Similarities

My article about classism describes how I struggled in the working class, and I emerged to the middle-class.   It is October 2017, I am still Education Assistant at EcoleVickers School with Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division… Incredible, fantastic, I will be a teacher, even with Temporary Teaching Permit,…” Every Educational Assistant or Teacher Assistant, depending on the terminology used by each different School Division,  is paid based on the salary grid as the CUPE  Collective Bargaining Agreement 2017-2022 (p. 189). This agreement shows the wage by the hour, under Teacher Assistant row.  My Education Assistant job was a Full-Time Temporary position from September to June. Not only that, I had a limited amount of money to cover my current expenses (renting, groceries, gas, or others), but I supposed to make saving or to find another job from July and August. More than that, it looked impossible to follow the Saskatchewan Teachers Professionals Regulatory Board’s (SPTRB) required post-secondary classes to get a Permanent A Teaching Certificate. Sensoy & DiAngelo (2017, p.162) adequately describe my situation as being on the working class “They may only be able to rent rather than purchase a home and are often unable to help their children go to college.” The teaching position has brought me more money, for 52 weeks from September until August, and made it possible to move on a middle-class. The middle-class is so well pictured by the same source (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017, p.161) “Generally middle-class people are able to own their homes and expect their children will go to college.”

This job has given me the financial resources to pursue the teaching certification process and, also, give me the chance to enjoy my existence. The teaching position brought me light into my life. It was not only a socioeconomic impact, but it was a spiritual and energetic revival. The road is long, the certification process is still ongoing, but I can breed, I can enjoy life from many aspects: financial, educational, recreational, and so on. My story subscribes to what Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017, p.217) call a common misconception about classism, such as “Education is the key to getting ahead. While certainly there are more opportunities open to people with more education, education itself is also stratified. … the kind of education we receive is based on the kind of school we go to (public or private), where it is located, and how it is funded”. My Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and Sport has allowed me to prove my expertise. Still, the fact that the Romanian education system is different than the Canadian/Saskatchewan education system made the road a little longer. More precisely, the SPTRB compelled to take supplementary classes in a Saskatchewan’s approved post-secondary institution and, fortunately, issued a Temporary Teaching Permit, under my name. The same consideration can apply for other misconception, mentioned by Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017, p.166), like “Social Mobility.The idea that one can move from one class position to another. … In addition to strictly economic reasons for class immobility such as net worth, class immobility is also influenced by class culture. The cultural norms we are socialized into relate to the class we are born into, and this ensures that we will be most comfortable in and surround ourselves with people who share our class culture”.

I found that Olivia Gordon describes in her post about classism two similarities regarding Social Mobility and Education. She mentions that her parents Throughout their life, they went through each class in regard to wealth. Having experienced that, their parents value the differences between social classes. The fact that they started to save when she was born, even a small amount as $25 monthly, for their daughter’s education, it means that they knew the importance of education. They explained when I was born they put $25 a month away for my future. At that time they were both extremely young and that $25 they put away for my education made a drastic difference in their lifestyle each and every month.

Disruptions

My story conflicts with one common misconception about the classism, how is presented by Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017, p.167),   such as “a rich person can become poor as easily as a poor person can become rich.” I was not rich in terms of money, but I had an extended culture build it throughout my education and my previous middle-class standard of living. These aspects made it possible to aspire to be back on the middle class. I was able to find the tools, such as digital job search and to demonstrate my expertise.  Also, my story conflicts one common belief like described by Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017, p.178), like  “the immigrants are stealing our (Canadiens) jobs.” I stated, clearly, that I became aware of the Physical Education teaching position throughout Google job alert, available for all Canadians in the Education Canada network website (https://educationcanada.com/search.html).

Some of the blog posts about classism describe in a way or another the Homeless people. It is considerable Jenna Hamilton’s thought as I wanted to do everything I could to help the man but there’s only so much you can do. For me, this means that is a long road to help these people to get from their class throughout Working Class, and potentially, towards Middle Class because they don’t have money, culture, or network to get them ahead. I find that is disrupting a common misconception that says, “A rich person can become poor as easily as a poor person can become rich”(Sensoy and DiAngelo, 2017, p.167).  Also, Jenna’s reasoning is disrupting another common misconception about the social classes like “Anyone who wants a job can get one.”.   Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017, p.170) argue that “While it is likely true that anyone—no matter their level of ability—can get some kind of work, it is not likely that anyone can find work that pays a living wage.” Even some people, like Jenna, are willing to act and to help these people, even they are eager to get a job, they will still rely on assistance from the governmental institutions. 

References:

Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 5430, Saskatchewan Association Of Health Organizations Inc., CUPE  Collective Bargaining Agreement 2017-2022, p. 189

Sensoy, O. and DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is Everyone Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education (Multicultural Education Series),2nd Edition, Kindle Edition, New York and London: Teachers College Press, p. 161, 162, 167, 170, 178, 217.