Blog 3: Jean Anyon

Jean Anyon’s article “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” distinguishes the unequal classroom structures in different social classes. Anyon’s research focuses on comparing five schools from different social classes. She classified the first two schools as a Working-Class School, the third as a Middle-Class School, the fourth as an Affluent Professional School, and the fifth as an Executive Elite School. According to Anyon, the parent’s social status will determine where the child will go to school. The Working-Class parents are considered to be below the poverty line and more common than not at least one parent does not have a job. Middle-Class parents have jobs such as accounting. The parents who send their children to Affluent Professional School have careers such as a lawyer. The Executive Elite School parents are top executives in their careers. Between the schools, there are some similarities but also some major differences.

As the social statues increased in the schools so did the amount of teaching materials. According to Anyon, in the Working-Class Schools the students work is focused on procedure. Students rarely make any choices within the classroom and in their school work. Anyon continues on explaining that teachers often do not explain to their students the point of their assignments. Students are asked to copy down notes to study them. Anyon explains that work is often marked incorrect when the assigned steps are not followed. She continues on to say that classrooms often do not contain a clock and teachers want complete control. They often maintain control by holding students past the bell. In the Middle-Class School, according to Anyon, the point of their work is to get correct answers. The students must follow the instructions in order to get good marks. In these schools’ students are given choices but their work does not involve creativity. Teachers focus on helping students understand their assignments. Anyon explains that in middle-class schools’ critical perspective is considered dangerous so students are not encouraged to as questions. Teachers still want to be in complete control but they respect the bell. Anyon explains that in Affluent Professional School students work is to be creative and independently done. Students are meant to be proud of what they have created. Teachers control over their classroom is based off of negotiations with their students. According to Anyon, In the Executive Elite School students work is meant to prepare them for life. Students are expected to use reason to solve problems. Teachers attempt to have control but they also expect students to be able to control themselves. The higher social status of a school will determine the type of education students will receive.

For my first assignment I plan to continue down the path of Jean Anyon’s research. I will go through this article several times and use it as my basis for my argument. Next, I will research other authors who discuss Anyon and her work to strengthen my argument. The articles will either support Anyon or they will explain why this study is irrelevant to now. I plan to get different outlooks on how social class affects student’s education. I will look for articles that explain whether Anyon’s research has been helpful to understanding the hidden curriculum or if her research is not accurate. The direction I plan to take may change to focusing on a different article by Anyon but I now have an idea where I want to go with my assignment.

Work Cited

Anyon, Jean. “SOCIAL CLASS AND THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM OF WORK.” Journal of Education (Boston, Mass.), vol. 162, no. 1, 1980, pp. 67–92.

Tyler’s Rational Blog Post

second blog post

I may have experienced the Tyler rational in my own schooling because it was very rational, orderly, and able to be used across subjects. The set up and presentation of ideas were very similar in each class. It was lecture based which was beneficial for some students but not others. It was definitely all product based all the teachers really cared about was pushing the students through. An example of this is one of my friends was not allowed to take certain subjects because the principal told her she would fail them. A lot of the teachers also had the same teaching styles which was not beneficial for students who could not learn that way. Some major limitations of Tyler’s rational is that it creates insensitivity to different cultures, it expects everyone to be subjective, you cannot treat every student the same way (everyone learns differently), and it prevents society from moving forward. A benefit is that it provides a guideline for teachers to follow allowing for them to stay on track throughout the year. Teacher-proof could be considered beneficial because it makes it so that it is impossible to fall behind (but there are also a lot of negatives to teacher-proof as well). Smith’s article points out the necessity of not just looking at the end product but how it is also important to think about how you will get there and how that will affect the students. The article also makes it very clear that education is more than schooling (p. 12). Tyler’s rational also makes it possible to have standard tests. Although there are positives when it comes to standardized testing like having each student be tested on the same thing in the same way. There are also a lot of negatives such as the fact that not every student is the same. Using the example of testing an elephant and a monkey on how to climb a tree the monkey would do better because it is created to climb trees elephants are not. Everyone is different and deserves a test that best represent their capabilities.

