Blog #6 Finn

 In “Literacy with an Attitude” by Patrick Finn, shares his experiences about segregation and the difference of education between the rich and the poor. Finn discusses different levels of class like the executive elite, the affluent professional, the middle class, along with the working class. The society that we know is formed by the combined influence of all these classes. But education played a big role in these people’s journey to where they are now. Finn starts off with the working class, he discusses that within the working class schools there is a dominant theme of resistance. Students that attend these schools are not challenged, they are given easy work that doesn’t allow them to be creative. When assigned more challenging assignments, the working class school teacher encounters opposition since they do not have high expectations for their students. As a result the students are not well- rounded as they would be in a different school as a result. The next school is the middle class. The majority of the students at this school come from a middle class background. Although knowledge is not directly related to the students, it is more conceptual in the context. They are allowed to work on creative projects, but they are typically more of a means of self- expression than a means of earning a grade. Finn saw that the dominant theme here was potential. Next are the affluent professionals, here teachers give student work that is creative and independent. Students are instructed that experience and discovery are equally significant. Additionally, there is less classroom structure, more time for assignments, and greater mobility for students. Finn highlighted several themes that emerged from these educational institutions. Individualism is the prevailing theme, with humanitarianism representing the minority. The last school Finn talks about is the Executive Elite school. At this school students learn how to be the very best of the best. Their objective is straightforward. According to Finn, these students are taught to strive for success and to be well prepared. After discussing the different types of schools, Finn briefly addresses the “Progressive Teaching Principles.” Staff members fulfill them when they attend to the requirements of the “ whole child.” This is achieved when they make an extra effort to engage with their kids and when they respect their efforts to be creative.