TEACHING TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Teaching to Change the World

Schooling: Wrestling with History and Tradition
Domonique Payan
LBS 203

References
Oakes, J., & Lipton, M. (2003). Schooling: Wrestling with history and tradition.
Teaching to change the world (2nd ed., pp. 59-77). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

TEACHING TO CHANGE THE WORLD

2

What do all children deserve? This chapter of the book examines the unequal setting on
which American children go to school today. It also touches base on the history of American
public schools and the structural inequality students experience in the educational system. This
chapter touches base on the compelling arguments of solving social problems within the
education system.
Reflection
While reading this chapter I could not help become more aware of how socially unjust
our world is. The question you purpose for this assignment is somewhat difficult for me to
answer for the reason being that our society is still facing many of these problems people were
facing a long time ago. I felt as though I had read nothing new nor surprising when reading about
the history of public schools. It is very heart breaking to see those around me be treated
unequally due to their ethnicity.
It seems as if The role of the common public school in securing democracy (66) was
based on someones ideals and yet has not changed much over the years. I understand the basics
that are proposed but at the same time our world is changing and we must adapt. There is too
much inequality.
I honestly believe that schools must preserve the culture but in a way that is equal to everyone.
There is no one language. Not everyone is the same and therefore should not be treated as if
they were. When the concept of culture is studies we often forget to see the importance of family
culture and get stuck on gender, ethnicity or race, religion, affiliations to a hobby or sport,
political, economic, and geographical similarities and differences. Many people, including

TEACHING TO CHANGE THE WORLD

3

children that are of different race and culture are often looked upon with critical eye. They are
perceived as non-equals, and sometimes even subconsciously perceived as enemies that pose a
threat to order of things and therefore must be kept down. This here is a problem within the
school system. Our society has come a long way only to be stuck on the same issues that were
addressed many years ago. Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet
when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to
change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone
knows this, but no one can do it. -Lao Tzu. I believe the point of the quote is, it is the flexible
mind that will solve problems and meet their creative self in the process and it is the flexible
mind that can find its way past any barrier, no matter how great. And this is the type of thinking
teachers in general should have. Diversity is everywhere not matter where we go, and it is our
jobs including mine to prepare ourselves when it comes to teaching. We need to go that extra
mile to ensure that every child is acquiring an equal education.