Schools Described by Jean Anyon and Jonathon Kozol - Coursework Example

Schools Described by Jean Anyon and Jonathon Kozol – A Comparative Analysis Introduction This paper focuses on the kinds of schools present in the United States, and this categorization is based on the financial and racial background of the students. For the purpose, the paper presents a comparative analysis of two essays penned down by two different authors, and which (the essays), overall, speak about the modern school-level educational system of the US. The essays are “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” by Jean Anyon, and “Still Separate, Still Unequal” written by Jonathan Kozol. Jean Anyon, in her work mentioned above, classifies the schools into five categories, depending upon the economic and professional status of the parents of the students undergoing education therein. “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” – Summary Jean Anyon, based on her experience of interacting with five elementary schools, came to the conclusion that the schools of the US are classified into five kinds. According to her, this is attributable solely to the economic capability of parents of children studying in various schools. The first type enumerated by Anyon is “working class school” that meets the educational needs of students, whose parents are unskilled and semiskilled employees such as security guards, gas station attendants and welders, among others. The second category elaborated by her, “the middle class school” pertains to students whose parents are employed as supervisors, technicians, and other white-collar job profiles. Anyon names the third type of school as “affluent professional school”, where the occupation of respective parents encompasses the realms of interior design, cardiology, advertising, to cite a few. And finally, the last category is “the executive elite school” where the children hail from the highly affluent capitalist class. Here, the parents are in topmost position in the topmost companies of the country. (1) (JEAN ANYON, ND). “Still Separate, Still Unequal” - Summary In this essay, the writer Jonathan Kozol, backed by irrefutable statistical figures, focuses upon the racial discrimination that is still prevalent in the system of school education of the US. Kozol points out to the fact that, an overwhelming majority of children pursuing education in the public schools pertains to the racial minorities. He says “Schools that were already deeply segregated twenty-five or thirty years ago are no less segregated now”. He also adds that, most of these schools lack even the basic amenities including medical care, leave alone the advanced teaching methods, which are there in the ones (schools) where the children related to the affluent classes are getting educated. Kozol infers, owing to the fact that it is mostly the children of racial minorities who study in the public schools; even the concerned departments have been adopting an indifferent approach (towards such schools). In his essay, Kozol mentions about a letter written to him by a girl, “Dear Mr. Kozol," wrote the eight-year-old, "we do not have the things you have. You have Clean things. We do not have. You have a clean bathroom. We do not have that. You have Parks and we do not have Parks.” (2) (learntoquestion, September 2005). The above-mentioned words spoken by a small girl give a heart-rending picture of the pitiable conditions in which the tender bodies (children) are attempting to obtain knowledge. As a matter of fact, Kozol focuses on many such direct interviews that he had had with the less fortunate children of the public schools. If corrective measures are not initiated for rectifying the aforesaid scenario, it would be detrimental to the long-run interests of the US, for the long-existent issue of Apartheid then cannot be totally eliminated. That would be projecting a very bad image of the United States on the global landscape. It is ironical that many of the above-mentioned public schools are named after the very leaders of American History, who devoted their entire lives for the fight against racial discrimination. Yet, these schools have been at the receiving end of the callousness of authorities, who stay focused on schools catering to the educational needs of the elite sections of the society. Kozol states “There is a well-known high school named for Martin Luther King Jr. in New York City too”. He adds “in the South Bronx dozens of children I have known went to a segregated middle school named in honor of Paul Robeson in which less than half of one percent of the enrollment was Caucasian.” (2) (learntoquestion, September 2005). Amongst the many initiatives that could be taken for rapidly changing the scenarios related to the public schools, there are two that stand apart as being the most relevant ones, and they are also inter-connected. Firstly, adequate opportunities have to be provided for the working class belonging to the racial minorities, for enhancing their incomes. After this aspect is satisfactorily addressed, then, it would not be improper for the public schools to be bringing about a slight hike in the cost of education imparted by them, along with adherence to all latest teaching methodologies. Then, owing to the above hike in incomes, people (of racial minorities) would be in a position to afford the enhanced cost of getting their children educated. Above all, when the modernistic norms of teaching are adhered to, even the affluent classes would not be hesitant to send their kids to the public schools. All this would just go on to significantly improve the image of the Public School of the US. Comparative Analysis Before focusing on the analysis, it would immensely help in understanding the further explanation provided by Jean Anyon. In the “working class schools” the teaching is purely mechanical and practically nothing is done to teach specialized skills to the children. Jean Anyon says “Available textbooks are not always used, and