talking points 7 Race, Class and Gender

Jared Cormier

Peter Mclaren

Race, Class and Gender – Why Students Fail

1. “…there are informal and formal sanctions against blacks who step into what their peers and the black community in general regard as the ‘white cultural frame of reference.’ School learning in white-controlled institutions often is equated with abandoning the imperatives, values and collective solidarity of black culture.”

                This point examines the complexity of both the problem and solution to racism. The American culture and way of life was founded on a white Eurocentric principal when minorities weren’t regarded as citizens. Americans with non-European heritage cannot be expected to behave according to these principals and still honor their culture.

2. “Schools function mechanically to reproduce social class divisions in the larger society.”

                This follows the idea that students in working-class communities are raised to have low expectations of becoming anything higher than working class. Also implied is the idea that these kids accept this at an early age so that when they are in school they are more likely to be discouraged to learn.

3. “Just as male resistance in schools often serves to more firmly cement the boys in their low-caste status, female resistance often means rejecting the culture of the classroom only to be positioned in a culture in which girls are viewed as sex objects.”

This is an observant point made by Mclaren. This, as in my first point points to the complexity of the issue. In women’s role to further themselves in society, their concern lies more with meeting a physical requirement to gain acceptance rather than focus on intellectual fulfillment. It also speaks of boys and their instilled belief that manual labor is more “manly” than mental labor and academics.

One thing that continually bothered me about this article was the assumption that the lower class labor jobs provided less merit than then higher class jobs. Sure, different jobs require different levels of skill, intelligence and sacrifice but that doesn’t mean that a truck driver should take any less pride in their work than a doctor. Perhaps the problem lies in the assumption that labor jobs are for those who failed in life and are stuck doing something they hate. Some prefer the physical strain of manual labor to the liability and stress involved in higher class jobs. I believe there are people who achieved in school and have a well paying high-stress management job who wish they could ease the mental anguish and opt for a manual labor job, just as some carpenters wish they did well in school and had an office job.

Talking points 9 - Citizenship in Schools

Jared Cormier

Christopher Kliewer

Citizenship in school

1. “[community] requires a willingness to see people as they are – different perhaps in their minds and their bodies, but not different in their spirits or their willingness and their ability to contribute to the mosaic of society.”

                This is from Judith Snow regarding the merging of disabled and non-disabled children in schools. This states that although people have certain strengths and weakness, everyone has a desire to use those strengths to contribute and further their position  in society.

2. “…It’s about all of us working together, playing together, being together, and that’s what learning is.”

              

             This is from Shane Robbins explaining how she integrates the six clinically disabled students into her classroom. It’s also a broad statement that could be applied to society as a whole, which also explains how integrated classrooms benefit all students in preparation for the real world.

3. “To value another is to recognize diversity as the norm. It establishes the equal worth of all schoolchildren, a sense that we all benefit from each other, and the fundamental right of every student to belong.”

               

           This reiterates the idea that disabled or not, everyone has the potential to contribute to society. Society runs on the things that make us different, and the earlier in life we are exposed to those differences, the more likely we are to contribute.

                Though long and rather wordy, the text contained interesting points. Before reading the article I could not imagine any benefit to integrating disabled kids with non-disabled kids. I figured the disabled kids would be unable to keep up and the non-disabled kids would feel held back. The alternative form of schooling presented better prepares kids for life outside of the classroom. Finding beneficial ways to use the strengths of a disabled person not only increases their confidence, it gives non-disabled people a different perspective on others in that disabled or not,  we all contain the same human spirit and desire to better ourselves and society.

               

Talking points 8 - Anyon - social class and hidden curriculum

Jared Cormier

Jean Anyon

Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work

1.       “when you do this, it’s the same steps over and over again – and that’s the way division always is”

This is one of many quotes Anyon cleverly used to describe the division of teaching techniques among schools. Taken from a teacher attempting to explain a math problem in a working class school, it’s also a statement describing the work involved in the blue-collar professions of their parents; the mundane work of assembly line personnel, stockroom workers and gas station attendants.

2.       “I’m more-just as interested in how you set up the problem as in what answer you find. If you set up a problem in a good way, the answer is easy to find. “

This is another tongue-in-cheek reference, this time regarding the executive elite schools. Parents of students at these schools are top corporate executives, financial executives and politicians. I relate this quote to politicians going through the motions to solve problems of the lower classes to give the appearance that they are concerned; never really solving the problem, just making it appear that there is an effort being taken.

