American Culture

The nature of culture is defined by the way that we live.  It is guided by what we have learned though childhood and into adulthood.  Through it, we learn a broad series of assumptions about people and the world, and then we perceive new incidents and new people through the lens of these assumptions (Hansen, 1979).  These assumptions can include ideas, norms, and language(s) that are passed for one generation to another.  The idea behind this is that we take what they have learned and apply it to their everyday lives, making judgments on how we perceive the world around us. Culture can both unite and oppress others that come into that culture.  For in a culture we find security, order, and acceptance. So, when someone is not following the norms of that culture they are oppressed into following the norms or otherwise ostracized.  

                A dominant culture is in existence in the United States due to the fact that students are made to conform to the rules of the social structures set up by Early European culture.  It is this Angio-Saxton view that was established in the beginnings of country that forced the people of this society to conform to the ideas that make this country a capitalistic money making machine.  This type of thinking was ok for the rich and affluent at that time, because education was only intended for the rich.  Just like the old Europe.  This hierarchy of social and economic society status is still in existence today. Take the result from the American Physiological Association comparing low SES school to those that are non low SES school.  The results show substantial evidence that students are in fact failing due in part to economic oppression. See the following web-site for a summary on low SES schools and success rates (http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-education.aspx).

                The county that I teach in is a low SES school in Central West Virginia.  According to the census borough, the racial make-up of the county is primary white 98% with less than 2% of other ethnicity.  The mean income of a family in the county is 17,301 dollars with 22.6% of the population living below the poverty level (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54/54041.html). The language that is spoken is primary English and to my knowledge there are no students in the county that are non English speaking.  The primary source of income for some citizens is associated to the timber industry or the oil and gas industry, but most citizens are employed in the service industry. 

                The culture with the school is similar to that in the community. Since the student model the behavior of their parents.  For those students that are on the middle class level education is value by both the students and parents.  These are often classified as being the good students in the school and are expect to go onto higher education. The second group of students, and the largest group, is considered to be the good students but struggle in school.  These students are over all well behaved students but the value of education is not quit realized by the student.  These are the students that will work the drilling rigs or be welder on the pipelines, which are very respectable jobs in themselves.  The last group of student that exists in the school often rebels against authority and education.  Most of these students come from a poor home life setting if any, have done time in the juvenile system, and often have experience some type of abuse.  These students are often bounces from school to school.

                The majority of teacher in the school is from the area and understands the culture of the area.  For their parents either worked in the oil and gas fields or in the glass factories that dominated the area.  So, as far as differences that exist between the two there is little if none. 

                I believe that what Campbell is saying in regard to economic status is totally relevant to the tiers that exist in the schools and what is in this nation.   There is a great divide between those that are well off and those that are struggling to make a dime and these divisions become most evident when teachers are trying to educate the youth of the nation.  Just like president Obama (2007) said  “ What’s most overwhelming about urban poverty is that it’s so difficult to escape— it’s isolat-ing and it’s everywhere. If you are an African- American child unlucky enough to be born into one of these neighborhoods, you are most likely to start life hungry or malnourished. You are less likely to start with a father in your household, and if he is there, there’s a fifty- fifty chance that he never finished high school and the same chance he doesn’t have a job. Your school isn’t likely to have the right books or the best teachers. You’re more likely to encounter gang-activities than after- school activities. And if you can’t find a job because the most successful businessman in your neighborhood is a drug dealer, you’re more likely to join that gang your-self. Opportunity is scarce, role models are few, and there is little contact with the normalcy of life outside those streets.” (Campbell 2010).  

Campbell, D. E.  (2010). Choosing democracy: A practical guide to multicultural education. Boston,

"Education and Socioeconomic Status Facts Sheet." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, 2011. Web. 29 Jun 2011. <http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-education.aspx>.

State and County Quick Facts. , 2011. Web. 29 Jun 2011. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54/54041.html>.