the teachers often prepare their own dittos or put work examples on the board”. In the “middle class school”, the progress of children is totally reliant on their ability in coming out with the apt answer, which eventually determines the grade. She says that in these schools “Answers are usually words, sentences, numbers, or facts and dates; one writes them on paper, and one should be neat. Answers must be given in the right order, and one cannot make them up.” As far as enhancing the creativity of the students, this type of school is better than the working class one. (1) (JEAN ANYON, ND). She observes that, in “the affluent professional school” students are encouraged to be independent and creative in their studies. The children are consistently urged to be expressive and to strive for practical implementation of concepts and ideas. The author says “The products of work in this class are often written stories, editorials and essays, or representations of ideas in mural, graph, or craft form. The products of work should not be like anybody elses and should show individuality.” “The executive elite school” goes a step ahead than the affluent professional one, as it strives for placing students in a position of enhanced intellectual power. Anyon noted that in this school “Children are continually asked to reason through a problem, to produce intellectual products that are both logically sound and of top academic quality.” (1) (JEAN ANYON, ND). Owing to all the contents discussed in the essay, till now, there would not be any hesitation in concluding that the schools discussed by Kozol fall into either “the working class schools” or the “the middle class schools”. And this inference is not without a valid explanation. A substantial chunk of the people pertaining to any of the communities that have been victims of racial discrimination, are also of limited financial strength. As a matter of fact, there are only handfuls of them who have made it to the higher rungs of the societal ladder, in terms economic prosperity. For this reason, it is but an obvious consequence that they would prefer to get their children educated in public schools, for the financial burden of the “elite schools” is too heavy to be borne by them. In the essay, Kozol quotes an author, Marina Warner, who says “The governmentally administered diminishment in value of the children of the poor begins even before the age of five or six, when they begin their years of formal education in the public schools.” (2) (learntoquestion, September 2005). The last sentence of the preceding paragraph subtly points at probably the biggest negative point of the modern system of school education of the United States. Children born into the households of classes that have been victims of Apartheid and other forms of discrimination, since many centuries, are being literally coerced to undergo a sub-standard form of education from a very tender age. That exercises an adverse impact on the young impressionable minds, and this (impact) is likely to show its ill effects in the latter stages of their lives. As a matter of fact, contrary to what has been mentioned in the previous paragraph, an overwhelming majority of the schools described by Kozol, fall only under the “Working Class Schools”, as elaborated by Anyon. That statement is not without a valid reason. A major chunk of people of the oppressed classes are in unskilled professions, and as enumerated by Anyon, they send their children only to working class schools. Keeping in view the current state of affairs, it would just not be possible to implement the teaching methodologies adopted by the “elite” schools, in all schools of the country. As mentioned earlier, the public schools addressing the educational needs of the racial minorities are bogged down by severe financial constraints. And the lack of any assistance from various departments further compounds the already unpleasant scenario. On the other hand, the “elite” schools have no dearth for funds and are hence able to abide by all the latest and sophisticated teaching patterns. In her essay Anyon noted “In one of the working-class schools, the class had a science period several times a week. On the three occasions observed, the children were not called upon to set up experiments or to give explanations for facts or concepts. Rather, on each occasion the teacher told them in his own words what the book said.” Likewise, Kozol says in his essay “The letter that affected me the most, however, had been written by a child named Elizabeth."It is not fair that other kids have a garden and new things. But we dont have that," said Elizabeth. "I wish that this school was the most beautiful school in the whole why world."” These two examples emphatically reflect the manual teaching procedures and the lack of facilities in various public schools, respectively. (2) (learntoquestion, September 2005). Conclusion The two essays and their comparative analysis dwell upon the disturbing fact that, even in the modern American School Education System, the aspect of discrimination is continuing to exist. Owing to that, countless children are being deprived of the pattern of education that is more or less imperative in the modern-day scenario of heightened competition. On the other hand, the fortunate few are having no hassles in carrying out academic pursuits amidst an ambience inclusive of all facilities and sophistications. The topic of this paper is an exhaustive one and all its aspects cannot be encompassed in a brief paper such as this one. Yet, a sincere attempt has been made to cover most of the highly vital facets. Sources 1) “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, cuip.uchicago.edu/~cac/nlu/fnd504/anyon.htm, Internet, JEAN ANYON, ND. 2) “Submission: Jonathan Kozol, "Still Separate, Still Unequal: Americas Educational Apartheid" Harpers Magazine (1 September 2005)”, learntoquestion.com/resources/database/archives/000711.html, Internet, learntoquestion, September 2005. Read More