THEIMPORTANCEOFPERSPECTIVE:ACOMPARATIVESTUDYOFU.S.

EDUCATION1

TheImportanceofPerspective:AComparativeStudyofU.S.Education
KaitlynPhillips
ColoradoStateUniversity
SchoolingintheUnitedStates
EDUC275
Prof.ElizabethPike
November182015

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Introduction
TheintervieweeswhotookpartinthisoverallInquiry,MaryZachariaandNicole
Brey,arebothyoungermiddleclassfemaleswhohadmostoftheirschoolingintheUnited
Statesandbothhaveteachingexperience.Ms.ZachariawasbornandraisedinIndia
beforemovingtotheUnitedStatesinthirdgradetocontinuehereducationhereshesalso
amotheroffourwithexperienceteachinginseveralcolleges.Ms.Breyisakindergarten
teacher,bornandraisedandcurrentlyresiding/workinginFortCollins,Coloradoshes
beenteachingforjustundertenyearsandisawhite,unmarriededucatedfemalewithout
kidsofherown.Thoughbothwomenagreethatoneofthemainobjectivesofschoolingin
theU.S.isforstudentstoacquireknowledge,Breybelievesitismoreaboutacademicand
socialsuccessintheoutsideworld,whereasZachariaunderstandsitasasystemtofoster
andencourageindependentthinkingBreyandZachariahaveverydifferentexperiences
withschoolingintheUnitedStates,mainlybecauseoftheirdifferingraceandculture,and
have,throughtheirpersonalexperiencesandmyclassroomobservation,demonstratedto
metheimportanceofmultipleperspectivesintheclassroom.
DifferentPerspectives:ThePurposeofSchoolingintheUnitedStates

BecauseZachariaandBreygrewupinverydifferentenvironmentsandcultures,itis
notsurprisingthattheirviewonthepurposeofschoolingintheU.S.variedfromoneand
other.Brey,fromtheteachersperspective,believesthemaingoaloftheU.S.education
systemtobeaboutacademicandsocialsuccessshestatesboththattheclassroom
settingisasafeenvironmenttoteachstudentshowtodealwithsocialexperiencesand
thattheteachersjobistosupportthestudentasawholebyincorporatingacademics

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andsocialdevelopmentintothecurriculum.Zacharia,ontheotherhand,believesthe
purposeofeducationtobeaboutfosteringindependentthinking.Basedontheinterviews
withbothwomenandtheobservationofMs.Breysclassroom,Breycouldbesaidto
associatemorewithamonologicalpedagogy,amoretraditionalformoflectureandlisten
teachingwherethemaingoalisacademicsuccess,andMarywouldidentifymorewitha
dialogicalpedagogy,asystemthatisdesignedtomakestudentsactivemembersofa
democracy,andshiftsteachereducationfromtransmissiontotransformation(Fernandez
p.31).
ExperienceandEducation:TheImportanceofPerspective
ZachariahadanontraditionalexperiencewithK12educationhereducation
beganinIndiaandwasfocusedonlanguagedevelopmentshespokefourlanguages
includingEnglishwhenshecametotheUnitedStatesasayounggirl.Herfamilycameto
ColoradoasoneofonlythreefamiliesintheentirestatefromEastIndia,andwiththat
camebacklashfromherpeersandeducatorsthatstemmedfromignoranceofherculture.
ThoughwhensheenteredtheU.S.Zachariawastestingseveralgradesaboveherpeersin
readingandmath,shequicklyfellbehindinschool
sheexplainedthatmanyofher
educatorsassumedshewasblackandnotEastIndian,andthatbecauseherEnglish
teachersdidntknowthatshelearnedtoreadandwriteBritishEnglish,theymarkedher
wrongonessaysandexamsuntilshewasheldbacktothepointofbeingputinspecial
educationcoursesby9thgrade.
ThisshufflingofZachariaintospecialneedsclasses
thoughshewasnotaspecialneedsstudentisanexampleofasystemthathas
proceduresthathurtmembersofoneraceinrelationtomembersofthedominantrace

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(
Scheurich1997p.5
)inotherwords,Zachariaexperiencedfirsthandtheinstitutionalized
racisminU.S.education.Herteachersknewshewasdifferentanddidntgiveherthetime
toexplainhowherculturaldifferenceswereaffectingherlearning,andpassedheroffto
specialeducationclassesbecauseofthesedifferences.Theseinitialexperienceswiththe
U.S.educationsystemhadanegativeimpactonMs.Zacharia,andsherecounts,
Ireally
thoughtIwasdumb.IwassurprisedIevengotintocollegeTheschoolsdidnotmeetmy
needsasalearner.Theywerenotequippedtoteachstudentswithmultilanguagesaswell
asfromanotherculture(Zacharia2015).
Similarly,sheexpressesfrustrationwithher
teachersandpeerslackofinterestinherculture,explainingt
heU.S.isameltingpotof
somanycultures.Weneedtohonorthat.Teachers/Admindonotrealizehowmuchofan
impactcultureinfluencesthechild'shome.Indianholidayswouldbecelebratedinour
home,butnooneknewwhatitwasaboutintheclassroom.Ifweworeourdressesorbindi
(dot)thekidsdidn'tunderstandwhatitwasforandnooneasked(Zacharia2015).At
homeZachariawaseasilyabletofindasocialidentitywithherfamilybecausetheyall
ascribetothesamebeliefsandpractices,butshelackthissocialidentity,orsenseofus
andtogetherness,atschoolbecauseshewasdefinedbyagroupmembershipthatnobody
elseseemedinterestedinlearningabout(Pike2015).ForZacharia,shedidntfindany
successwithherAmericaneducationuntilherundergraduateandgraduateexperiencein
university.
Contrastingly,Ms.Breybelievesthattheprimarypurposeoftheteacheristofocus
onastudentsacademicgrowth,anddidntmention,eitherduringmytimeobservingher
courseorinourinterviewafterwards,anythingpertainingtostudentswhomaystrugglewith

