What does it mean to be a ‘good’ student according to common sense?
A good student is defined as a child who conforms to standards and rules while meeting expectations. A ‘good’ student is a child who is on time for class, completes assignments and homework on time, and is respectful to teachers, classmates, and the classroom. Common sense is an unspoken assumption. These are long-standing guidelines that create the definition of a good student.
Which students are privileged by this definition of the good student?
Students who are privileged by the definition of a good student are students who do not face challenges. Such as family issues, disabilities, medical, or mental issues. These students fall into a specific group, the dominant group. Dominant groups hold power which creates the definitions of what a ‘good’ student is by the commons between people in the dominant group.
How is the ‘good’ shaped by historical factors?
Many factors such as religion, race, and gender can affect a student’s ability to be a ‘good’ student and have historical effects. Many countries have different standards of what composes a ‘good’ student that have been historically developed. For example, in China, students are labelled as good students when they achieve high scores on tests, while in India, students are labelled as good students when they show a strong religious devotion. As Kumashiro explains, a ‘good’ student is shaped by the knowledge learned from family and community. The examples above show the communal and family standards that have historically been inherited, then passed down to future children. The common sense of what makes a good student are assumptions that then limit students’ ability to critically think.
Hey Mackenzie, I like how you define common sense in your post, especially when you state, “Common sense is an unspoken assumption.” I couldn’t agree with you more!
Throughout your education, do you feel like you had the title of being labeled a “good student”? Will this experience help you prevent these common sense biases in your classroom?
If you did not fall under this category, how will that experience change how you will educate your students in the future?
I liked how you quoted Kumashiro about what shapes a “good” student and noted that knowledge is learned not only at school but from family and community; this was also a takeaway I had from the article.
I really enjoyed reading your response!!