Lydia Zeller
Group Differences – Poverty
Individual Reflection
March 24, 2014
For
the group differences project, I read the article “Radical Possibilities” by
Jean Anyon. The article spoke to me because I work in an urban school here in
Knox County. I see students who struggle with poverty and the mindset of many students
who are in these situations that this is the situation they will be in for
life. Finding a way for them to change their future intrigues me and Anyon
offers some good points.
Anyon
mentioned that she came from a family that was considered “radical” and heavily
involved in politics. She offers interesting insight and solutions to those of
us who were not raised with this mindset. Her main focus is on the teachers of
these students. She mentions in several places that the teachers are the bridge
between the parents and community and, therefore, can help create the
solutions.
One
of my biggest concerns with the solutions she offers is time. I would love to
help change the lives of these students more than just by teaching them
science. However, I would like to know where she thinks the time will come
from. I already work fifty to fifty-five hours or so a week while taking a
class at the same time. As a first year teacher, I am not sure I see how to fit
this into science curriculum. Maybe in the future years I can work more of
these skills in. I do see where this could work really well in social studies
curriculums. However, how can I pass it on to other teachers and hope they take
the responsibility up? That does not
seem fair either.
Overall,
I think the author offers very high-quality solutions to help urban students
break the cycle and give them social justice. I just wonder how time effective
it could be made. I really feel it could be more tailored to a social studies
curriculum or if there was a position that could be created in the school
system where this was a full time job (although where does that money come
from?). For example, my school has hired a person to start a parent center. I
could definitely see through her programs these ideas working.
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