PBS Blog-Brief Connection to Kozol's Article

After "playing" on the People Like Us website for a while, I had to pull myself away because I was becoming very aggravated. I cannot believe that simple responses, choices we make each day categorize what social class we belong to. I do not like being labeled. I find it outrageous that the kind of carpet we would choose for our living room, coupled with a wall art selection and type of television can identify which social class we belong to. In the third game, I found the choices to be very biased and stereotypical and, to be honest, wouldn't have chosen any of the options...F. NONE OF THE ABOVE would have been my selection. The fact that a perfect spouse can be identified using one of the statments given was crazy! Having a steady job was about the most important thing to me and my perfect spouse; however, that doesn't entirely matter to me if I am truly happy. But, imagine that, being happy was not even a choice??!! This website raised an awareness for me that every day, we are JUDGED and LABELED by the choices we make, the cars we drive, the food we take for lunch...Social class is determined by every word that echoes in our very ears. Is this what our world has come to? Why has social class become such a determining factor for all of our lives? As in Kozol's article, it discussed how where you live determines what kind of schooling your child will be given. This is so true. If you live in the right part of the state, drive the elite cars, and have an affluent career, your child will be given a better, more creative education. Those who cannot afford the above listed are forced to suffer and their children are forced to attend school with poor conditions. Our "class" determines our futures. This is an unfortunate and sad determination. We must not fall at fault to this. We have to beat the system and be better than this. We need to get children out of this mindset. Their class may determine where they go to school, unfortunately, but, as teachers, we must show them a way out, a way to a better and brighter future. We cannot allow them to believe that they are doomed into a "category" for the rest of their lives. Success can be granted to all.