Finn Post-Extended Comments in Response to Mary's Blog

Mary wrote:

"In Finn's article, He discusses Anyon's study of the different types of schools, ranging from working class to the elite schools. I tried to determine which type of schooling I received. I think that the middle class school closely matches the experience I had in school. There wasn't a lot of creative thinking and everything was taken from the text book. What I found interesting was that Finn said that most of the middle class teachers grew up in the same city where they teach. Almost all of my teachers in high school lived in the same city and probably received the same type of education as I did. Does this mean that this is what a teacher may know about educating a child ? The same goes for the teachers in the district I am teaching in now. I would say 90% of the teacher's grew up, attended and now teach in the same school."

I think at some point in every post I write, I say, "This article, thought, idea, or notion really got me thinking..." Well, Mary's post did. I began thinking about my childhood schooling, my teachers, and where I lived growing up. While my father worked daily, my mother was able to stay home with me as a young child. I would say I came from a middle class background, never having to go without, but not being spoiled in the sense either. I, however, attended Catholic school. Although not public education, as we have discussed in the past articles, I did receive a well-rounded education. Even in Catholic schools, there was a method and a way of teaching that was not individualized to meet the needs of every child. I remember learning one way to diagram sentences, one way to solve division problems, etc. Hands-on activities and experiments in science class, in my elementary years, I cannot recall. The teachers I had in elementary school ALL lived in my town, and some had even attended the school as a child! Crazy, huh? Guess what? My first three years teaching after one year subbing in public schools was at my very own elementary school. One of the teachers I had in elementary school was now one of my colleagues. The difference was that because our principal was very modern and wanted to keep up with the times, the teaching styles of the teachers also had to change to address the diverse needs of a changing world in education. I would have to say most of the students in our school were from the middle class or below. Did this mean we taught with absolute control? Absolutely, not. We embraced any opportunity to grow professionally to learn how to best suit the needs of the individual learner. My principal fostered a child's growth emotionally, spiritually, physically, but most of all creatively. We, teachers, were encouraged and expected to differentiate instruction and use various times of assessments with our students. So, despite the fact that almost all the teachers were from the same town and even alumni of the school, doesn't mean that they taught like the teachers Finn referenced in the article. I think administration has a whole lot to do with what is going on daily in our schools. If it wasn't for our new principal wanting to make a difference and stay modern, who knows where the school would be. She advocated for every child, especially those that did not have as glorious a homelife as some. Those were the children she treasured most. This may seem far-fetched because this was not a public school, but the connection I'm trying to make and the point I want to get across is that the administration of our schools need to make the difference. Teachers will do what is expected and deemed appropriate as is determined by the higher ups in the power position. Our campaign to end these injustices in certain schools must be directed at the people of power--building principals, superintendents, etc. They are the ones responsible for evoking this change that we are all seeking and hoping for.