Reflection Post #7

 "Literacy with an Attitude" by Patrick J. Finn

 Week 10 Reflection

    This text brought a deeper understanding of the current situation our education system faces. There is a distinct difference in the type of education a child receives based on their parent's tax bracket. This fact is deeply disturbing in the sense that inequality is so deeply ingrained in our society, that it affects innocent children and their education. I wonder how this happens and why it is thought to be okay? The analysis and description of the working-class schools via Jean Anyon's research is particularly interesting to me because the patterns that are revealed in the text are the same patterns I witness within my volunteer work at Webster Avenue Elementary. This goes to show that the issues that are presented in the text go further than just the schools in New Jersey (where the research was done). Issues such as low-quality teaching, burnt-out educators, little access to quality materials, a distaste towards creativity, and overall disdain towards the children, are unfortunately prevalent in working-class schools. Schools that have high rates of poverty are at risk for issues such as these. In these schools, "work [is] often evaluated in terms of whether the steps were followed rather than whether it was right or wrong," and "teachers [make] every effort to control students' movement" (Finn, 10-11). The problem with this is that children's creativity and lust for knowledge or deeper understanding is being stifled and taken away at a crucial period in their lives. Children are naturally curious and creative and genuine, but the quality of education they are receiving in their working-class school is stamping out every ounce of curiosity or creativity. They are being prepared for the same lives their parents currently live; working-class, where their work is mechanical and routine. They won't need to understand deeper or have a lust for knowledge because their future is already decided by the constraints we put around their education. At Webster Avenue Elementary, I volunteer in the kindergarten classroom. There are about 23 students crammed into an--unfortunately--cluttered classroom. With little space to move around, the students are to stay at their desks and only move when commanded to do so by the teacher. The students have very little autonomy and are also expected to do things "by the book." Doing things "by the book," sometimes makes sense in the classroom when trying to teach kindergarteners new concepts, however, when students fail to understand concepts "by the book," no alternate route of teaching takes place. That student is expected to learn in one way, and if they cannot, then they risk falling behind their peers. I see the frustration in the kindergarteners. It's expressed in so many ways, often being outbursts or resistance, as the text touches on. The students that resist within a classroom, can be compared to the canaries in a coal mine that Shalaby mentions in "Troublemakers." When there is resistance from the students in a classroom, this reflects negatively on the teacher, who then feels discouraged or equally as frustrated as their students. This makes for bitterness between the teacher and their students. In the text, Finn recounts that "teachers made derogatory remarks regarding the students," and a principal reportedly said to a new teacher, "Just do your best. If they learn to add and subtract, that's a bonus. If not, don't worry about it" (Finn, 11). This type of attitude and behavior is another part of the issue within working-class schools. How can students be expected to do well or want to learn when their own teachers, their role models, don't seem to care about their success? Seeing this type of behavior amongst teachers in real life was shocking to say the least. It is one thing to learn about these issues in our FNED-246 classroom, but actually witnessing them is extremely powerful. In my experience, it makes me want to become more educated on these topics and learn stategies for how to help in these schools and what can be done to change how our education system functions. 

Here is a link to a Ted Talk about Building a Better Classroom: Building a Better Classroom TedTalk