LG
Comment [KAL1]: A passionate, professional
paper. You have woven so many sophisticated
ideas together while maintaining your own voice
as a writer.
October 29, 2012
Puente English 102
Ms. Land
To Fit in Or to Stand Out
Do we want to limit our children’s intelligence by ignoring their questions? Are
teachers and parents contributing with society to train their children to become another
robot of society who simply obeys and doesn’t question? Children are born with
curiosity; they are “ little scientist” trying to explore their surroundings in order to
understand the world they live in. One way children explore the world is by asking adults
Comment [KAL2]: Strong line.
multiple and repetitive questions about something that might be very insignificant to
adults, but not to children. From an early age family members and teachers influence
children to slowly become Entity theorists or learn through the Banking Model Concept
without acknowledging they are doing it so. For example, my niece often asks me “ what
is that?” when she sees a new object or “ why?” when I tell her not to do or say
something. After answering her questions over and over again I get frustrated and began
ignoring her questions. By doing this I am teaching her that asking questions to Adults
about certain things children do not comprehend are just going to be ignore because
Adults do not take children curiosity serious. Children then link not answering their
questions to “we are children and our opinions or questions are not as important as an
Comment [KAL3]: Strong lines! All of them. I
love the way you introduce the topics with this
real world experience.
adults’”, “why ask questions if we are often being ignored”, even “ maybe we are not
smart enough”. This situation then makes a student take information from adults without
questioning them. Although children are born being incremental theorists or part of the
problem- posing, most Working and Middle class schools train them to become part of
the society of entity theorists and banking model students.
Incremental theory and Problem-posing are the best way to approach learning, but
Comment [KAL4]: Great job adding the layers
of significance! You demonstrate the
consequences thoughtfully.
Comment [KAL5]: Clear thesis. You blend it in
nicely to your introduction.
most Working and Middle class schools do not train their students to learn this way. In
“Two Approaches to Learning”, Josh Waitzkin talks about the two different theories
students are being taught, the entity and incremental theories. The entity theorist are those
who believe they are good at a subject because their parents are good at it or because they
were born with such a talent. They start to “attribute their success or failure to an
ingrained and unalterable level of ability”(30). Parents and teachers make a mistake when
they teach children to believe that their not “smart enough at a subject” that’s why they
are failing or “ they are not good enough at a dance “ because his/her mom wasn’t good
at dancing either. Children then become fearful to ask questions, volunteer, and sooner or
later they start to avoid taking risks. They become the Anorexic hermit crab that”
[starves] itself so it doesn’t grow to have to find a new shell”(33). In the other hand the
incremental theory is taught to few children. Incremental theorists or learning theorists
are those who are taught that they are capable of being successful at anything they put
hard work into. These children are more willing to challenge themselves by trying new
things.
In “ Banking Concept of Education” from Pedagogy of Oppressed, Paulo Freire,
points out another methods of learning that are similar to the entity and incremental
Comment [KAL6]: Great job defining the term
and then pointing out the problems with this
approach!
theories; the Banking Model and Problem-posing. The banking Model Concept consists
of students “receiving, filling, and storing the deposits “(78,79). This means that students
memorize the material to only use for a test or quiz, only know the facts, but not the
“why” and the teacher is always right. This concept is designed to control and limit
students intelligence and ability. Students are being forced to be another individual of
society that can simply obey and not question. By introducing this concept Executive
class can relax in their golden chairs because they have people who are now doing the
hard work for them. For example, risking their lives in construction, cleaning buildings
inside and out, saving lives, yet risking theirs, and many more. The problem- posing is
often only being introduce to the Executive class which consists or reaching their full
potential, challenging their intelligence, higher creativity and are giving the tools to
question the world they live in.
Executive class manages to control the education system in a way that benefits them.
For example, Working and Middle class schools have an absolute different way of
teaching their students compare to Executive class. In “ Social Class and the Hidden
Curriculum of Work”, Jean Anyon talks about what she observed while doing her
research. She learned what its being taught in different social classes and how it’s similar
and different from each other. At the end of her researched and with her observation she
concluded that Executive class schools are preparing their students professionally at a
very young age in order for them to fulfill their parents executive jobs. While Working
and Middle classes are being taught to limit their intelligence and to not question society.
