually have the kids exposed to one or two teachers throughout the day. If that teachers holds strong to their teachings, that is the result of the students’ learning. “...further research should be conducted in a large number of schools…” (Anyon). I agree with her idea of a certain relation between the social status of schools and their teachings, but there are also a lot of factors and variables that may differ from school to
This section involves the examination of student culture and who or what made them the way they are today, as Edmundson seems to think that it is not the students’ fault for creating the culture in which they are ensnared. He has come up with this idea that students are “self-contained” and that “strong emotional display is forbidden” (7); but this is simply their “cool consumer culture” at work since the “specter of the uncool creates a subtle tyranny” (21, 8). Students are “desperate to blend in,” and with that in mind, they are neither passionate nor enthusiastic and are “nonassertive,” afraid to speak out and be aggressive (8). Edmundson continues this section by giving answers—his belief of what has happened. He goes from “persona ads” to sheltered childhoods to “future prospects” to “rebound teaching,” all of which circle back to his claim about his students not having an intellectual dedication to school (8, 10-11).
Higher education is important to most people, but there are times where it does not take priority. One major issue talked about by Magdalena Kay in “A New Course” is that teachers are teaching to the state test, and not to teach students knowledge. There are two perspectives in this article: one is from Magdalena Kay, an associate professor of English at the University of Victoria, and the other is Christopher Lasch. Christopher Lasch is a historian and a social critic, who does not have an inside sight into the educational system. Lasch is only able to express the perspective of an outsider, unlike Kay who has an insight because she is in the educational system.
In this short essay, Robert Coles (1995) reveals his pivotal encounter with a student whose personal story of discrimination and unwanted propositions from fellow classmates challenged his perspective on both his current teaching methods and Harvard’s educational mission. Seated in a liberal educational philosophy, he acknowledged he did little to address the importance of connecting thinking to action in his own practice. Starting the essay with a prophetic warning from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Coles (1995) foreshadows his point that although a liberal educational philosophy may nurture intellect, it does little to foster character development when the link between knowledge and action is ignored. Moreover, through the philosophy student’s observance
The upper class is on the top of the social class and are the “wealthiest”. Certain stereotypes of upper class have been their appearance of being well dressed with expensive clothing. They are seen to have expensive lifestyles expensive vacations. Their behavior
Upper classism is made up of only 1 to 3 percent of the United States population; the upper class holds more than 25 percent of the nation 's wealth. Middle classism is white-collar workers who have more money than those below them on the “social ladder,” but less than those above them. They are divided into two levels according to wealth, education, and status. The lower middle class is often made up of less educated people with lower incomes, such as managers, small business owners, teachers, and secretaries. The upper middle class is often made up of highly educated business and professional people with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs.
Education, one of the best ways to move ahead in the world, is not equally distributed. Those in the upper class are given the best opportunities to succeed in
The current plight of the American education system is partly due to a serious shortage of teachers who can effectively instruct the students on the material and skills expected of their grade level and beyond. One reason may be because the current requirements for all teacher candidates are quite soft, as in many states, candidates are subject to only a number of requirements, including a bachelor’s degree, the completion of teacher training, an exam of school content knowledge, and other certifications (“Teacher Certification and Licensing Guide”). The most likely reason, however, of low-quality instruction in school is due to an inherent lack of intrinsic motivation and discipline in many teachers to do their best for students to excel in school and life, and if the teachers are too lazy and incompetent to do their jobs, students are more likely to follow that example and do so likewise in their own lives. This is shown in a chapter from Theodore R. Sizer’s book Horace's Compromise: The Dilemma of the American High School called “What High School Is,” where a story is told from the perspective of Mark, a typical high school student in the United States, including
Anyon article discussed students of different social class background is exposed to different types of educational knowledge. Anyon used four distinctive schools; working class, middle class, affluent and executive, located in New Jersey. The education the students received reflected the social class level. In the working class school, the principle had did not know the history of the school building. The teachers did not motive or believe in their student’s success.
The diversity of student backgrounds, abilities and learning styles makes each person unique in the way he or she reacts to information. The intersection of diverse student backgrounds and active learning needs a comfortable, positive environment in which to take root. Dr. King continues by explaining, “Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.” From back then to today’s society, kids are failing because they lack those morals that they need to succeed.
When taking a look into Jean Anyon’s “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, readers are apprised of the hidden agendas many schools have. In this article, Anyon focuses on the curriculum and student-teacher interaction from five New Jersey elementary schools located in different communities with different levels of socioeconomic status. Anyon attempts to find evidence of the differences in student work in schools in wealthy communities versus those in poor communities, in an effort to bolster the argument that public schools in society provide different forms of knowledge. Through her researcher, she was able to determine that working class schools limited students; the students were given steps to follow and they were graded based on how well they followed directions—this level of education was preparing students for the labor force as blue collar workers. In addition, the affluent professional school and the middle-class school focused on attaining the correct answer, but allowed individuals to have a choice of appropriate method and material.
The lower class works for their living and spends what money they have on things they need. Whereas the upper class, usually has a higher education and better paying jobs than the other classes in America. Thus, heritage plays a big part in reasons of social classes.
Everyone has ineffable difficulties in their mind. When we were children, most children learned the same things at school. But, why are their lives going in different directions? Children grow up in different families that have different family values. Students not only just study in schools, but also they learn
Education is affected by social class; directly and indirectly. Looking at directly first we can see that individuals from higher social classes are more likely to have the resources to attend the elicit schools, and as a result have a better chance of receiving high exam results and continuing to third level. While indirectly, people who benefit from these higher educational opportunities are more likely to acquire the top jobs which in turn will result in the highest salaries. Thus education and social class closely connected and one impacts the other. This paper will explore how ones’ social class affects their educational experience and outcome particularly focusing on working-class students.
Conflict theory states that tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society and that these conflicts become the engine for social change. In this context, Marx’s conflict approach was developed in 19th century by Karl Marx (1818-83) .Marx argued wealth and power were unequally distributed in society and sought to explain how one minority group (1% ruling-class) in society maintained its dominance over the majority (working-class). Weber formulated a response to Marx’s theory. Weber saw that conflict didn’t overwhelmingly involve the economy, but that the state and economy together set up conditions for conflict. In this essay I will discuss the views of Conflict Theorists on
Education is a huge issue that not only affects kids and their parents, but their community as well. Schools teach young kids to become the next generation of engineers, technicians, and political leaders, working towards creating a better future for their country and their community. Teachers have the unique job of creating the future leaders of the world, and preparing them for both college and life beyond, by putting a special push towards math and science, the so-called “foundation” of our society. The hard truth is, no one can be anything they want to be. Some people are simply not cut out to be engineers, doctors, or psychologists.