Does your social class justify the schooling you get?

I couldn't help but stop every few sentences to think of my last 15 years as a student and think, "wow, I never really thought about it that way."

Jean Anyon's "Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum of Work" depicts the truth about schools based on their social classes. We would love to say that all schools and students are equal, but that would just be ridiculous. This concrete evidence indicates that our school system needs some kind of reform because every student does deserve an equal chance; there should not exist a difference because of social classes. Attending a working-class school does not justify the means to have a poor education. I guess we are always blinded by the fact that money is everything because it can buy the needed school supplies or the most expensive and hi-teched computers for a "higher education," but we should also realize that it is also the teachers' treatment of their students and the emphasis on how they teach that plays a huge role in these students' lives and how that can draw the line whether they are successful or not in life.

After reviewing the four types of schools, I most strongly consider that both my elementary and high school followed the middle-class school pattern. All my life it had always been about getting the right answers to get that A. It was exactly what we always did as students because that was what we were told was the right thing to do. During high school, I remember vividly that my math teachers would always remind us to check in the back of the book for the answers to the problems and likewise, they never bothered asking a student if they really understood. Although I never thought it was the correct method to use, I never questioned it because I hated math and as long as I got the right answer, I knew I would get a good grade, so why bother, right? Answers have always been straight out of a book, but the book of answers won't always be there for you and thats a vaulable lesson everyone should think about.

In the long run, every teacher was the same; however, in every student's life, there's always that one teacher that out shines the rest of them because they made you a better person, in one way or another. Mine was in sixth grade. My sixth grade teacher was Mrs. Bilski and although every teacher at my elementary school followed the same routine, she did not. Everyday she had us reading and also made us write about our books that we read or whatever else was on our minds. Even though some of us hated it, in time we grew to love it because it expanded our thought processes. She made me understand how important school was because at that time, it was always about friends and having fun. The times she drilled us with books and writing assignments made me appreciate what a pen and a piece a paper could create. Although I am not the greatest writer or best reader, I love to do both.

Assuming that the educational system was actually designed to follow and maintain this sad structure, it could be easily said that the United States is going backwards instead of fowards in terms of progress. The permanent segregation the U.S would be placing on students would divide everyone and heavily place a greater emphasis on money. I say money because students that grow older and do not have the right cognitive developement will not be able to get the higher paying job and will be stuck at a job suitable for his or her educational level. This cycle will repeat itself with their children because the parents will not be able to afford to have them in that "Executive Elite School" and the barrier will never be broken. The United States will in fact be like in the early age where children followed in their parents footsteps because they never knew anything better or just couldn't do any better.

Given your own experiences in school, what kind of world do you think you've been prepared to fit into?
My experiences in school have shared so many opnions about numerous topics that I believe I am ready for whatever the world shapes out to be. I see and understand from several different prespectives and I believe that it is a very helpful tool to use. With that in mind, the strongest tool you have is your voice, so use it :)