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I do believe that social class and wealth are rewarded in Ireland’s education system in many ways. There is a lot to talk about here, from the way students interact with teachers, to homework, to time management. This is a very interesting topic which I am looking forward to speaking about. There are many key thinkers who have spoken extensively about education, but there is one point I find particularly important. This is when John Locke called children tabula rasa, meaning a blank slate. I think this is relevant, as some children do not get the opportunity to be a blank slate. Some children are born unwanted, or to parents who cannot afford them, or parents who do not have the time and money to put food on the table and spend time with their children, and end up having to choose one or the other. These children do not have the chance to be a blank slate, and their purpose in life is often predetermined. They must work to support their families.
Katrina O’Sullivan once said that ‘being poor controls how you see yourself, how you trust and speak, how you see the world and how you dream.’ This quote is very poignant in terms of wealth and social class relating to education in Ireland. Somebody who lives a comfortable life may dream big and have the time to change their mind. They have the opportunity to get a degree, then change their mind and get an apprenticeship, then change again and get another degree, and so on. This person will likely explore their options in life. They choose their school subjects based on what they like, rather than the job opportunities it opens up. This person likely has time to have a flourishing social life, chat to teachers, join clubs, and have fun. However, somebody poor does not have the privilege of indecisiveness. This person must constantly think of money, their family, their career and how whatever move they make in their life impacts on all of these things. This person may not join a club, socialise with their teachers or participate in other essential parts of school life. They therefore end up even further going unnoticed. Because this person does not communicate with teachers, if they start struggling, there is a chance that they will not get the help they need, as many people don’t have a point of reference for what ‘normal’ is for this person.
Kathleen Lynch spoke extensively about equality of condition. She said that ‘equality of condition is not about trying to make inequalities fairer or giving people a more equal opportunity to become unequal, but ensuring that everyone has equal prospects for a good life.’ She believes that everybody should get equal prospects for a good life, and that this starts in the classroom. Equality of condition is to do with equalising material and non-material aspects of life, such as wealth and social class. A study found that the largest determinant of teacher/student relationships, as well as success in later life, is reading for pleasure. Students who read for pleasure tend to have better experiences with teachers in school. While reading is incredibly important, we must think about who cannot read for pleasure. People who have to work after school, or look after younger siblings whilst a parent works. They do not have the time to read for pleasure, meaning their relationships with teachers will not flourish. This means that people of a higher socioeconomic status, with more free time and support from family, will find it easier to build relationships with teachers. These students will therefore also get more support in the school setting, meaning that the students with less support at home will also end up getting less support in school, and that students with more support at home, alternatively, get more support in school. In this way, wealth and social class in schools are rewarded.
Paulo Freire would likely come at this issue from a socialist/Marxist perspective. In The Pedagogy of The Oppressed(1968), he spoke about the liberation of the working class through a cooperative teacher-student education model. He also spoke about how education is used to further the interests of the ruling class. Through education, students can be manipulated to become the perfect workers. Students are trained through acts such as wearing a uniform, sitting in a certain seat, and many other subtle things, to become a robot. Somebody who obeys rules without question. However, those in the ruling class can be given the opportunity to become more than that. Those in the ruling class are not being trained to become factory workers, but instead academics, with high education and high paying jobs.
The very existence of private schools furthers this point. People can pay for a higher standard of education and for better opportunities at improving their lives. Even in public schools in Ireland, after school supervised study is something that requires payment. A working class student might not be able to afford this, and therefore have to just go home after school and attempt to do their homework and study there, regardless of conditions. As well as this, for a working class student, even if they can afford after school study, or if after school study is free in their school, there are other issues that could arise as a result of them participating in this. For example, maybe this student has a free bus pass due to their economic status, however this bus pass is only valid for the school buses. This means that if they do attend after school study, they have to either pay for a different bus to get home, or a guardian may have to take time off work to collect them. As well as this, the student returning home late may mean that younger siblings are left unattended. There’s also the fact that this student may have to work after school. Overall, because of their working class status, they will find it harder to get ahead in school.
It should also be considered that students are often punished for things that working class students cannot control, for example, wearing a school coat. I personally believe that if a student cannot afford a school coat, they should not be forced to get one. However, this is not the case in all schools. Students wearing non uniform items such as coats or shoes may be punished for this, despite the fact that it is often out of their control. These students may then lose valuable class time due to a teacher taking them out of class to scold them, or teachers taking time at the start of class to call them out. Alternatively, this student may avoid wearing a coat altogether, causing this student to become sick and end up missing school.
Working class students in a school do not have access to the same privileges as middle to upper class students. A middle class student can afford to get grinds outside of school in a subject they’re struggling with, whereas a working class student would likely have to rely on YouTube or drop down to a lower level. People without access to these resources may not have the chance to get ahead in school. Therefore, teachers may think of them as ‘lazy’ or not trying hard enough, using phrases like “we all have the same 24 hours in a day”. But 24 hours looks very different when you have the support systems to put those hours to use with study and homework, versus when those hours are spent working or looking after siblings, sick family members, or any other potential issues faced by working class students. This can harm teachers' relationships with these working class students, and cause them to become discouraged by school. So in the end, yes, I absolutely agree that the Irish school system rewards wealth and social class.
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