Classrooms as Sites for Confronting Privileges, Changing the World

There are many topics we discussed and read about so far that has stuck with me, but I would say the Changing Education Paradigms video - where Sir Ken Robinson talks about the history of public education, its intended purpose when it was initially developed, and how little it has changed over the years - and Huerta's writing on the history of public education in the United States and the Greek influence on what is taught, what is deemed as valuable knowledge, how it is taught, and who it is taught to are what will likely have the most impact on what I would teach (I would also include the impact racism has on education, but that factor has played a part in my interest in working with young people long before this class).

Society has gone through many evolutions, and so much has changed since the days when public schools were first established in this country; yet the current public educational system still operates largely in the same manner as it did when it was initially conceived. Sadly, this system is more geared towards creating obedient workers that walk, talk, and dress the same than actually educating the youth and giving them the tools to become knowledgeable, skilled, critical thinking, and compassionate adults.

I definitely feel that the classroom is a place to talk about privilege and creating change. It would be even better if classrooms were more diverse - with children from various cultures, neighborhoods, economic backgrounds, and family compositions sharing the same classroom - but meaningful conversations could still be had in classrooms that are not so diverse.

I think that it is important for everybody to learn as much about as many different cultures and lifestyles as possible, and the younger one is introduced to them, the more susceptible they are to developing a true understanding of different cultures and people who do not look like them. I am not sure if privilege should be confronted as much as people being denied opportunity and being treated unfairly. I also feel that change is a part of life, and without it people are in danger of accepting things that are harmful to themselves and society as a whole - because that's "just the way it is".