Kumashiro’s Article Blog Post

In Kumashiro’s article he focused on ‘common sense’ in the education system and defines it as the traditional ways we think about teaching and learning. He makes note that “good teaching is not a neutral concept” (p. 3) which is very important when thinking about ‘common sense’ because ‘common sense’ causes you to limit what is considered to be ‘good teaching.’ People follow ‘common sense’ because it allows them to make sense of the world by explaining why we do things such as, attending school five times a week and why it starts in September and ends in June. It is important to pay attention to ‘common sense’ because it can be (and usually is) oppressive. It causes you to dismiss other ways of thinking that may be better than the present way. ‘Common sense’ tells you that this is the way things have been done for years so it must be the correct way to do things when in fact it usually causes schools to not recognize the oppression happening in their education system. It is also important to pay attention to ‘common sense’ because it needs to be challenged. If we continue to believe that what we have been taught for years (in relation to the education system) is the right way to go about things then many students and educators will continue to suffer because their needs are not being met. ‘Common sense’ has convinced teachers that their teaching ways are neutral and that there is no reason to question their ways when in fact they are causing oppression and ultimately failing their students. My ‘common sense’ of curriculum and pedagogy is the traditional views of most students. I bring with me into this course the understanding that curriculum and pedagogy is an outline of what is needed to be taught created by the government for teachers to cover in class. It is needed to be covered in order for the students to move onto the next grade level. ‘Common sense’ is a complex concept that is needed to be understood by everyone (teachers especially) in order to improve and change our ways of thinking and understanding.

Blog

Welcome to my Blog

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

Hello! My name is Laci Glennie and I am in Secondary Education. I am from a small town named Carnduff, SK and I cannot wait to see where this education journey takes me.

BLOG POSTS

My First Blog Post

I believe that what Thomas King says about the truth of stories is true. There are many stories that have helped shape who I am and how I see the world. Growing up I was always told stories relating to Christianity and God. These stories, including the story of Adam and Eve, where they are told not to eat the fruit from one tree but yet, they still do. That story resonates with me because it has shaped my behaviour to be kind and to do what I am told. It has made me aware of my actions so I do not cause harm to others. It affects how I see the world because it provides me with a reason for why things happen. When something awful happens, I always relate it back. My immediate thought is that Adam and Eve are the reason sins exist. King says that once a story is told it is out in the world forever. I believe this is true because the story of Adam of Eve was told to me when I was younger and still my first thought always goes back to that. Without this story being told to me as a young child I would have grown up lost wondering why different things are happening. The story of Adam and Eve has allowed me to give an explanation to both positive and negative things that are happening in my life allowing me to grow as a person. It shaped how I see the world.

My Second Blog Post

For me, home is the Glennie family farm outside of Carnduff, Saskatchewan. I have lived on the farm my entire life and it has shaped me to be who I am today. It has created my work ethic to be what it is because every day I would be out doing chores with my dad and there was always something that needed to be done. It is home because it is familiar and it makes me feel safe. My family is at the farm and at its core, home for me is my family. A story I remember most when I think of home is the story of my childhood, all of the adventures I went on, all of the injuries I received, and all of the hours of work I put in on the farm. When I was younger almost every winter during Christmas break my parents, brother, and myself would go outside and build snowmen and then once they were built, we would have a snowball fight and use the snowmen as protection. It would always end with us laughing and having fun. The dogs would always join in on the shenanigans and we would not go inside until our gloves were soaked and we were chilled to the bone. This past fall was the first time I have ever moved away from home. It was heartbreaking and took a lot of courage. Being away from home makes going back so much more special. It makes me appreciate the farm and my family more than I ever have before. The experience of moving away helped me realize that I am a homebody and that family is very important to me. My home has shaped me to be someone who takes pride in my work and someone who will put the wellbeing of others first. My home means everything to me.