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academicsbasedonculturalidentityor,moreaccurately,theirpeersandeducators
ignorancetotheirculturalidentity.ThisisntaltogethersurprisingMs.Breyherselfiswhite
orcaucasian,asare(asseeninFigure1)mostofherstudents.Shedoesntimmediately
thinkabouttheneedsof
culturallydiverselearners,
becauseneithershenorthe
majorityofherstudentsare
culturally/ethnicallydiverse
herecanbeseenan
exampleofwhiteprivilege,
asdefinedbyAllan
Johnson,operatinginthe
classroomMs.Breyhastheprivilegeofnotneedingtothinkaboutherrace/cultureand
howitaffectedherlearningandteachingbecauseitdidntaffecthernegatively,not
becauseofanythingshedidordidntdo,butonlybecauseofherrace(Johnson2001p.
21).Breydid,however,discusstheeconomicneedsofanddisparitybetweenher
studentsshestates,...
dependingonthestructuresinplaceforeconomicsupport,notall
studentneedsgetmet.WhereIworkwehaveaMcKinneycoordinatorthatmonitors
studenthomelivesandsupportsfamilieswhostrugglewithhomelessnessandhigh
poverty.Iknowatotherschoolsthisburdenfallsontheteachertopinpointwhichstudents
strugglewithpoverty.Itishardtomeeteverystudent'sneedsthisburdenprimarilyfallson
theteacherandnotontheschool(Brey2015).Thistrendofhigherlowincomestudentsin

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publicschoolsmakessenseaccordingtoDanFroschinhisNewYorkTimesarticlefrom
June2008,themostrecentcensusdatashowthat180,000children15.7percentofthe
statetotalwerelivinginpovertyinColoradoin2006,meaningthatthenumberof
impoverishedkidsinschoolhasbeensteadilyincreasingsince2000(Frosch2008p.1).
Becauseofthis,Breyseespovertyinherclassroomeveryday,andrecognizesthatthe
amountofsupportherstudentshaveisnotstandardorevencommon,andthatwithout
thoseaccommodationsshedoesntknowifshe,asanindividualteacher,couldmeetthe
needsofherlowincomestudents.Ms.Zacharia,ontheotherhand,didnotmentionifher
schoolsmettheneedsoflowerclassstudents,whichalsoisntsurprisinggrowingupher
familywasrelativelywealthy,sothesocioeconomicneedsofstudentsarenother
immediatethought.
ItisclearthatBreyandZachariahavedifferingopinionsonwhetherU.S.schools
meettheneedsoftheirlearners,basedonpersonalexperiences.Overall,Zacharia
believesthesystemisputinplacetofosterindependentthinkingandhastraditionally
workedagainstculturalandethnicminorities,thoughitisimproving,whereasBreybelieves
thatthesystemsgoalofacademicsuccessisgenerallyachieved,thoughrequiressupport
beyondjusttheteacherintheclassroom.Itbecamecleartome,asIinterviewedthesetwo
intelligentandimpressivewomen,exactlyhowimportantperspectiveiswhendiscussing
educationthoughbothwomenarecollegeeducatedandhaveteachingexperience,
becauseoftheirperspectivesonandexperienceswithU.S.education,theyfocusedonnot
onlydifferentoverallpurpose,butalsodifferentneedsofthelearnerswithinthesystem.I
believethekeytobecomingthemostsuccessfuleducatoronecanbeiscombiningas

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manyoftheseperspectivesaspossibleinordertomakeamoregenerallyinclusive
classroomenvironmentandaninstructorthatismoresensitivetotheneedsofevery
student.
ClassroomObservation:TheBalanceofLearningandLiving

DuringmyobservationofMs.Breysclassroom,Isawsignificantevidenceofthe
modernAmericanclassroomattemptingtomeettheneedsofallitslearners,butIalso
observedafewwaysitwasfallingshort.Asstatedpreviously,Breybelievestheprimary
purposeofschoolingto
beacademicallyfocused,
andthisshowsinher
classroomasseenin
Figure2,Breyworkshard
toincorporatemany
differentlearningstyles
intohereverydayroutine
inordertoensureall
studentsacademic
needsareaddressed.For
example,herkindergartenclassdoesmathexercisesforaround45minuteseverydayon
thedayofmyobservation,Ms.Breyhadthestudentscountto100outloud(auditory),stack
upblocksingroupsoftenwithpartners(kinestheticandinterpersonal),andcolormath
towersontheirownpapers,alsoingroupsoften(visual),allwhileexercisingthe

