Is America really the land of opportunity???

Is American really the land of opportunity???  Or is opportunity only available for the rich?  As this article pointed out in chapter 3, pg. 22- it seems as if the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer."  If I'm being honest, this article was a tad long to me and at times I found myself dozing off....on several different occasions, unfortunately.  After the previous assignment we completed this past weekend, this was not nearly as captivating for me.

I will say however, that I found it quite intriguing to learn about Anyon's study and the differences between all of the different "classes" of schooling.  The dominant themes that were mentioned around the working and middle class and then the affluent professional and executive elite classes were quite astonishing.  The words such as resistance, possibility, individualism and excellence really stood out to me, as did the different teaching styles that each "class" was provided with.  There was a line on chapter 1 that struck me..."sources of inequality are so subtle that the average parent, teacher, student and taxpayer are not conscious of them at all."  What does this mean exactly?  Does this mean that others are not necessarily aware of how kids that come from different "classes" are taught differently? Or are parents aware that their children are all taught differently (in the same state, ironically) and that it is just acceptable because it always has been "that way?"  Something about that statement really caught my eye...

It was equally interesting to me to see the different teaching styles in each class.  For example, the working class mirrored the more "do what I say and don't ask any questions," where the affluent professionals encouraged creativity and conversations surrounding current events.  It really seemed that the affluent students are encouraged to use higher level thinking skills, where the working class settles on lower level thinking skills.  Kind of sad to me, if you ask...Children in the higher classes were also given more freedom---such as not needing passes, being able to leave the class without permission, being able to speak out openly and honestly.  It almost seemed as if the working and middle class students can't be trusted as much as those who belong to the wealthier classes.  Talk about stigma....

My last talking point refers to page 20 of this article where the different classes and their career paths were all touched upon.  The working class aims for more of the "mechanical work with lower pay, the middle- keeps society producing and running smoothly, the affluent professional create products and art where the executive elite learn to be masters of the universe.  Talk about culture of power....

I believe that Finn is arguing that we need to have equal educational opportunities and justice throughout.  High quality and creative education needs to be given to all and not just those in power.