Lauren Helffrich
Professor Eileen Brumitt
Writing 100
Effect
Demographic Location has on Education.
Education
in America is not the same everywhere you go, it varies on type of city, type
of teachers, the teacher union, and the view of potential the students has. A
big effect of the type of education you receive depends on the demographic area
you live in. Jean Anyons “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum” and Paolo
Freire’s “The Banking Concept of Education” help to explain how the demographic
area of a school district, whether in the suburbs or city, determines how the students
are tracked and the type of education they receive.
Growing up in the
suburb of Kutztown is entirely different experiences that growing up in a big
school like Parkland. Kutztown High School has three main types of high school
classes you can take. There are the college prep students that aim to continue
their education after high school, the vo-tech students that are hoping to
start a basic career right out of high school by learning the basics
requirements early, and there are the agriculture students who are children of
farmers and are assumed to continue the “family business” and tradition by
helping on the farm. Students at schools closer to the city with a larger
population do not have classes for agriculture. Parkland for example is a
school with a good education that has more options available. At school districts like this, there are more
art, music, business classes available for students. It is not that some of
those classes are there for students in suburbs, however at schools like
Kutztown it is encouraged to participate in agriculture to keep the community
into farming. Students in school districts that track to keep the community
enriched in the same culture and that is not open to change, inhibit student’s
educational growth. If children choose to follow their parents footsteps it
should be just that, their choice. Farmers sons and daughters should have that
option available however they should also have the option to take other classes
and experience on a small scale what else is out there and other roads of
opportunity. Schools should not be making
the decisions for our next generation.
The
way the students are taught affects their education. The demographic location
of schools, affects the type of students that are attending there. Larger
suburb schools tend to have a population of adults that have better paying
jobs. Schools located more in the city have a population of lower income. The
use of the “banking” concept is more commonly known in the lower income
schools. Paolo Freire explains what the “banking concept” is and how it affects
students. “This is the “banking” concept of education, in which the scope of
action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filling, and
storing the deposits (Freire 368). Using the description Anyon gives us of the
various classes of education. The main classes of education are the working
class school, the middle class school, the executive elite school and the
affluent professional school. The
“banking” concept is not allowing the students to debate information they are
given and understanding the reason behind it. Most students that are taught by
the “banking” theory might know the answer to a question, however they may not
understand why the answer is what it is and the thought process behind it. They
will not be able to think for themselves without direction. The “banking”
concept would be more likely found in working class and middle schools. Kutztown
is a school that focus a majority of its effort toward the agricultural aspect
of its classes. There is not a lot of pressure put on for the college prep
courses. Kutztown would fall into the Middle-Class School. There are teachers
her that use the “banking” concept. Many of the staff at Kutztown, have also
come from small schools and talk at the students. The main goal is fill the students
head with the required knowledge. There are not high expectations of students
to become great inventors or creators. The thought is only half (if lucky) will
continue education. Parkland High School is known to be more focused on the
arts and embracing the students creativeness. There are still teachers that
will use the “banking” theory to try to just get students by and fill their
head with enough information to pass state tests. There are more options for
students to choice from to do with their future. The students are able to
express themselves. Parkland would fall into Executive Elite School. “A primary
goal of thought is to conceptualize rules by which elements may fit together in
systems and then to apply these rules in solving a problem (Anyon 8). The way a
student is taught effects they type of career have and the life they are given.
Although
there are state regulations and government regulations, not every school is
teaching their students the same way. There have been many programs that have been
tested to try and fix current problems with education. The problem is that
everyone has different opinion on what is wrong with the education system so
there is no clear answer of what to do to fix the education or how it should
run. There are many differences between school districts because of the
demographic area of the schools , they type of teachers they employ, the
stereotype that the school is under. Students are the ones that pay the
consequences. The area that a student lives, does not affect how smart they
are, therefore they should all be able to have the same options available to
them. Having Jean Anyon and Paolo Freire to help show explain the exactly how
the demographic area of a school affects how the students are tracked and the type
of education they receive.