My Third Blog Post

In Boyko’s “The Ukrainians” the author describes the hardships Ukrainians suffered through in Canada. It began with John A. MacDonald offering land to bring people over to Canada. According to Boyko, MacDonald believed that the people best suited for Canada were White, Slavic Peasant farmers, also known as Ukrainians because they were hard workers. Ukrainians were the largest group to immigrate to Canada during the Sifton flood. It cost Ukrainians almost all that they had to travel to Canada and most were sent back because of the sickness that occurred during travel. Once in Canada, they were given the left-over land that was not the best for farming and they were told that they had three years before they were able to gain political rights. With the lack of money, men had to go to work causing the women to stay back and do what they could to the land. Women suffered the worst of the hard times. Over time Ukrainians managed to be able to work full time on the farm. There were even schools that allowed Ukrainian’s to attend and to be able to learn their language. They were moving up in society.

Ukrainians were overcoming major hardships. Their contributions were making Canada better; they were being given a voice. Hearing how wonderful it was over in Canada more Ukrainians started to immigrate taking the lowest-paying jobs. Soon, as time went on Ukrainians began to suffer from oppression. The government decided that they no longer wanted Ukrainians immigrating to Canada. Negative stereotypes were being created causing Ukrainians to suffer prejudice, discrimination, and racism. Non-Ukrainian citizens started to protest Ukrainians existence in Canada and said they were not welcome because they were unable to assimilate. Ukrainians were unable to get jobs or go out into public without receiving hate. The hatred caused them to stop publicly identifying themselves as Ukrainian after years of trying to hold onto their culture. They even had to change their names to be considered for jobs. They lost any right to vote and no longer had a voice. It became an attack on Ukrainian culture because the government only wanted an Anglo-Saxon society. It was a terrible time to be Ukrainian.

During this time, it was almost considered a crime to be Ukrainian. The treatment caused Ukrainian’s to look elsewhere to live. They were trying to escape oppression but only faced worse conditions. Ukrainians were being fired from their jobs for the sole reason that they were Ukrainian. They were soon unable to take care of their families. As time went on you had to be in Canada for seven years rather than three to have any rights. Stereotypes spread throughout Canada and people who have never seen a Ukrainian began to have prejudices towards them. The Ukrainian culture was banned. Anglo-Saxons did not want to work with Ukrainians and soon people argued that no Ukrainian should be allowed to work. Ukrainians were put into internment camps where they were treated terribly and forced to do hard labor. Many people tried to escape but guards would shoot anyone who ran. There were protests against the camps but people still suffered. Ukrainian prisoners were abused and during the Ukrainian holiday, they were treated worse than usual. Ukrainians outside of the camps suffered from having their land vandalized, taken away, and they suffered abuse from other citizens. Soon the Ukrainian language was no longer taught in schools and Ukrainian students were no longer allowed to be taught. Both the Ukrainian language and culture became illegal.

After the First World War ended Ukrainian prisoners were slowly released. They were released because of the need for workers. Still, they suffered from racism and were given little to no pay for the work they did, which at times was dangerous. Over time the government started to take the racist laws away giving Ukrainians more freedom. For Ukrainians to be able to thrive their language and culture were forgotten. The racism towards Ukrainians during the First World War has been slightly forgotten from Canada’s history. This has caused some Canadians to forget or not know about the awful treatment Ukrainians went through.

My Fourth Blog Post

I remember a time when I was younger where I saw a band-aid commercial advertising different tones of skin. I never thought about how band-aids were coloured until then and I forgot about it until I read McIntosh’s article. It startles me to know how oblivious I am when it comes to my privilege. I have always been aware of white male privilege but I never really thought about how me being a white female gives me privileged. When I was younger, I used to play with Barbie dolls and until fairly recently they were all white. It was not until I seen them advertised to be different races did I realize how lucky I was to play with dolls that had the same skin colour as me and how it allowed me to not question how I look. I never had to have my parents explain to me my race and what that may mean for my safety. In elementary school, I remember some of my classmates were rude towards people in my class and they were bullying them because of their skin colour and where they came from. At that moment I realized that nobody has ever verbally attacked me based on my appearance, I believe that was the first time I discovered my race. In McIntosh’s article, she explains how white people do not have to worry about being attacked because of their race or have to wonder if they will be able to buy a house or get a job without being questioned because of what they look like. This relates to my classmates being picked on because of their race because in school as a white female I never had to worry about being picked on because I was white. Understanding my race as a teacher will allow me to become more aware of how I interact with my students and what type of stories may be read or what materials I will use in the class. It will allow me to be more diverse in the materials used in the classroom and by teaching the students the importance of diversity and how it does not make anyone better than anyone else because of where you come from.

