The commonsense understanding of “good” students privileges those who fall into our westernized pattern of beliefs and values giving heavy value to racial gifts and places the respect of familial bonds as being cornerstone to a healthy education. A History of Education poses the idea that students are the sum total of their race with preset gifts and weaknesses, giving respect to accomplishments from their country of origin while simultaneously devaluing the individuals of foreign descent. They also devalue the learnings and traditions of groups such as the Indegnous peoples as being uncivilized and barbaric showing no sign of higher thought to education, this way of thinking highly devalues traditional learnings. In this form of understanding: those who share similarities to our own education or are considered more “developed” are given a modicum of respect and honors, those who do not fall within these guidelines are viewed as bringing nothing to the table and lacking in the portrayal of civility. A “good” student will listen quietly as they memorize predetermined values and lessons, showing respect and obedience while within the educational environment. These values are based in the social and cultural beliefs of a Christianized Western-European society that has chosen the path of assimilation over integration; this is reflected by both continued discriminatory practices and an unwillingness to adapt with the social environment of a modern time.

Kumashiro places value on the individual showing that it is not that they are unable or unwilling to learn but that our own traditional methods and belief in what makes a proper classroom does not always work for or meet the needs of the individual. A system of learning where completing set assignments and repeating on exams the correct definitions, where the closer a student is to repeating the right things in the right ways the higher the students grade, does not value the unique skill sets and capabilities of the individuals learning within it. By mainstream society placing value on certain kinds of behaviour, knowledge, and skills, schools are left leaving students disadvantaged if they do not teach what is realistically valued  in schools and society. However, learning is about learning MORE, Expanding a student’s minds to new possibilities, Building a foundation of knowledge for them as individuals to fall back on when confronted with new ways of understanding, Increasing our understanding of the world and the interconnected nature of social interactions found within it.

“Not everything the student already learned was problematic, but much of this knowledge had been culled together from cultural myths, stereotypes, and taken-for-granted assumptions that permeated daily life. Much of what the student had learned consisted of ideas that had thus far helped the student to navigate and understand the world the student lived including what was normal or good, or what it meant to be happy or to belong.” The student learned what it took to feel comfortable with what was repeated in daily life and got comfortable with the support of a status quo. It is not about correcting student knowledge but influencing the students as individuals to have a desire to expand their own understanding of a subject. Any single worldview is flawed having both strengths and weaknesses based on the experiences of the individual’s unique perspective and place in life, new standards or ways of thinking do not replace the lens previously used to view the world but it can influence a change for the better when properly applied. Sometimes change is noticeable and other times change takes a more minute path of subtle small changes. When a student is on the cusp of either form of change they need the healthy opportunity to work through the fallout of these changes as it can impact daily interactions taken as commonplace in their lives. Rather than being disheartened or dragged down by the discomfort of change by making it a more accepted normal you release some of the tension and angst that can cause resistance or denial when presented with a radical change. In order to change and evolve the status quo of a student’s life must be challenged in order to induce change. The job of a skillful teacher is in challenging a student’s views and beliefs in a creative way that encourages growth and a more thoughtful narrative view of what is being taught and presented to them. A truly good student is one that enters a learning environment open to having their worldviews and beliefs challenged to include a new perspective from a lens of view they would otherwise never have access to or the knowledge of its existence.

Reference List

Painter, F. V. N. (1886, January 1). A history of education, by F. V. N. Painter: Painter, f. v. n. (Franklin Verzelius Newton), 1852-1931: Free Download, Borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 26, 2021, from https://archive.org/details/historyofeducati00painiala/page/10/mode/2up.

Kumashiro, K. K. (2015). Preparing Teachers for Crisis: a Sample Lesson. In Against common sense: Teaching and learning toward Social Justice (pp. 19–33). essay, Routledge Taylor and Francis Ltd.