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Caroline C. Cater

Dr. Reiman

English 1101

February 12, 2010

The Jean Anyon Response

In nineteen seventy-eight and nineteen seventy-nine, Jean Anyon did a study and wrote

an essay “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” on how children in the fifth grade, in

different parts of New Jersey, were being taught differently in public schools according to the

wealth of their families. The argument between scholars in political economy and the sociology

of knowledge was that public schools in complex industrial societies like our own make

available different types of educational experience and curriculum knowledge to students in

different social classes (Writing Conventions 225). What struck me the most about this

statement was that it really didn’t even try to go into detail of how this happened, why this

happened, or what could be done and if the wealth of the childrens families could be the only

factor? It doesn’t seem likely to me that is that there could be only one relation between the

schools and social classes that were factors. Could it have plausibly been the teachers and

where they were being selected from?

In this study al of the schools had the same basic resources such as their math books

Mathmatics Around Us, Scott Foresman, 1978 and reading sets. If they all had the same math

books but were learning entirely different skills then who is the cause for it? If the teachers
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could be the only reason then why is it them? How can it be possible in every case for the

teachers methods in teachering to be so alike in comparison to the social group of the

community? This pattern seems to be to repetitive in sequence to just be a coincidence. In my

hometown Elkin, where I went to school many of the teachers that work there now and whom

have worked there in the past grew up in or around Elkin, went away to college became

certified teachers and then decided to settle back down in their roots, to raise a family and

work at the same school they had attended years prior. I’m not entirely positive how you would

go about classing my school, we are a small school but full of diverse social classes. I’m not sure

of the surrounding graduating classes around me but much was always expected from my class

since elementary school. Though there are always seem to be some who advance far more than

others and some who can’t seem to catch up with the majority I suppose that is the norm for

most all cases. There could be a number of different reasons why a teacher in a working class

school would practice her teachings as she does. For example she may have lived her whole life

in the working class family and felt more comfortable teaching in the same environment still

and continued teaching how she had been taught starting in the same place. If only working

class teachers taught in the working class schools then that could mean that the feel of the

entire community is working class as well. Which brings to mind the question of which came

first, the chicken or the egg?

Why would this ever be an issue for public schools? In stating this, I mean that this

should never have been an issue of such unjust care. If children are forced to go to school or to

do homeschooling then shouldn’t they all have a fair chance for the same type of future?

America for a long time was seen as the land of opportunity and equality. If the government is
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letting some of their own children be cheated out of a future they very well deserve just as

much as the next kid, then where will they stop? It has seemed to be that if you have money

life is substantially better and you won’t get into nearly as much trouble as someone who

doesn’t and is not as fortunate as you. Having more than freedom when you’ve money has not

been anything close to a secret, it is all over the news and even in a few pop songs. Some who

have enough money can get away with misdemeanors and even felonies, this is just one other

reflection on how social class can affect fairness of treatment in America. What is worse is that

the overall judgments many people do have is about how you appear and not by the actions or

character we sustain. It is not right that wears a society, not just every citizen but in general, we

are putting such negative and harsh prejudgments on people that add to more stress. This

stress to me reflects how much someone is more likely to order someone to do something just

to get it done then to be more creative and open about other ideas of how this same someone

may have gone about doing it. It is possible that maybe we are all as a whole the reason for the

way things are in this land of ours.

How can we get out of this cycle of unequal education to the future generations if

nothing has been done so far? It is difficult to think of ways that would make this unjust system

more equal and on the same level when there is not just one thing alone that stands

uncorrected. You can’t just change the pay of the teachers because the price of living is

different literally everywhere and some teachers have higher education and national boards

certifications, which make them more valuable to the school system. Teachers already don’t get

paid nearly enough for the stress they are put under and over time hours most willingly

proceed with an on top of that many take their work home. The lower the salary generally
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means the lower the cost of living is in the area the job is being held, which to me can also

mean, though not always, that the community is of the lower wage as well. This could relate to

just being a safe everyone knows everyone small town or it could relate to living in a deprived

part of a city. If it is the second case then it could be understandable that a teacher may not

want to work there but has no choice and so is not as happy with their job which could then

reflect in their teachings. For instance they may be stressed by the living environment and more

into orders and less questions to get through the day instead of being more laid back and

feeling safe and having more care and understanding to how each student is taking in the

materials and learning.

In all I have realized that there are many, many questions that have been posed in my

mind and now some on paper that in turn makes me so much more concerned about this topic

then I could have ever been before. Reading this essay by Dr. Jean Anyon has broadened my

views on education in a very new since, even though her article is over twenty-five years old.

Though I don’t know many of the answers for nearly half of the multiple questions I have, I have

thought of many explanations that I do plan to look into a lot more into the future. This I

suppose could have possibly been a large purpose of her writing this as she had, to open the

public’s eyes of an injustice in the children’s futures in the United States of America.
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Works Cited

Anyon, Jean. “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work.” Writing Conventions. Eds. Lu

and Horner. New York: Pearson, 2008, 225-251. Print

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Reflection

In my paper I focused on how, why, and what could be done with this issue. My first

draft had the same ideas but lacked really good structure. I still feel like my paper could use

some better form but that it has come a very long way. I think that since the book was my only

source I should have used more quotes to make it stronger. Doing so many drafts and using the

guiding questions from the peer workshop response has really helped me along the way. I have

also found that the farther along in the process I go with my paper the more comfortable I feel

with the people I share it with. Though I’m not sure if the reason why I’m not as apprehensive

about it as I use to be is because I’m feeling more comfortable with the people around me in

the class room or because I feel so confident in my paper but I hope this is something that will

continue to happen throughout the semester.

Caroline,

Thanks for including your self-assessment. It’s nice to hear that you see progress with

each draft of your paper and that you can feel comfortable sharing your work. And yes, being

confident in your work is a huge factor in that, but so is comfort level with your peers, so that
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even if you are not sure of where you are going with a draft, you will still feel good about

seeking out feedback from your classmates to help you improve your paper.

It’s great to hear how you have so many questions and now think more deeply about

public education and what you feel all children deserve. As you think toward revision, here is

what I encourage you to consider: 1) being more explicit with your claims (showing what you

want to explore here—that teachers are or are not responsible for what Anyon describes) and

2) making sure that all of your paragraphs lead back to or build upon your claim. When you get

to the sentence level, please do be mindful of how you use commas and be sure to read your

work aloud to catch any awkward phrasings. Visit the WRC website for some helpful comma

info: http://wrc.uncc.edu/resources-for-students.html