Literacy with Attitude

     The main idea of Literacy with an Attitude is the inequality in the American educational system. The education available to those children who take lower social roles does not provide them with opportunities to develop their potential and focus on critical thinking. started out talking about the differences in the types of students, economic status, ethnicity, gender and how differently they are treated in schools, and what the outcomes of their futures may be.

     In the first chapter, He discusses teaching classes of teachers. He focused on just applying what they thought they could implement in their classes. He wrote about his upbringing as the eighth of nine children, 6 boys 3 girls in a blue collared family. Dad was a plumber and five of his brothers became plumbers. He did not follow in his family's steps because of a birth injury, so he was encouraged to stay in high school.He went to a local teachers college and became a teacher. His first teaching job was teaching in a black neighborhood in Chicago's south side. The students were sorted by reading scores into 15 classes. He said he made the assignments easy so the least able student could do them and extra credit for students who finished early.  For 25 years he has been on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at the State University of NY at Buffalo. He ended the chapter by reflecting on educating students for almost 30 years how to read, write, think, debate. He said he's teaching teachers how to teach language in elem.  He learned not to be so damn superior he learned from his hard bitten teachers. Don;t look down your nose at people out there teaching real children in real and sometimes dreadful circumstances. I think this goes for more than just teaching. Even in nursing people look down on nurses who dont work in a hospital and want to work in a nursing home as if it's not as important.

Chapter 2 Anyon talked about her study working in 5 different schools of different economic status. Working class learned to follow directions and do mechanical low-paying jobs while resisting authority. Middle class children learned if they cooperated they could get rewards with possibility. Affluent professional class learned to create products, art and negotiate from powerful position. Executive elite children were trained to rule the world. When Anyon asked what is Knowledge to different classes the answer was all different for every class of student.

     At the end of Chapter 2 she asked “Those who are the smartest and work hardest go furthest” Who's kidding whom? She continued to say When a student begins school in such different systems the odds are set for them.

 I think that is a strong statement and I can see how true that is with my students I work in a title one school, low income families that don't have much. Many of them don't have support at home, they have supportive teachers but not having parents or guardians to help guide them when they are not at school. I think it would be difficult for them in the future, not in all cases but for some.

https://youtu.be/laS1y4f_U2E