Tayla Reynolds

December 8, 2013
EDUC 275
Purpose of Schooling Final Paper
1. What was, is, and should be the purpose of schooling in the United States?
Identifying the purpose of schooling in the United States is not always easy. Through this
course, I have learned that the purpose of education is to encourage students to develop
the skills, the knowledge, and the dispositions that will allow them to be responsible,
contributing members of society. By doing that, it must first begin within the classroom
and with the teacher. As educators, we must set goals for ourselves and determine how
each individuals needs can be met. In the past, schooling was about developing and
creating independent, knowledgeable individuals and still continues today. The purpose
of schooling in the United States as a whole is to establish a multicultural curriculum
based classroom and to influence the minds of students and prepare them to replace the
current generation.
2. What is your role as a future teacher in fulfilling that purpose?
As a future educator, I have so many roles in fulfilling that purpose, but it is not an easy
task and in my mind, it all begins within the classroom. There are so many different
things that I must consider in order to allow these students to be successful such as
creating equality in my classroom, identifying my students individual learning abilities
and being enthusiastic and making a positive learning environment. Ultimately, as an ag
educator, it is my role to prepare the next generation to replace the recent one. One of the
most important factors is developing future productive members of society is creating and
enforcing equality. My students must feel and be treated equally and it is my duty to be
sure that the opportunities and rights are offered to all (Hemelsoet 1). Each student
deserves an equal opportunity where they all have the chance to pursue goals related to
educational objectives (Huerta 83). If my students have the opportunity to pursue those
goals, it will result in future success. Another important role that I must consider is
understanding their notion of intelligence (Huerta 174). I have learned through this
course that all students process knowledge differently; some learn more easily than
others. This simply means having interaction with them in and out of the classroom and
as well as one-on-one. This will help me determine each students strengths and
weaknesses and can allow me to teach according to their needs. It is very easy for a
student to fall behind and become frustrated, and therefore they may not succeed at the
highest level possible. And the other contributing factor is as a teacher, I must be
enthusiastic and caring with high expectations because the development of caring
professionals is a critical component and student motivation and academic achievement
will continue (Huerta 173). This can create a positive impact on my students so that they
have the willingness to learn. If they have the willingness to learn, they have the ability to
be successful in more ways than one.
3. How does schooling continue the existing order? (cultural, political, social, economic,
environmental order)
Over the years, it is proven that cultural, political, social and economic order has changed
but yet still has room for improvement. Today, culture still isnt seen as an integrated set
of norms and standards. In education, the human experience is untouched by culture
because the meanings of student beliefs must be understood within their specific culture
context (Huerta 225). Today, children are not being born with this knowledge of their
culture, but are being educated more by their family and their community instead of in
school. Within these classrooms, educators are finding this to be an issue because it is
affecting students learning (Arens 94). Although there are still many goals to be reached
about this subject, I have learned that it is still being taught, shared and is continually
evolving. From a political standpoint, throughout this course I have learned that in
todays education system, politics is shown through schools more than I knew. The
federal government plays a key role in public education, but individual states carry the
majority of the educational responsibilities such as funding, administration, teacher
licensure and many other efforts to reach required standards. Presently, the U.S.
Department of Education continues to influence education by way of legislation, program
incentives, research, and professional development grants (Huerta 106). Socially,
desegregation in public school has significantly changed and still continues. In todays
schools, segregation, ethnic and racial exposure are being increased, but not yet broken.
We have learned that ability grouping, counseling, higher teacher expectations and
tracking today are having more negative effects than good. These are effecting the
students academic achievements and attendance rates in college and are a continuous
challenge for the schools to solve. Economically, poverty is one of the biggest
reoccurring problems around the world and especially in our schools. Today, in the
United States, poverty is more evident among minority students. Economic segregation
of communities is affecting the school systems from being able to provide equal
education opportunities. With poverty being an issue, children that live in this situation
are displaying problem behaviors and decreased levels in participation which is
ultimately disrupting the rest of the class as a whole (Jensen 2).
4. How can schooling transform the existing order? (cultural, political, social,
economic, environmental order)
As future educators, there are always going to be policies that can be transformed and
changed, and we are the ones to make them happen. We must recognize that students
learning styles and characteristics that are influenced by the beliefs, values and cognitive
and linguistic patterns that make up their particular culture. With that, schools can no
longer rely on strict adherence to culturally neutral teaching strategies (Huerta 224). If we
thrive to educate the other students about different cultures within the United States, it
will help continue to break down racial, ethnic, and gendered biases and benefit other
students and society. Most importantly is for educators to recognize their cultural
competence which ultimately helps them assess where they are in the continuum and
where others might be (Lantieri & Patti 94). Politically, we can transform schooling by
educating our students about the political system not only in the United States, but as well
as in other countries. It is important to teach the importance of this in the classroom and
its role in a democratic society (Marshall 24).That way, they have the knowledge about
the system and are able to make a decision about the their political decisions in the future.
Schooling can transform socially simply by eliminating segregation. By doing so, it
wont single any student(s) out and if demonstrated correctly, can be a learning
experience for the students. With increased ethnic and racial exposures in the school
systems today, this will help slowly improve the comfort level of students as well as in
the schools and the communities (Huerta 89). This will also assist with advanced learning
and help prepare the students in taking a bigger part in a diverse society as well as the
workforce. Finally, economically and as teachers, we must be aware of the problem of
poverty in order to make a difference. It is as simple as taking matters into your own
hands and addressing the issue. If we are able to identify this problem, we can help our
students become more successful and help them reach their maximum potential.
As I compare my current answers to the first draft, it is easy to analyze that there
is a significant difference. I have learned that as educators we are preparing these
students to be well-rounded citizens and productive members of society. As a teacher, we
have numerous roles that we must play in fulfilling those purposes such as simply making
a positive learning environment. If we create an enjoyable and influencing experience for
these young people, they are more likely to interact and be involved which in result, leads
to success. Schooling in the United States is continuously transforming and to break
down the racial, ethnic, and gendered biases in order to create a safe and secure learning
environment and do better their future.









References
Arens, K. The Field of Culture: The Standards as a Model for Teaching Culture. Modern Language
Journal. 2010. 321-324
Ferniandez-Balboa, J.-M., and J. P. Marshall. "Dialogical Pedagogy in Teacher Education: Toward an
Education for Democracy." Journal of Teacher Education 45.3 (1994): 172-82. Print
Glazer, Steven, and Huston Smith. The Heart of Learning: Spirituality in Education. New York: J.P.
Tarcher/Putnam, 1999. Print
Hemelsoet, E. A Right to Education for All: The Meaning of Equal Educational Opportunities.
International Journal of Childrens Rights .2012. 523-540
Huerta, Grace C. "Educational Philosophy." Educational Foundations: Diverse Histories,
Diverse Perspectives. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 183. Print.
Jensen, Eric How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement. Educational Leadership. 2013. 2
Lantieri, L. & Patti, J. Valuing Diversity: Creating Inclusive Schools and
Communities. Waging Peace in Our Schools. 1996. 94