My Fifth Blog Post

I discovered my gender identity at a young age, I always knew I was female but it was not until other students around me would make comments about how I cannot do something because of my gender that I realized being a girl meant something. I remember always wanting to play sports with the guys but they would not let me because “I was a girl”. When I was about ten years old, I joined a hockey recreation team. It was designed to teach you how to play hockey and it did not involve any games. I remember having to get changed in a separate room because I was a girl and always having other participants make comments about how I did not belong there because I was a girl. As I got older, I started to understand more about gender identity and issues that can come with it. In grade nine there was an assignment where we had to write a six-page essay, a few of the boys were allowed to only wright a four-page essay. Not because they had a learning disability but because the teacher knew they wouldn’t do it. The teacher assumed because we were girls, we would do it no problem but because they were boys they would struggle and it would be best to give them a smaller paper. I know this because the teacher explained it to the class and I remember all of the girls getting angry. At that time, I realized that the expectations for guys and girls were different. I slowly learned that girls were meant to be book smart and guys ‘life’ smart. My gender identity causes people to assume things about me, one being that I am smart and the second being that I probably don’t work or plan to work in a high labor job. In the readings, it talks about the effects that your identity has on you. As page 154 talks about in the text by Sensoy and DiAngelo the longer information has been around and stories have been told the more people will believe they are true. The idea that women are smarter than men and that men are more likely to go work in the oil field, for example, has been around for as long as I can remember. People believe these stereotypes are true and will defend what they are saying because it is what they are taught. As a teacher I will implement this knowledge in my classroom by addressing the fact that it does not matter what your gender is or whether or not you were born into that gender, you can be and do whatever you want. Having my own experiences and knowledge will allow me to not make assumptions and make decisions based on the student’s actual learning needs and not their gender. It is also common for a woman’s voice to be lost among a man’s voice. In school, I remember trying to give suggestions for game ideas and the boys not taking my opinion seriously because I was a girl. The text by Sensoy and DiAngelo talks about “inviting other voices” (159) meaning using your power for good and allowing people to speak up. I am a white female and although being a female has its issues, I have more privilege than women of colour which means that white men will listen to me more allowing me to get other voices heard. Knowing that it is common for the female voice to get lost as a teacher it is my job to invite others to speak by asking if anyone has something different to say. It is important to hear everyone’s voice no matter the gender behind it.

My Sixth Blog Post

When I was younger my brother used to play hockey, I remember that many of the rinks he played at did not have a ramp leading up to the entrance. It would be very difficult for someone who was not able-bodied to enter the building. When I was younger, I never really thought about how not having a ramp would impact those that were not able-bodied but as I got older, I became more aware of it. I remember analyzing buildings and having conversations with my mom about how some of the ramps are very steep and others look old and unsafe. When I first became aware of my identity as an able-bodied person it was only by comparing myself to those in a wheelchair it was not until I was older that I realized there are a lot more disabilities out there besides being in a wheelchair. In my home town I can list off many buildings without wheel chair access including both grocery stores, every restaurant, the drug store, theatre, and even the church. Being able to enter each of these buildings without an issue really helped shape my understanding of my identity. In Sensoy and DiAngelo they talk about sexism, although sexism and being able-bodied compared to disabled are different there are connections between the two that can be made such as the fact that sexism is difficult to see. Disabilities can also be difficult to see. The connection that I am trying to make is that because sexism is difficult to see people do not always believe there are issues in the way people are being treated similarly to that fact that people do not see the issue with not having ramps outside of buildings. With both sexism and disabilities, the people who are experiencing being ignored are the ones that society needs to think about and be open to change to help them. Sensoy and DiAngelo also talk about oppression. People with disabilities are being oppressed because they are suffering from unjust treatment. As a teacher it is my job to be aware of disabilities and how it can impact lives. As simple as making students aware of the importance of needing ramps outside of buildings can change lives because for all I know I am teaching future business owners. Being an able-bodied teacher will allow the students concerns to be heard.