Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work by Anyon

1. "While the teachers spend a lot of time explaining and expanding on what they textbooks say, there is little attempt to analyze how or why things happen, or to give thought to how pieces of a culture, or, say, a system of numbers or elements of language fit together or can be analyzed."

I chose this quote about the middle class schools because it is something that creates problems for kids. Kids are taught the basics and how to get the right answer without understanding why. Critical thinking is vital to school and it is not always easy but that is what makes kids learn.

2. "The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might be connected to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or signigicance."

I chose this quote because of the last few words in the sentance. How can teachers expect to get through to their students without the work being meaningful or significant. That shocked me because I know for a fact that in middle school, if work was not meaningful to me I would not do it.

3. "If one accumulates enough right answers, one gets a good grade."

I feel like this is how many teachers teach. It seems to me like it is the easy way out for them and it requires little effort. Difficult for students though because it does not allow for much error. Learning is the same thing over and over again for these kids.

I enjoyed reading this article but was not surprised by the information. I knew there were differences in teaching in different social classes. Higher social class schools prepare the kids for life and success. Meanwhile the lower social class schools prepare the kids for order and disapline. Some of the vocabulary used in the article was shocking however and the language the teachers used with the students was also surprising. Telling them to "Shut up" I know some people have experienced that but I do not think in fifth grade. I would have liked to read futher into this topic and seen some of the results of the students later in life.