My Education

After reading "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" it made me reminisce about my past education experiences. It was very easy to identify, immediately, which school class resembled that of my own. The "middle-class school" was the perfect description of most of my past education. The interesting thing is, I had a handful of different types of schools, in different locations. I started out in a private Christian school. It was a small school, and there was only one teacher per grade. I remember really enjoying my time spent at school. The smaller class sizes and school made it not seem so intimidating. My teachers were very friendly and encouraging. One of my favorite memories was at Thanksgiving time each year. The last day before our break, we were aloud to dress up as either a Pilgrim or an Indian. We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast for lunch and played "Pilgrims and Indians" at recess. The game we played at recess was made up by the students, but we seemed to carry the tradition each year. Although this one event sparked our own creativity, I can't really remember any other times during class that we were encouraged to use our own ideas and creative thinking to learn. Our ideas came from textbooks and teacher's lectures. Anyon states that "In the middle-class school, work is getting the right answer. If one accumulates enough right answers, one gets a good grade." Wow, most of my life I thought this was the whole point of education, but I know now it's so much more! My time at VCS came to an end in fourth grade. The school only went up to fifth grade, so I was going to have to switch sooner or later.

 

 Next, came my first experience at homeschool. To compare homeschool to one of Anyon's school classes, it would definitely resemble the "affluent professional school." That may be a surprised comparison to some, but as I read the descriptive paragraphs about their school days, it would coincide with my own memories of a typical homeschool day. "In the affluent professional school, work is creative activity carried out independently." We had structure to our homeschool day, but each subject we studied was learned by creative projects as well as textbooks. We took field trips that went hand and hand with what we were learning at the time, bringing it all to life. I could spent as much time as I needed to on a subject, or as little. I was encouraged to use my own ideas to learn and express myself, as well as work independently. Although, I guess working independently wasn't much of an option with only my brothers and I being taught. They were also in different grades than I, so they were learning different material. Somehow, my mother would find a way to relate the different things we were learning, so we could also interact our learning and field trips. As much as I loved homeschool, I started to miss daily interactions with friends.

Halfway through 6th grade, I made my way to public school. This reverted my learning experience back to the "middle-class school." Our teaching was mostly from textbooks. We kept a strict schedule that cohered to the bells for changing classes. It was a big adjustment for me going from a private school and homeschool to a fairly large middle school. However, the social experience I loved. Anyon wrote of the "middle-class school" that "The style of control of the three fifth-grade teachers observed in this school varied from somewhat easygoing to strict." This mirrored my own memory of my public school teachers. I continued in public school, even as we moved to another town in 8th grade. I stayed in public school until 10th grade, when a health issue kept me out of school for the remainder of the year. This time at home forced me to get help from my mom's teaching once again. It reminded me how much I loved the one on one help, and I found I was understanding everything so much easier. I also felt at this age, the social aspect of school was more of a distraction from my focus on learning, so I graduated from homeschool. Although I was encouraged to go to college, I really could not decide what I wanted to go for. It took me until the age of 32 to finally decide.

Going back to school, after being away for so long, was hugely intimidating. So many fears and questions crossed my mind. Can I do this? Am I smart enough? What if I fail? Luckily, my experience at Cedar Crest College has erased all my fears. The professors are all so kind and supportive. They are helpful and resourceful. The extra tutors they offer, included in your tuition, make all the difference. I can't imagine returning to school, to face a teacher like Professor X. After reading "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" I realized just how lucky I am to be here at CCC. Very soon into my first semester, I had to face my fear of writing a paper. Although I know it wasn't very good, it was my best effort, and it was graded as such. Professor X states "For I, who teach these low-level, must-pass, no-multiple-choice-test classes, am the one who ultimately delivers the news to those unfit for college." If my first paper was graded with such thinking, I'm sure I too, would have failed the class. My fears would have been confirmed, and may have ended my plans of school altogether. I thank God, my adult education mimics nothing of this article.