The “Good” Student
The typical “good” student is always seen as the one who sits quietly, takes notes, and aces tests. The only time the “good student” talks is to ask valid questions (as if any questions are valid or invalid). This is how the commonsense understanding of school and curriculum would define a “good student” at least, however, only a small group of students can benefit from this. Kevin Kumashiro talks about the ideal “good student” as someone that was “completing certain assignments and repeating on exams the correct definitions or themes or analyses in a strong essay format” (21). The only students who can truly benefit from this model of teaching and learning are those who can sit still for long periods of time and memorize and learn facts simply by listening to a teacher convey them or by reading them on their own in a book; mainly neurotypical, western-minded students. This definition of a “good student” does not consider students who come from places with different teaching styles, or students who need different accommodations than others, which is a very problematic view to have.
In A History of Education by V. F. N. Painter, a very limited view of education and what makes a “good” student is outlined. Painter defines education as something that is necessary, as children either do not know enough or the stuff that they know is wrong. For Painter, the ideal student is seen as someone who comes out of school having a “healthy body, a clear and well-informed intellect, sensibilities quickly susceptible to every right feeling, and a steady will whose volitions are determined by reason and an enlightened conscience” (2). Education here is entirely focused on creating people who will contribute to society in a way that is somehow deemed meaningful. As well, much of education seems to be focused on Christian beliefs. This view of education, combined with the commonsense understanding of who is considered a “good” student, clearly favours a very privileged group of people, when in reality, education is for everybody and can not cater to only one specific group of people, society, religion, or way of life.
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3 thoughts on “The “Good” Student”
Hey Memphis,
I absolutely love your point on how “education is for everybody and can not cater to only one specific group of people,”. Though this is the goal, I feel as though we are still missing the mark in our education systems regarding how different learning styles or needs are accommodated. You picked out really great points from the reading and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.
Hi Memphis!
I totally agree that only a small and particular group of students can benefit from what society and the education system views as a “good student”. The expectations for students are really based on memory and ability to basically sit still and be quiet most of the time. Society is based on Christian views as you talked about which only checks out for a portion of students and teachers, the others are left in the dust. Great post and super insightful!
You covered the main ideas from the readings very well and summarized the topics extensively; the only thing is, I would have liked to see your opinion on the issues. But other than that, I feel you did an excellent job with this blog post and using strong supporting quotes. To back up the information that you found.