Class Matters
Dear Families,
I thought it would be useful to share with you some of the diversity work focused on issues of class that have been taking place in our seventh grade Adolescent Issues classes. This topic is one that we spent a fair amount of time talking about at our recent sixth/seventh grade Adolescent Issues Parent Evening. It is a difficult topic and I applaud our teachers for addressing it in such a thoughtful way. I also want to thank the parents who attended our evening meeting for their equally thoughtful participation in the discussion.
I hope that the following provides some useful background to this on-going work:
In our discussions of values during Seventh Grade Adolescent Issues class, it came to our attention that students have been grappling with issues of class and wealth. To begin the process of addressing this issue, seventh grade core teacher Matthew Rosen and Director of Diversity and Community Sandra Chapman attended a workshop at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Independent Schools called “Tackling Issues of Socioeconomic Inequality with Grades 7-12.” The presenters confirmed what was echoed by The New York Times writers in Class Matters and by Annette Lareau in Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life, which is that we likely do more harm when we portray the image of living in a “classless” society as opposed to directly acknowledging the presence of these differences.
We found ourselves asking, “What do LREI Middle School students know about socioeconomic class in the United States?” This led to the next and equally challenging question, “How do we honestly, appropriately, and delicately address class issues with adolescents?” Together, we designed a series of conversations and activities to provide a safe space for students to explore statistics and ask questions, while maintaining individual privacy about themselves and their families.
Our goals for these sessions in Adolescent Issues were to:
- Raise awareness of class issues in America.
- Provide age appropriate and accurate information about the five economic classes used in the US: poor, working class, middle class, upper middle class, hyper rich.
- Dispel stereotypes and assumptions about how people live within these class structures.
- Use real data to draw conclusions about the choices people might make and why.
- Help answer questions about what students see and experience in and out of school.
Prior to the students engaging in this work, we reaffirmed some important Adolescent Issues community norms for the activity:
- There are no right or wrong answers when people are sharing their opinions.
- Be Serious. Be Realistic. Be Honest
- Do not publicly or quietly announce where you think you and your family belong.
- Do not publicly or quietly announce where you think a classmate belongs.
In our initial discussions, students were asked to make assumptions about the life styles of imaginary 14 to 16 year olds from the five different class structures. We felt it was important to begin with what the students thought they knew about the effects of class on an individual’s hobbies, education, diet, health, possessions, etc..
Students then worked in teams on an activity called “The Hand You’re Dealt,” which draws on the following statement from Class Matters: “One way to think of a person’s position in society is to image a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation, and wealth, the four commonly used criteria for defining class.” Using the four cards and a fifth with personal information, the teams created a “silhouette” for their person. They used pictures and words to “flesh” out their silhouette, which were derived from the characteristics indicated on their cards. The goal of this exercise was to familiarize students with the impact that one’s class can have on daily life and opportunities.
After creating the five silhouettes, students compared them in terms of values, family life, culture, beliefs, goals, and aspirations. Students noticed and were surprised by the many values and aspirations that were shared across classes. As they observed:
- They all have children
- They all have partners
- They all have a home (no one is homeless)
- They all have some amount of money
- They all live in America (either born or immigrated)
- They all have ethnicities
- They have all traveled somewhere other than their home town
- They all have a job (or used to) and make money
- They spend a lot of money in order to keep kids healthy, educated and happy
- They all work hard
- They all have family values
- They are all working to support their family
- They all receive support from the people they are close to
- They all want the best for their children
- They want their children to go to a good school
- They all had some type of education (not all the same level)
- They want to pass something (values, beliefs, knowledge) onto somebody in the family
- They are all motivated to work in order to support relatives
- They all value their family
- They all worked with the class (“cards”) they were dealt
- Health care is important to them all
- They all like to rest
- They all want the ability to retire
- They all want the best life they can have (they want success)
In response to the question, “What message would you want to give to people outside of your silhouette’s social class?” students responded with:
- I was just really lucky in the hand I was dealt and it did make somethings easier.
- If I were very poor, like my silhouette, I would tell them not to judge me by my social class. I would explain that I have a good heart and I’m going through more than they expected — that they don’t know the half of it.
- Try to get as much education as you can.
- We work for our families; we struggle to support the people we love. We have to go through the same things — we just have to work a little harder.
- I think that the main reason for his success was that he was rich as a child and he had parents who could help finance his early career.
- I’m really working hard to support my family, but I’m not making enough to give them what I want. I’m in a really tough position.
