Class Culture and Education
Our school systems are built
around a middleclass way of living, believing, and functioning. However,
not every student who walks into the classroom will have come from a middleclass
family. This situation creates tension, misunderstandings, and problems
within the classroom. Therefore, it is important that teachers have an
understanding of the different backgrounds that students will be coming from.
Every social class has a certain culture that
comes with it. That culture affects the way that students will view life,
their priorities, and many other aspects within the classroom. As a result
teachers must be sensitive to this and understand that.
Here is a graph that demonstrates some of the different
perspectives among social classes.
|
Poverty |
Middle Class |
Wealth |
| Possessions |
People |
Things. |
One-of-a-king
objects, legacies, pedigrees. |
| Money |
To be used, spent. |
To be managed. |
To be conserved. |
| Personality |
Is for
entertainment. Sense of humor is highly valued. |
Is for acquisition
and stability. Achievement is highly valued. |
Is for
connections. Financial, political, social connections are highly
valued |
| Social Emphasis |
Social inclusion of
people they like. |
Emphasis is on
self-governance and self-sufficiency. |
Emphasis is on social
exclusion. |
| Food |
Key question:
Did you have enough? Quantity is important. |
Key question:
Did you like it? Quality is important. |
Key question: Was it
well presented? Presentation is important. |
| Clothing |
Clothing is valued
for individual style and expression of personality. |
Clothing is valued
for its quality and acceptance into norm of middle class. Label
important. |
Clothing is valued
for its artistic sense and expression. Designer important. |
| Time |
Present most important.
Decisions made for the moment based on feelings r survival. |
Future most
important. Decisions made against future ramifications. |
Traditions and
history most important. Decisions made partially on basis of
tradition and decorum. |
| Education |
Valued and revered as
abstract but not as reality. |
Crucial for climbing
success ladder and making money. |
Necessary tradition
for making and maintaining connections. |
| Destiny |
Believes in
fate. Cannot do much to mitigate chance. |
Believes in
choice. Can change future with good choices now. |
Noblesse oblige. |
| Language |
Casual
register. Language is about survival. |
Formal
register. Language is about negotiation. |
Formal
register. Language is about networking. |
| Family structure |
Tends to be
matriarchal. |
Tends to be
patriarchal. |
Depends on who has
the money. |
| World View |
Sees world in terms
of local setting. |
Sees world in terms
of national setting. |
Sees world in terms
of international view. |
| Love |
Love and acceptance
conditional, based upon whether individual is liked. |
Love and acceptance
conditional and based largely upon achievement. |
Love and acceptance conditional
and related to social standing and connections. |
| Driving Force. |
Survival,
relationships, entertainment. |
Work, achievement. |
Financial, political,
social connections. |
Graph from Ruby Payne's book A Framework for Understanding Poverty.
Click here to read more about Ruby Payne.
Ruby Payne makes several suggestions toward
understanding how social class affects education and how teachers should
approach poverty within the classroom.
| "Assumptions made about individuals' intelligence
and approaches to school and/or work setting may relate more to their
understanding of hidden rules." |
| "Students need to be taught the rules of middle
class-not denigration of their own but rather as another set of rules
that can be used if they so choose." |
| "Many of the attitudes that students and parents
bring with them are and integral part of their culture and belief
systems. Middle-class solutions should not necessarily be imposed
when other, more workable, solutions might be found. |
| An understanding of the culture and values of poverty
will lesson the anger and frustration that educators may periodically
feel when dealing with these students and parents." |
| Most people are not completely aware of what social class
they are considered to be a part of. |
The most important
concept to remember is that EVERYONE brings knowledge
into the classroom. Every student is going to have differing perspectives
but that is what adds a richness to the culture of the classroom.
Therefore, embrace the background of every student whether they are from wealth,
or poverty. And this philosophy does not only apply to social classes but
to ethnicity, gender, religion. All of those aspects of a person create
who they are and who they are will greatly enhance the class.
