Scholarly Discourse Paper -- Sociology

In the views of society today children are taught by example. Monkey see, monkey do. The Saturday morning cartoons, parents, the latest video games, teachers, and the media all showed kids that you can be anything you want to be, as long as you set your mind to it. The majority of little girls wanted to be a princess and little boys wanted to be a super hero when they grow up. In reality, the princesses didn’t grow up to be aristocrats and the super heroes are not fighting the cities’ latest crimes. Children are told to use their imagination and creativity, but in todays society their imaginations and life aspirations are refocused by their social class. . Considering the research done by C.H Knoblauch, Johnathan Kozol, and Jean Anyon, the education system specifically prepares each student for his or her future based on their parents’ income level, social class, and zip code. Parents’ income level and where they live directly correlates with what type of education their children will receive. Anyon argues that the students’ curriculum is either modified or enhanced based on the different areas of social class, and parental salary. â€Å"One’s social class, then, is a result of the relationships one has, largely ‘work,’ ‘capital and power,’ and ‘activity’† (Anyon 398). By living in a wealthier neighborhood, the property funds and taxes the residents pay are able to provide more funding to the surrounding schools. When living in a poor and underprivileged neighborhood, the taxes are significantly lower; therefore, the school system is left with a small amount of funding available to them.. The working class students live in the underprivileged neighborhoods. They read textbooks; when it rains water leaks from the ceiling into the ha... ...s. All of those toddlers in tiaras are going to be heartbroken when they are pushed off the throne and onto their hands and knees just like Cinderella. For some reason the pumpkins stay pumpkins even after midnight. As for the cape and tights, the boys would not last more than a minute in a high school without someone calling them a derogatory name. Whatever happened to the cliche saying, ‘dreams really do come true?’ They should probably put a disclaimer on it next time. Work Cited Page Anyon, Jean. "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work." Journal of Education, Vol. 162, no. 1. Fall 1980. Kozol, Jonathan. â€Å"Still Separate, Still Unequal.† Journal of Education, Vol. 162, no. 1. 2005. Knoblauch, C. H. "Literacy and the Politics of Education." The Right to Literacy. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, Helene Mà ¶glen, and James Slevin. New York: MLA, 1990.