Anyon

Jean Anyon
Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum Of Work

1. "The procedure is usually mechanical, involving rote behavior and very little decision making or choice. The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance."-The Working Class Schools

I found this quote to be staggering and very significant to the text at hand. Students who belong to a lower social class could become disinterested with what they are learning because it seems irrelevant. The teacher needs to explain how the school work will help the students advance in life. The students will become stuck in low-wage jobs if they do not realize the importance of school.

2. "Work tasks do not usually request creativity. Serious attention is rarely given in school work on how the children develop or express their own feelings and ideas, either linguistically or in graphic form. On the occasions when creativity or self-expression is requested, it is peripheral to the main activity or it is "enriched" or "for fun."- Middle Class School

So this pretty much describes my feelings about the high school I attended. Why do schools love to stifle the creativity of students? Things become extremely tedious and boring and the student realizes they are just doing these things to get into a good college. The schools try to stay away from controversy by not offering students a chance to be creative or critical.

3. "On an occasion when a child did not maintain control, the teacher said, "When you're up there, you have authority and you have to use it. I'll back you up." - The elite school

The children actually have a chance to be an authority figure in the classroom. This is obviously very empowering and the children are surely being set up for success. To have a feeling that the teacher cares for you is also very beneficial for the student.

I found this article to be my favorite of the semester thus far. To see an actual analysis instead of opinions on schools was something I truly enjoyed. This article really cleared up for me that there is differences in the public school system. Not all schools are the same. People who attend a lower class school are at a disadvantage because they will continue the cycle of low-paying jobs because there education is failing them. The upper class students are being set up to be the power people in this country because they analyze and think creatively. This article presents a truly comprehensive association of class and schooling.

I have a question for consideration. After reading this article , would many of you change your teaching style? I think that by using some of the negative presented from all the schools we can try to make learning an equal opportunity for everyone. Just because someone is of a lower class why shouldn't they have to analyze things?