Week #8 Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn

Week #8

Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn

Connection

Finn argues here that the structure of education and what is really taught in US schools is un-American, inequitable and unequal. He states that the US does not provide students with equal learning opportunities, instead their opportunities match their social class. As a result, schools actually teach students what they are destined to be or “supposed to become” despite following similar standards. Finn’s main points relate to almost all of the authors we have read thus far in this course, starting with the Prussian Based Model that mainstream schools are based off of. The concept that learning should be used to shape obedient students, rather than critical thinkers. 

Beyond that, the basis of Chapter 2 by Finn is built on Jean Anyon’s work. Finn relies on Anyon’s categories to demonstrate how socioeconomics define classroom instruction and learning outcomes. Finn argues that the different subcategories of social status and class create unique opportunities for the students who are a part of them, for good and bad. For example, Finn says that students in the working class schools are taught to follow the rules and the teachers emphasize discipline over thinking. This relates to Rinkley and Bertolini’s idea of a deficit based model having a negative impact on students' success as well. At any rate, Finn’s main points draw on Anyon’s; Schools do not provide the same educational opportunities universally and they only contribute to class inequality.

There are also many connections to be made to Delpit’s arguments. In Delpit’s culture of power, she claims that schools operate based on the norms of the dominant (white, middle-class) culture. Delpit argues here that students who are not already part of that culture must be explicitly taught its rules in order to succeed. This goes hand and hand with Finn’s point that working-class students are not given access to the language, skills, or critical thinking associated with power. As mentioned before, they are instead taught compliance and basic skills. These students, who are not going to elite schools, are being excluded from Delpit's “culture of power.”

An observation from my own life that I thought of while reading Finn this week is private schools and Ivy League Universities and their role in society. I only ever attended public schools and universities, but I would consider my education to have been and still be above average. This could also be due to the fact that my parents originally moved to Portsmouth because of the renowned school system. However, there was always been students or people in my life who have only attended schools that are "the best of the best." A large population of my peers in High School were applying and getting into private universities or Ivy League schools. Not having that same experience always made me feel like less than, deep down. However as I have gotten older I've realized that is a silly feeling, but it's still valid. My husband and I often discuss whether or not our children will attend private school, and we're still not sure where we land. Public & Private Schools Stats

Week #6: Other People’s Children, Lisa Delpit

Other People’s Children, Lisa Delpit

Quotes

    In this section of “Other People's Children” Lisa Delpit discusses her positions on equity in education. Here, she states that for proper equity to exist in the classroom important concepts such as power structures must be recognized. She also emphasizes the impact of listening to marginalized communities, and therefore respecting students' cultural identities. While reading, a few quotes stood out to me.

“They only want to go on research they've read that other white people have written” (Delpit, 22).

Delpit begins this section by giving accounts from educators of color she heard from through her research. Among each experience, the educators share the common theme of feeling unheard by their white counterparts when discussing appropriate education and best practices in the classroom for children of color. One educator specifically describes that during these discussions, white educators often like to mention statistics or research they’ve read. Here, Delpit is hinting at white educators and researchers often validating knowledge only when it comes from other white scholars. When educators and parents of colors share their lived experiences, they are dismissed and minimized. 

“If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier” (Delpit, 24)

Delpit talks about the role the culture of power plays in education and how students of color are impacted. Here she criticizes progressive teaching approaches that are not transparent enough. Delpit argues that direct instruction and teaching the skills of the dominant culture is a must in ensuring that students of color/lower income succeed academically. By not teaching these skills directly to this population of students is an injustice to them and contributes to white students having the upperhand. 

“We do not really see through our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs” (Delpit, 46)

Another central point of this reading is that having good intentions is not adequate enough. Delpit explains that well-meaning white educators oftentimes do think they are helping students of color, but far short because they do not listen to families and communities of color. In this quote she is making the point that we are all shaped by our beliefs, perceptions, and culture. Regardless or not if we are aware of it, what we believe to be true about things like behavior, race, class, etc. heavily impacts how we behave and see others. In the classroom, this is especially concerning because it can cloud the way teachers perceive certain students. For example, if a teacher believes that a student is a trouble maker due to the way they communicate in class, they may dismiss the student as problematic and incapable; when in reality this student’s behavior could be a direct result of their own culture and have no correlation to their academic potential.

This excerpt caused me to reflect on my experiences in school and some of the behaviors I saw exhibited by certain teachers. One specific scenario came to the forefront of my mind. During a high school physics class we had a transfer student of color join later in the semester. The teacher was a middle-aged white woman who clearly had no understanding of differing cultural norms. This particular student often referred to the teacher as “Miss” and talked in a way that strayed from the traditional, white privileged student. Perhaps that is how he addresses superiors in his culture. Instead of attempting to understand this student’s background or experiences, the teacher treated him so poorly. She interpreted his behavior based solely on her own beliefs of what is appropriate in a classroom. When he walked into the class she would only address him by saying “Yo.” Seeing this treatment made my stomach hurt, she was talking to him like he was less than everyone else, and the rest of the class picked up on this degradation. She largely contributed to inequity in the classroom, not to mention the blatant racism. 

Well-meaning white teachers: it’s time to disrupt your language around Black History Month