- Having money doesn’t always mean happier. You have to take all the opportunities to make your life better.
Students then explored how these values and aspirations are impacted by class and privilege. To do this they participated in an activity called, “Step Forward, Step Back.” In most diversity workshops, this activity is done with individuals responding to a set of questions and drawing on their own individual experience. Participants begin from a common starting point and respond to questions by either taking a step forward or back. This provides a visual metaphor for the privileging force of class. We adapted this activity so that the student groups responded from the perspective of their silhouette and not from their own personal experience of class. This allowed students to visualize the impact of privilege in a safe and non-threatening context. Throughout the activity, students reflected on what was happening to their group and to others and on the impact that class and privilege can have on their goals. Students were asked to consider the following statements as part of the activity:
- Take a Step Forward if‚
- English is your first language
- Your parents were born in the US
- Your parents went to college
- Take a Step Backward if‚
- You did not complete four years of college
- You did not complete four years of high school
- Take a Step Forward if‚
- You grew up living in a house (not in an apartment building)
- You identify as Caucasian
- You identify as Straight
- You attended private school
- Take a Step Backward if‚
- You rent
- You have no medical coverage
- Take a Step Forward if‚
- You grew up with a country house
- You are male
- You go on vacations
- You own a car
- Take a Step Backward if‚
- You have no savings account
- Your children attend the public school in your neighborhood
Having completed the activity, students are now in the process of reflecting on it and are beginning to make connections between the more abstracted life experience of their silhouettes and their own experiences. This work will continue in future sessions.
I want to thank Matthew, Victor, Jennifer, Chap, and the seventh grade students for their thoughtful work and for their contributions to this post. I look forward to our continued exploration of this important issue.
Click here for some additional resources that were used to frame this work. Click here for a web resource that provides additional context and information on the “Step Forward, Step Back” activity, which we adapted for our students (examples of the kinds of questions that can be used can be found in the middle of the page; there are also many links to a number of other thoughtful discussion on the issue of class and privilege).
This Week’s Attachments
General:
2008-2009 LREI Calendar
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:
Of General Interest . . .
1) Big Auction 2008 is coming on May 1. You should have received an invitation during the last week – if not please contact Pippa Gerard at pgerard@lrei.org.
2) Mark you calendars! Come to the annual Middle School Art Show on Thursday, May 1st and Friday, May 2nd. Come and see artwork created by the Middle School students over the course of the year. The exhibition will be on display in the Sixth Avenue auditorium all day on the both days. Please join us for a closing reception on Friday, May 2nd from 3:00-4:00PM. See you there!
3) Please join us for a terrific and important community event: Glass Menagerie and Friends — A TRIBUTE TO ROBERT DECORMIER. Sunday, May 4th at 3:00PM at St. Joseph’s Church on 6th Avenue and Washington Place (2 blocks below 8th St.) Tickets are $20 ($15 students/seniors). For information contact gmenagerie@yahoo.com.
4) Inspired by the art show at Synchronicity Arts, and the previous Broadway benefits, Senior Ella Saunders-Crivello, has put together a two-day event/art installation and benefit at a gallery space on Mercer Street. She is encouraging young artists from our school, grades 9-12, to donate their favorite, original art pieces for purchase; 80% of the purchase price will be donated to one of four charities–the artist’s choice. The charities are Action against Hunger, Doctors without Borders, the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation, and Sean Casey Animal Rescue, a no kill shelter in Brooklyn, NY. This event, ArtACTION, will take place on May 10 (opening reception, 3 PM-8 PM) and May 11 from 12 PM-8 PM, 7 Mercer Street, New York City.
5) A message from Chap, Director of Diversity & Community– Bringing the Conversation Home: Strategies for addressing challenging diversity topics your child brings home. Thank you to those who were able to attend last Tuesday’s diversity discussion. A list of articles and parent resources can be found at the following link: http://lrei.org/diversity/pdf/bit_parent_resources.pdf
6) AIDS Walk 2008: The AIDS Walk is an important LREI community service event and is scheduled this year for Sunday, May 18, 2008. We’re hoping for strong representation from all Middle School grades this year. Please remember that students in grades six and below must be accompanied by an adult. Registering for AIDS Walk New York has never been easier. Just click on this link below and choose your registration type (“Join a Team” — we are team #1222). If you prefer, you can always register by phone. Simply call (212) 807-WALK (9255) and they will be happy to register you. If you are not able to walk, please make every effort to support the team by making a donation.