3.       “No, you don’t, you don’t even know what I’m making yet. Do it this way or it’s wrong.”

This is a quote from a teacher at the working class school. This encourages again the factory worker mentality. It doesn’t allow for a sense of accomplishment upon completion, more of a feeling that the minimum need has been met. It creates more of a feeling of fear that it will be wrong or not get done at all rather than the feeling that when the task is accomplished,

progress has been made and the individual has made a contribution; something has been improved.

I found this reading well organized and informative. Techniques used in the more privileged schools clearly involve more reasoning and encourage more independent thinking. They are also designed to make the school experience more enjoyable to students, giving them a sense that their opinion matters and encouraging them to speak their mind. Students learning in this environment are taught at an early age that they can be anything they want to be. Students learning in the working class or middle class environments are told more to listen and follow instructions. An early indication that their life ahead as simple, mundane workers.

                Most of these techniques don’t require a large budget or many resources. Considering this, I’m curious as to why are the open ended ways of teaching not adopted by the lower class schools.?

Talking Points 6 - A Particularly Cheap White Whine

Jared Cormier

Tim Wise

A Particularly Cheap White Whine

1.    

   “to award scholarships on the basis of so-called merit, when merit itself has been accumulated due to an unfair head start, is to perpetuate a profound justice.”

This passage states that African American scholarships are given not simply because the recipient experienced oppression first hand throughout their lives, but through generations to the point where they don’t have the same opportunities as others.

2.      

“We (whites) are ‘losing out’ if you will, only on something to which we have no moral claim namely, the ability to keep banking our privileges, and receiving the benefits (be they scholarships, college slots or jobs) of a system that has been skewed in our favor.”

This somewhat sarcastically states that are privileged enough and affirmative action policies are not racially biased, but rather work to remedy these “opportunity gaps…to the greatest extent possible”

3.       “once economic status gaps  between whites and blacks are fully accounted for, there is no statistically significant difference between white and black graduation rates.”

This mathematically indicates that the affirmative action policies for scholarships work. Without these polices that statistic would be drastically skewed toward whites.

It first struck me as odd that an organization like the BU Republicans would back anyone who truly believed that race-based scholarships were “the worst form of bigotry confronting America today.” Weather you support race-based scholarships or not there are clearly more pressing forms of bigotry that involve all citizens, not just those involved in college or involved in preparation for college. While there are arguments that these scholarships denounce racial equality, they come from narrow minded people caught up in semantics who just want to win. The statistics shown through the passage contain more than enough evidence to show that the policies work to create a more level playing field.

Talking Points 5 In service of What?

Jared Cormier

Kahne and Westheimer

In service of what?

1.       “the value of this approach (charity) extended far beyond the service students might provide for the elderly or the ways that they might clean up the environment. It lay in the academic skills, the moral acuity and the social sensitivity they would develop as they learned to assess critically and respond collectively to authentic problems.”

This passage summarizes the student benefits of service learning. The purpose of study is to gain as much knowledge as possible and whether the service is helping our societal problem on a large scale, or simply helping a particular individual, all charitable projects aim to help enrich the student’s life experience.

2.       “Students tutor, coach softball, paint playgrounds, and read to the elderly because they are interested in people, or because they want to learn a little about poverty and racism before they head out into the waiting corporate world…We try to see the homeless man, the hungry child, and the dying woman as the people they are, not the means to some political end. “

Another proponent of service learning through charity, this passage basically states that though students may not be making social impact on a large scale, the simple one-on-one interaction is still helping the intended individual as well as the student.

3.       “Students may use their developing ability to articulate powerful logical arguments to “maintain most of their deep-seeded prejudices and irrational habits of thought by making them appear more rational.”

This passage indicates a negative aspect of service learning through charity. By working with people less fortunate any sense of entitlement or social hierarchy will only be further encouraged.

                It took me a while to accept that there could be anything wrong with charitable contributions. The article focuses on charity versus change however can’t both be practiced simultaneously? I believe trying to impact society on a large scale through social change is a task for trained, educated government agencies and officials and is too involved for a general high school student. I believe a student volunteering their time to help an individual should be enough. I also believe minimal hours should be required for students coupled with education to prevent students gaining an inflated sense of entitlement.