Executive class is afraid of social mobility because the most percent of the population is
made of working and middle class, executive class is afraid that this might jeopardize
Comment [KAL7]: Nice bottom bun. You have
defined the banking model well and added a layer
of significance.
their luxury lifestyles. This is why working and middle classes are being taught to
“follow steps of procedure.. [Involving] rote behavior and very little decision making or
choice”( 3). While Executive students are being taught to question society, make their
own decisions, to be responsible, and creative, working and middle class are being denied
the right to learn this too. The education system supposed to provide students no matter
what class they belong to equal knowledge. The expectations from a middle or working
Comment [KAL8]: Nice addition of relevant
details from the reading to support your
argument.
class student are often lowered, yet it shouldn’t because it should be the same for both
lower and an executive student because these students have struggle through out their
lives and are eager to have a more comfortable lifestyle. Although working class students
have parents with no degrees or low education this should not affect a child in any way
because instead of the student being satisfied with their accomplishments it makes them
more eager to become more successful in life and cross over to a higher class. Another
example of oppression to color people or lower class people is the Chicano Movement.
Ramon Parada, a Chabot College Puente Counselor for 30 years, was part of the Chicano
movement. He argues that while many color people did the walk out in Alvarado Niles
Comment [KAL9]: I think you mean:
During the Chicano Movement protests, the lower
class and people of color also experienced
oppression outside of school.
years ago the police who were made up of Anglo people were already ready to attacked.
Although the walk out was very friendly the Police claimed that people who were
marching robbed a store and that’s the reason why they attacked. I believe this incident
happened because Executive class didn’t and doesn’t want people to have a voice, even
though they train lower class people through the banking concept model many of them
cannot be trained and stay in the Problem-posing. Problem- posing allows individuals to
question their surrounding and society. When this happens Executive class becomes
Comment [KAL10]: Powerful.
Comment [KAL11]: A strong observation –
and the next lines do a nice job of unpacking the
significance.
fearful because lower class has a higher population and if they all start to question and
learn to use the problem- posing then they will be able to change society.
People who believe they are educated should become educators to those who are not
being well educated. For example, those children who are being train to change their way
of learning through the Banking Concept or Entity theory. These children are fear by the
Executive class because they know that we are born with the Problem- posing, but their
duty is to train us to change the way we learn in order for them to keep their luxury
lifestyle. Those who are educated and know how to pursued education have the duty to “
change society if [they] think of [themselves] as and educated person”( Balwin 73). They
can change society by simply teaching others the best way of learning. Giving children
the tools to continue questioning their world it’s the only way lower class people can
become successful. A person who is well educated it’s able to “look at the word by
himself, to make his own decisions, to say this is black or white..”( Balwin 67). An
educated person is always questioning and learning through experiences that society is set
up to destroy us, yet people want to be part of it. In the article of “ How to Tame a Wild
Tongue”, Gloria Anzaldua mentions how important her language and culture is to her.
Her passion for her heritage made her want to share it with her students. While she was
eager to share Chicano Literature the principal object and argued that she “was supposed
to teach “ American” and English Literature. At the risk of being fired, [ she] swore [her]
students to secrecy and slipped in Chicano short stories, poem, an a play “(14). Anzaldua
its well educated because she has an identity and has her way of looking at the world.
Although she wasn’t allowed to share Chicano stories to her students she refused to obey
the rules. She believed that students have the right to learn that they are other amazing
Comment [KAL12]: Powerful.
literature by different people or different race. I believed she wanted to transport her
students to a different world, a world that society doesn’t want them to know about.
Society might train us to become just another toy of theirs, but we as majority should
become ”Stubborn, persevering, impenetrable as stone, yet possessing a malleability that
tenders us unbreakable..”(18). It doesn’t matter what color skin we are if we fight
together to change our education system we can become successful.
Comment [KAL13]: A powerful paragraph.
As majority we have the power to change how our education system works. It’s our
duty to not give up just because we think its difficult or challenging to pursue a higher
education. As students, parents , and teachers it’s our responsibility to influence our
children an ourselves to stay in the Problem- posing concept because it’s our only way to
pursued a higher education. Its time to take actions in our on hands and start to teach our
children the best way of learning through the Problem- posing and not to train them to
become the anorexic hermit crab. Lets not become another toy of society who can simply
play with whenever it pleases. Dreaming high doesn’t hurt us it only helps us to challenge
us and become someone not just to fit in. Many Entity theorists like myself are afraid to
challenge themselves, but truth is there is no harm in doing it so. Challenging ourselves
only prove us that we have the power to achieve and become anyone we want to be, not
who the corrupted education system plans for us.
Comment [KAL14]: I am inspired.