I read the chapters of this article, and I loved it! I went online and researched Finn's book. This website gives an overview of everything that was happening during the time that this book was written and why the author wrote everything he wrote. I read this great quote that puts everything into even more perspective.
"Finn framed his argument for teaching powerful literacy to poor, working-class children as a matter of justice. Powerful literacy is the education our children deserve because it fosters critical thinking about complex ideas and prepares you people to consider multiple perspectives and their own interests as they make life decisions. Finn exposed disparities in the aims and means of educating students according to their social class. Poor, working-class students received functional literacy that taught compliance, while students from privileged backgrounds were taught powerful literacy that promoted independence and leadership. The aims and means of education were distinct, separate and unequal, dispensed according to one's social class."This quote says it all, Finn's argument was that underprivileged kids are treated differently than upper class kids. This isn't fair, because while upper class kids are getting taught to become great upper class people, the underprivileged kids are learning things that "our for their learning standards". Which to me is bogus, who's to say that just because these working-class kids aren't smart enough to learn everything upper class kids are learning? It's sad and ridiculous, every kids should be given the same exact opportunity when it comes to education. "SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL" shouldn't exist, especially not today in this time and era, Brown v. Board of Education was the act that ended all of the separate and unequal stuff. From that point on skin color, race, and class shouldn't have a say whether anyone receives the same education as someone else. WE SHOULD ALL, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, RECEIVE THE SAME EXACT EDUCATION AND TREATMENT.
This takes me back to my service learning classroom. Because where I work which is a private school compared to the treatment, the privileges, the advantages, all these kids from the private school have are much different from the kids at my service learning placement. All these kids should have the same opportunity and care that the kids in the private school receive. It shouldn't matter if the kids are more upper class than the others, they should be equal.
Talking Point: Does this reading change your mind about your idea, or style of teaching?
For me, this article was a wake-up call, in the sense that groups don't always work for students. In class were are always talking about how students know if they are the "lower" group. I feel like maybe groups would work better if there was a mix of students in each group, that way they could help each other without anyone feeling stupid.
ReplyDeleteNice reflection dude,
ReplyDeletei enjoyed reading it.
TP: No it does not change my mind. PE Teacher :]
This article showed me different sides to teachers who teach. I feel there are teachers who truly go into teaching loving what they do. Then there are teachers who do not have the passion for what they do. Its unfortunate because whether students get the good or bad teacher, somehow the students always suffer.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that kids are not given the same opportunity when it comes to getting an education. It is extremely unfair, especially to the underprivileged children. Every child has potential, but what it all comes down to is social class. Most people assume that lower class schools have children who are “not as smart” as the upper class children, which is not true at all. They do not have the same advantages as the upper class schools. I agree with you, all children should receive the same exact education and treatment and that separate and unequal should not exist today.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the fact that kids are still separated by race and social class is not right. You're completely right in saying that in this day and age, things should be different. I agree with Jess in saying that this article was a wake-up call for and how mistreated and underprivilaged lower-class students really are. Great post!
ReplyDeleteStudents need to feel comfortable and safe in their classrooms. They will only perform to the best of their ability if they are shown respect for who they are and their differences. Every student deserves a chance to become the next presidents of the U.S.A.
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