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Academic diversity in the classroom
Academic diversity in the classroom
Academic diversity in the classroom
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One can gain insight through participation and observations of lectures. The concepts that I grasped are based on the individuality and interest of various topics and how I perceive them. Through taking the course of Sociology of Education I have been able to read and conceptualize how prominent education is in the United States; therefore projecting that education is an important tool the modern world correlates with success. Individuals that subject themselves to receiving an education through research validate that they can reach their optimal potential. Sociology of Education covered vast areas of vital informations which put educations and its functions into perspectives by stages.
A unique way of understanding schools and educations , will help understand employments of sociology as this is a major institutions that helps shapes ones life. As I have learned in this area that it encompasses half a million jobs within the education sector, funding for public schools comes from federal, state, and local taxes, which is tax payers revenue. Change in social class is turning the face of public schools as minorities are becoming an evolving group and English gradually becoming
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This class showed me how inequality is the base of education, if it’s not about gender it’s about class or race, making it hard for a person that falls under this description to have an equal chance, yet our society train us to believe that education can change
Kozol describes schools that run almost like factories or prisons in grim detail. According to Kozol, US schools are quite quickly becoming functionally segregated. Kozol lists the demographics of a slew of public schools in the state, named after prominent civil rights activists, whose classrooms are upwards of 97% black and Hispanic — in some cases despite being in neighborhoods that are predominantly white. It has been over 50 years since Brown vs. the Board of Education. It is sad to read about the state of things today.
Women have been oppressed solely due to their sex. This is noticeable in the education system where females are treated differently than males. Although we have improved drastically in the last few years in recognizing that women deserve the same privileges as men do, there are still many obstacles to overcome. Weber (2010) gives an example of this through a person experience of hers. She had noticed that even though more girls enroll in school, quality in education is still compromised.
The issues surrounding education have not always been easy to identify. Year after year, the structure of American education keeps changing from one standard to the next. It focuses mainly on the needs of society as a whole, and not specifically the aspirations of the individual which is most evident in cities full of minorities. Public school education in urban cities clearly depicts the struggle of having limited choices, because of their poor status. Consequently, conflicts arise and have become vividly clear. These problems can be identified by the limitations on contradicting values, the effects of segregation, the impact of dull textbooks, and the influence money has on American education.
Spayde notes that education takes place in the classroom and university setting, as well as the hands-on experience that takes place in the world at large. One of the main points in his essay is that in society, education is a great value that separates classes from economics. The general understanding in society is that there is no divide in American life that hurts more than the one between those we consider well educated and those who are poorly or inadequately schooled (Spayde, 60). This understanding is defined by popular society stating that education is a big influence on how one lives their life and to what degree this is done. Society determines the difference between the educated and the uneducated in many ways.
Academic excellence is the primary desire of every parent and student. However, there are varying perceptions of the role of education in the life of and individual. According to the survey carried out on the perception of the role of education in the life of an individual, it was established that eight out of ten students were of the view that they pursued education for the purpose of economic gains. Additionally, six out of ten students viewed education as serving the purpose of broadening their view and perceptions in life. Accordingly, the widening of the will help them rethink their ideas and values. This essay will focus on the reasons why students attend college and barriers to education in light of the book Rereading America.
By reflecting on my experience as a child, I was able to clearly ask myself, “Does this teaching method affect the oppressed students in my classroom, and if so, how?” As mentioned before, I had a student that struggled with math and writing. This student, along with about 3 other students in her class, was a Black female. Most of their writing prompts consisted of content that was all about a Caucasian male that went into space, or did something with his wealthy, loving family. Besides the fact that these girls cannot relate to these types of prompts, it also leads them to believe that women don’t often do big things like going into space or become wealthy with loving families. Although I never had the chance to teach a full class in an anti-oppressive way, I have made sure that I take every student’s culture, ethnicity, ability, class, and language into consideration when teaching/mentoring.
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems with schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school system or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement.
Throughout the years, many aspects of the educational curriculum have been altered and modified as it relates to the material that is being taught within schools worldwide. Some of the changes are due to new laws that are being implemented and “raising the bar” for the education of the upcoming generations. But with all of the changes being made does it level the playing field or does it make it more competitive? Which brings up the questions, “How does social class effect the quality of education and does equal opportunity in education exist in America?” Social class affects the quality of one’s education through power, social status and equality within the educational system.
Why do children graduate high school without fully understanding concepts that relate to the core subjects of Math, English, Science, and History? Because education is unequal in America. Sociologist Doctor James W. Loewen and award winning writer Jonathan Kozol agree that classism is to blame. Loewen also believes that history textbooks take some of the blame for the student’s ignorance of inequality within education, while Kozol believes it is ignorance from well educated people that are two blame. Although Loewen and Kozol are correct in citing classism as a problem in the education system, little is acknowledged about a solution.
Public schools in this country are, historically and still today, the major institution charged with preserving and teaching the icon of morality. “"Common School" means elementary school intended to serve all the children. It was not "free school." Parents were often required to pay part of the cost for common school. The history of common school is complicated by local variation.” (Carl Kaestle) In the early years public schools functioned to ensure that domination of Protestant Anglo-American culture in the United States. But as immigration increased from non-protestant countries and minority cultures struggled for recognition, the schools became a battleground over multicultural education. The three main focuses on why education has changed and evolved are Schools, Charity,
Throughout much of U.S. history, the separate and unequal schooling of diverse groups has been reinforced. Ethnicity and class have been perhaps the most obvious basis for discrimination, but other student characteristics, such as gender and disability, have also been used to separate students and place them into appropriate courses regardless of their potential or interest (Rossi, 1994). Soon, reform movements, dating back to the 19th century, to provide all students with a common and equal education that cut across differences in class, ethnicity and religion became a focus.
Education was sex segregated for hundreds of years. Men and women went to different schools or were physically and academically separated into “coeducational” schools. Males and females had separate classrooms, separate entrances, separate academic subjects, and separate expectations. Women were only taught the social graces and morals, and teaching women academic subjects was considered a waste of time.
Education remains a cornerstone for society as it has for decades. Technology advances, the economy fluctuates, and politics change, but education remains, not only important but imperative for personal and social growth. Yet, as important as it is touted to be, the quality and purpose of learning is often lost in the assembly-line, manufactured process of education that exists today.
As a student in undergrad, I was young and I was focused on passing my classes versus detecting racial inequality, until it was spelled out like in the situation mentioned above. The effect this course is having on my life is that it is confirming that there are people who still treat others unfairly. When reading the course material and viewing my values, it becomes hurtful to accept such poor treatment because I am black and this could have been me. I value fairness with all people. As a human service professional it will even encourage me to speak up if I see a coworker or clients behaving unethical. As a professional it is up to me to identify and report inequality. It will be hard for me to let injustice actions take place. It takes a leader to stand up for what is
Education is a vital part of society. It serves the beneficial purpose of educating our children and getting them ready to be productive adults in today's society. But, the social institution of education is not without its problems. Continual efforts to modify and improve the system need to be made, if we are to reap the highest benefits that education has to offer to our children and our society as a whole.