7) Save the date: The annual LREI Camping Trip is scheduled for June 6-8. This event is a great, fun LREi family tradition! You can camp out on Friday night and/or Saturday night. You supply the tent and sleeping bags and we supply the food. Enjoy swimming, games, fishing, bird-watching and s’mores. For more information contact: David Trumbull at dave.trouble@gmail.com, Neil Capobianco at ncapobianco@seyfarth.com, or Larry White at lwhite@stern.nyu.edu.
8) As a class fundraiser, the ninth graders are collecting used ink jet cartridges and old/broken cell phones. They will send the collected items to an organization that recycles them and the class will receive cash for these items. Please note that the collection is limited to used ink jet cartridges and old/broken cell phones. For additional information go to www.fundingfactory.com. They will begin collecting used cartridges and cell phones on Wednesday, February 6th and will continue until Thursday, May 22nd. A collection box will be located in the Sixth Avenue lobby. Tell your friends and family about this opportunity so that these items can be recycled and don’t end up in landfills.
9) Summers at LREI news: You may download the registration form from the Summers at LREI website or call the Summers at LREI office to receive a hard copy in the mail. Registration for LREI Institute will begin in late March. Please see the attached flyer for a listing of the major workshops being offered this year. Feel free to contact the Summers at LREI office with any questions at 212-477-5316 ext. 506 or email cfriesen@lrei.org.
10) For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.
11) LREI is a member of NYC-Parents in Action (NYC-PIA). NYC-PIA provides parenting education, information and a communications network to help parents prepare their children and teenagers to cope with social pressures and to make sound choices towards a future free of alcohol and drug abuse. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2007-2008 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.
- Luncheon Speaker Event: On Tuesday, May 6th, NYC-Parents in Action is holding a luncheon speaker event, “Ready, Set, Go: Preparing for Transitions in Childhood and the Tween Years”. The speakers are Jean Mandelbaum, Head of All Souls Preschool and Jeanette Friedman, consultant and therapist focusing on the causes and effects of substance use in teens and families. To receive your invitation to this luncheon, contact your NYC-PIA School Representative Carol Pratt.
For all Grades:
A reminder that Grandparents and Special Friends Day is scheduled for Friday, May 9. For Middle School students, those grandparents and special friends who do attend will be treated to a tour of the school by their student from 1:00-2:30PM, which will be followed by tea, coffee and discussion with Phil and I. We will send invitations home, which you can send to a grandparent or special friend. Please contact Mary Shea if your middle schooler will be having a visitor. Click here to view the invitation.
For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) For those students continuing on to the high school, the math placement exam will be given on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 3:30PM – 4:30 PM at 40 Charlton Street.
2) On Wednesday, May 7th, at 8:00AM will will have a parent meeting for the upcoming DC trip.
For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) On Friday, April 25th, the seventh grade will travel to Philadelphia for the day to visit Independence Hall and the Constitution Center. Students should arrive to LREI on the morning of April 25th by 7:30AM. Our chartered bus will be departing promptly at 7:45AM. Students should be sure to bring their writer’s notebook, a bag lunch (with an extra snack for the return trip — we will not stop at a rest stop on the return trip — and as always no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), an extra sweatshirt and a backpack for these items. Cameras and some spending money (no more than $10) are optional. Students should dress as appropriately for that day’s predicted weather, and they should be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. We will be departing from Philadelphia at around 4PM, and expect to return to LREI by 6PM. You can call reception for arrival updates.
2 ) On Friday, May 2nd, the seventh graders will spend the day at the high school and will join high school students in our annual Arts Festival. The festival features day-long workshops that represent all aspects of the arts and are taught by practicing artists. It’s a great day.
For Sixth Grade Families . . .
No updates
For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) A reminder that a follow up discussion evening with the folks from Parents In Action is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, at 6:15PM. Childcare will be available for this event. Please email Mary Shea directly at mshea@lrei.org to confirm that you will need childcare.
For additional information, follow these links:
- Calendar of Events
- LREI Athletics. For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and season recaps.
- Click here to view the Middle School Photo Gallery.
A reminder that the homework blog “feeds” for every class can be accessed from the Digital Classroom link on the sidebar (you may want to bookmark this page for easy access). These feeds provide an easy “one-click” solution to find out what has been assigned for homework. Keep in mind that a feed will only show what has been posted as of the time you check it.
Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and other interesting school-related information.
Be well,
Mark