Literacy with an Attitude:

In the reading Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn, the part I found most interesting was when he touched on the topic of the working-class, middle class and elite schools.

 The working class students were viewed as students who did not care about school, or succeeding. They were expected to work at low-paying jobs that no one else wanted. However, these are false depictions of these students it is stated that the students don’t care about school, are lazy and stupid but “you have to keep reminding yourself that these children did not have low IQ scores. They were working-class children with average intelligence, some with better than average intelligence.” The work that they were expected to do in school was easy, and could have been boring for them. “In the working-class schools, social studies instruction typically consisted of copying teachers’ notes, writing answers to textbook questions, and craft projects.” I think it’s hard for students to be interested in learning when they are just copying notes and not making any real life connections or having hands on activities especially in elementary school. The working-class students learned to how to follow directions, aspire to get low-paying jobs, and learned to resist authority. The middle-class students learned to follow orders, perform the jobs that kept society running smoothly. They learned that if the cooperated they would get well-paid middle class jobs. The students in the middle-class schools did not have much excitement for school, they believed that going to school would equal good grades, which would lead to college and then in the future acquiring a middle-class job. Lastly, the elite schools were the schools that set students up for success. “The dominant theme in the executive elite school was excellence- preparation for being the best, for top-quality performance.” In these schools, students were taught how to be creative and they were expected to find the rewards work. They were taught to be “masters of the universe.” I find this interesting because I feel that every school should want their students to be successful; they should not be classified because of where they come from, they should each get an equal opportunity to be prosperous. This is an article of schools in Perth's poorest area, they are trying to make changes and advances in their schools to help their students, which I think all school districts should do if they have students that struggle, or are not in the best areas. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-11/disadvantaged-perth-schools-benefit-from-leadership-program/6355770