A Perspective on Education via Social Class

An analysis of the quote referenced from the following article:

Class and the Transition to Adulthood by Annette Lareau & Elliot B. Weininger

"To varying degrees, middle class parents and their children form a collective in which concerted action on the part of each family member is carefully directed toward a shared goal over the course of the child's high school career. Among working class and poor children, by contrast, parental involvement appears to be substantially rarer" (Lareau & Weininger, 299)

      When discussing some of the most salient issues found in today's society, it is seldom seen that educational opportunity isn't brought into the conversation. Educational opportunity is a concept that can correlate with a myriad of topics interrelating to issues of diversity; whether they be race, disability, or social class, education is influenced by the entirety of one's "identity" in our society. The article mentioned above particularly focuses on education and "transitions into adulthood" through the perspective of social class, primarily with regards to the "poor" and "middle" classes. One of the most important points made in the article revolves around the colloquial idea that it is difficult to achieve educational success if you don't come from an educated background. The article describes the arduous task that many students from "poor" backgrounds face when it comes to success in school. Whether it be lack of resources, parental unfamiliarity with educational concepts, or lack of inherent motivation on the part of the students, it seems very challenging for members of the "poor" class to achieve success. Juxtaposed against this image of a "poor" child, is the hidden, yet inherent truth that many of these students are truly bright individuals, but due to societal constraints, (like I said before) be it money, resources, lack of parental involvement, or people simply overlooking them, they aren't recognized and thus, are more likely to fall out of their successful pathways. The article also describes the debacle faced by members of the "middle" class; touching upon the paradoxical fact that parents are more likely to be involved, albeit negatively influencing their child's level of responsibility within their educational constructs. In the past, it was very common for parents to become involved in their child's education (talking to their teachers, guiding them on certain pathways, helping them with work) - of course, up until a certain age cohort. However, recently the concept of a hovering or "helicopter" parent is becoming the norm for many members of this "middle" class. The article delved into the fact that students find themselves unprepared and unaware in terms of decision making, which certainly takes their independence into question. Overall, this article discusses several important aspects regarding education in our society today, and gives the "educated" reader a perspective of the difficulties that many others face. Education is certainly a highly regarded aspect of society, but the ways in which we are dealing with equitable accessibility and pragmatic opportunity certainly could use some parental involvement and persuasion... 

      I felt a strong connection while reading this article, being the first member of my immediate family to have graduated from a four-year institution. When going through the article and hearing the different stories about the level of involvement from parents, I couldn't help but make the connection with my own upbringing. The idea of a "helicopter parent" was exactly the way in which my mother had raised my two siblings and I. Coming from a divorced family from the city, my mother strongly valued education, and the success that came along with it. Therefore, she made it one of her top priorities to ensure that my sisters and I obtained the best education available. Even though at the time I may have been unaware, my mother was behind the scenes contacting my teachers and guidance counselors all the way up until my junior year of high school to ensure that I was on the right track. I am most grateful for all of her efforts, because thanks to her, I am where I am today. Additionally, while reading, I started to realize the aspects in my own life that greatly differed from the article. Not to say that I am the outlier, (because I would like to believe that all parents would like to ensure the success of their children), but due to my parents divorce in my pre-adolescence, my family was part of that "poor" class for a while. Due to my life experience, I actually didn't understand why the article only described "middle" class and educated parents as the one's who became involved. My mother was neither of these, (not to say that she wasn't and isn't extremely intelligent and has the impromptu ability to learn topics and concepts better than those educated folks), yet she understood what was needed to help me succeed and saw it through to the end. Now, another pragmatic realization taken from my life experience is that for quite some time, I was unaware of how to make certain choices about my education - in fact, I wasn't sure if I was taking any of the right classes or what path at all I aspired to be on. All I knew was what my mother had taught me - "if you have questions, ask - somebody is bound to know, and if you don't like their answer, or it isn't necessarily good enough, go to someone else...until you fully understand what it is you're asking, then you can make an 'educated' decision (I always enjoyed that pun) - you can always learn more". And so I did, and I certainly enjoy being an aberration in society's view. 

This article provided a lens through which the reader was able to gain a bit of understanding into what it may be like having to deal with educational struggles influenced by one's social class. Ironically, the more educated society becomes concerning these issues, the more apt we are to be able to assuage some of the problems associated with them. Being an aspiring higher education administrator, I truly desire to live in a world where every student has the best opportunity available to them so that they can be the best that they inherently yearn to be.