I finished my middle school block last semester, and we were required to have internships in three different middle schools. I interned at Bethel elementary school (K-8) which has a GRADE size of about 20 students. Yhis school could definately be catergorized as a working class school. I interned at Granite Falls Middle, which is located close to Hickory, and I interned at Hardin Park elementary school. Granite Falls middle could be considered a Middle class school, and Hardin Park could be considered a professional school. (Many of the students are children of professors and upper class citizens from the area.)
bethel was very much like the "Working Class school" that Jean Anyon describes. Students are not involved in a lot of decision making or choice. At Hardin Park I noticed a lot more creative work from the students. They did take the knowledge that they have gained and try to expand on the knowledge and ideas that they were being taught. Teachers looked to real world examples and tried to make applications to the lives of the students. I found that Granite Falls middle was a small mix between these two schools.
The type of school depended on the location of the school. Bethel is located in the middle of a farm! ( They had cow crossings during the middle of the day, and the students witnessed the birth of a baby calf outside of the classroom window! Really! ) Hardin Park is located in Boone. Huge difference! Granite Falls in a Rural area but close enough to Hickory and larger areas to not be to rural.
The differences between these schools are Huge. You wouldn't think so because they are all in neighboring counties, however the schools are incredibly different.
The teachers are different to start off with. The teachers a t Bethel with the exception of the language arts teacher, fit the Anyon's description of the working class teacher perfectly. the teachers at Hardin Park were pretty close to the description of the affluent Proffessional school. Why are the teachers so different? I think that it is because the schools are different. Supplies and technology are not so easy to come by in little Bethel. Technology abounds in Hardin Park and even in Granite falls Middle. The students are different because of the areas that they come from. Teachers at Bethel have students who are planning to drop out of school and work on dad's farm. The reading level and writing level is really low as compared to Hardin Park studetns who are very competitive and care about finishing high school. Teachers get flustered at Bethel. Every day is challenging. I feel like the teachers there have already written off these students. I heard many of them say I would love to teach at so- and so school. The students there want to learn. I feel for these students. I would think that teachers all want to be an influence in students lives and try to find creative ways, different teaching strategies, and ways to create INDEPENDENT thought - However, these teachers seem to be at the other schools. Just a thought.