The Impact of Social Class on Education

             Jimmy is a member of the working class society; he lives at the outer edge of his middle-class school district. The district that he attends is made up of predominantly middle class students, whom he has little in common with. On his bus ride to school every day he dreads what lies ahead of him for the day, not only because he dislikes school, but also because he feels alienated from the rest of the student body. Even his teachers have a hard time relating to him because they do not share his background or values. Jimmy's dad is a mechanic who never even finished high school, and his mom is a beautician. Neither had an education higher than the high-school level. Even though Jimmy's parents push him to finish high school and go on to college, he just can't see himself actually doing that. Jimmy is unsure of what he wants to do with his life, but he just can't conceive of going through another four to five years of school beyond high school with kids that he just can't !
             identify with. He sees college as a place for higher class kids whose families have the means for their children to attend college. Jimmy's parents barely scrape by, and they were hoping that their son would be able to obtain a scholarship to college. Jimmy just wants to finish high school and get on with his life.
             When Jimmy arrives at school, he gets off the bus and looks around at the other students. Jimmy notices that he doesn't look like them; his clothes do not have designer name brand labels and his hair is not cut in the same stylish way. As he enters into his first class of the day, he sits down in the back of the class and tries not to be noticed. As his English teacher discusses the importance of writing quality papers so that the students can be prepared for college, Jimmy begins to feel disassociated. He knows that he will never go to college; he will never fit in with the rest of the class.
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The Impact of Social Class on Education . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:15, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/70311.html