Finn: Literacy with an Attitude

Reflection: While reading, it really made me think about my own schooling while I was growing up. The author shares how 5 public elementary schools in Northern New Jersey were studied. This connected to me because that is where I grew up and went to school. So, I made many personal connections and could think back to how I remember it. Going to school in New Jersey, there were a lot of different towns around that were of all other social classes. I lived 10 minutes from a very upper-class neighborhood and 10-15 minutes from a lower-class area. I lived in an upper-middle-class area. My school was very similar to the affluent professional schools but also had aspects of middle-class schools. The reading shares how working-class schools tend to the teacher has all the authority and is always right, so the kids have no say. Not just with "rules" but with creativity and thinking as well. Middle-class schools are taught out of textbooks, and other sources must be approved. The teachers are just stating information. While in affluent professional schools, the kids learn through experiments and experiences. They have more say and can think outside the box more. Lastly, elite executive schools tend to be more complex. Students have more trust in the teachers and can really have their say on things. The two more upper-class types of schools work on analysis and knowing why. Growing up, I had a few friends from horseback riding who went to elite executive schools. 

Questions/Comments/Points To Share: This reading made me think of Delpit and how she talked about how social class/ status can play a factor in our education. If we have a higher class teaching a lower class, there can be a disconnect, and we must teach each other those unspoken rules. This reading shows and points out how different schools can be just in the way the teachers teach and respect the students. While in this reading, he talks about how we need to teach all this through literacy. Even if it is hard, these complex topics must be addressed.

Hyperlink: https://www.epi.org/publication/early-education-gaps-by-social-class-and-race-start-u-s-children-out-on-unequal-footing-a-summary-of-the-major-findings-in-inequalities-at-the-starting-gate/