The reading this week dealt with
various theories in the sociology of education and related issues to each of
the theories that arise within schools. As stated in the introduction of the
chapter “the way we see the world clearly influences how we interpret the
social processes that are occurring within it” (p. 15), therefore as teachers
we must be open to numerous views of the world in addition to the variety of
people in it in order to better understand social processes in an educational
sense. Reading the chapter I was
initially surprised by how related sociology of education is to political
ideologies, although upon further consideration I can appreciate the
connection.
One section of the chapter stood out
to me as a solid connection between a sociological theory and the related
effects on schooling, this was Durkheim’s theory
of society. This theory focuses on the importance of a shared moral code
and that “it is only through education that a given society can forge a
commitment to an underlying set of common beliefs and values, as well as create
a strong sense of community or nationhood” (p. 20). Reading this, I realized how important
socialization throughout schooling (especially in the early years) is to creating
the next generation of members for society who share this moral code. I believe
it would be challenging as a teacher to instill values and beliefs into the
young minds of children that are positive and inclusive to many aspects of
society. I feel that much of this struggle stems from opposing views of
parental versus teacher influence. Parents often influence their children to
follow their personal morals, even though they may not be well suited for
society. This potential disconnect between parents and students leaves children
struggling with what they should believe.
A section of the chapter that I can
relate to very well based on my own schooling experiences is cultural capital
(p. 34). I was part of an English-Ukrainian bilingual program throughout
elementary school, which opened many doors for me to explore my own culture and
gain more cultural capital in doing so. Later on in high school I was part of
the International Baccalaureate program, which is higher-level learning,
encouraging “both personal and academic achievement, challenging students to
excel in their studies and in their personal development” (http://www.ibo.org/en/programmes/).
Being a part of both of these programs, I feel that I have gained a significant
amount of cultural capital and that teachers favored myself as well as my peers
in the programs more than other students who were not a part of them. This is a
clear example that inequality certainly does persist in schools (p. 35) because
I feel as though I was given so many more opportunities and favored more than
students who were enrolled in standard programs.
Discussion
Question: Thinking about the various forms of capital, did you have any
experiences throughout your schooling in which you were favored or hindered as
a result of your personal capital? If so, why do you think that was the case?
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