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logical/mathematicalportionofthebrain.Ms.Breyclearlyworkshardtoachievethe
academicsuccessthatshebelievestobethepurposeofschoolingthisalsoshowsinthe
waysheconductsclassdaytoday.AsseeninFigure3,shespendsmuchofhertimeon
classroommanagement
andinstruction,and
relativelylittleon
relationshipbuilding
onlyabout1%percent.
Thisisprimarilywhere
thisspecificclassroom
fallsshortasfaras
meetingtheneedsofthe
learner.Therewas
littletonodecoration/representationofstudentlivesorcultureintheclassroom,andno
discussionofstudentslives,cultures,homes,etc.fortheshorttimeIwastheretoobserve.
AccordingtoZacharia,thislackofculturalinclusionwastheprimaryfailingofherU.S.
education,andtheevidenceofherexperiencecouldbefoundinBreysclassroom.
HopeandConcerns:TheFutureofU.S.Education
ThoughBreyandZachariadifferedinmanyoftheirviewsandexperiences,their
hopesandconcernsforthefutureofeducationwerealmostidentical.Bothwomenare
concernedthat,withagrowingnumberofstudentsinU.S.schools,itwillbecomemore
difficultforteacherstoaddresstheneedsoflearnersasindividuals,butbotharehopeful

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thatparentswillbecomemoreinvolvedintheclassroomandstudentvoiceswillbe
recognized.ItisaspecifichopeofZachariathatmorestudentcultureswillbeintroducedin
theclassroom,andofBreythatmoreearlychildhoodprogramswillbedevelopedto
supportthegrowingbrainsof03yearolds.
Conclusion
ThisexperiencewasoverallincrediblyinformativeIlearnedalotaboutthekindof
teacherIwanttobe,andthethingsIwanttospecificallyaddressandincludeinmy
classroom.Ialsocametorealizethesignificanceofperspectiveintheclassroommytwo
intervieweeshadverydifferentperspectivesoneducationintheU.S.becausetheyhad
verydifferentexperiences,primarilybasedontheirracesandculturesandthisisthe
point.Everystudenthasadifferentexperienceintheeducationsystem,oftentimes
becauseoftheirrace,culture,gender,socioeconomicstatus,physicalormentalabilities,
etc.,andinordertobeasuccessfuleducator,onemustgatherasmanyofthese
perspectivesaspossibleandputthemtouseintheclassroominordertoensureabetter
learningenvironmentforallstudents.

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References
Brey,Nicole."TeacherObservationInterview."Emailinterview.15Nov.2015.
FernandezBalboa,JuanMiguel,andJamesMarshall.
DialogicalPedagogyinTeacher
Education:TowardanEducationforDemocracy
.Greeley:UniversityofNorthern
Colorado,n.d.PDFRetrievedfrom
https://www.luminpdf.com/viewer/kzaNrpHyELkD4Y535
Frosch,Dan."StudyShowsColoradoHasLargestRiseinChildPoverty."
NewYork
Times
.N.p.,11June2008.Web.9Sept.2015.
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/us/11kids.html
>.
Johnson,AllanG.
Privilege,Power,andDifference
.Boston:McGrawHill,2001.PDF.
Retrievedfrom
https://www.luminpdf.com/viewer/6iy7tiwH2zQpi6KLo
Pike,Elizabeth."SocialIdentityPerspective."EDUC275Lecture.ColoradoState
University,FortCollins.Sept.2015.Lecture.
Scheurich,J.J.,&Young,M.D..(1997).ColoringEpistemologies:AreOurResearch
EpistemologiesRaciallyBiased?.
EducationalResearcher
,
26
(4),416.Retrieved
from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1176879
Zacharia,Mary."CommunityMemberInterview."Emailinterview.10Nov.2015.

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ObservationLog
TIME

#of
Minutes

DescriptionofActivity

CODE

12:15

30

Literacythekidssatontherugandrepeatedlettersof
thealphabetandtheirphoneticsbacktoMs.Breyshe
readabookaloudthekidsweregiventwosentence
storiesandaskedtoreadthemtoMs.Breywhileothers
practicedalphabetflahcards

12:45

45

Music

1:30

10

Ms.Breyreadaloudabookaboutsharing

1:40

Writingassessmentinstructions

1:45

20

Writingassessmentstudentswereaskedtodrawa
pictureoftheirfavoritethingtodoandthenwritea
sentencethatstartedMyfavoritethingtodoisand
theyhadtowriteasentencethatmatchedtheirpicture

2:05

Cleanup/sitontherug

2:10

Startofmathtimestudentscountedaloudto100with
Ms.Brey

2:13

Instructionsformathtowerswereexplained

2:15

15

Srudentsworkedonmathtowers,wheretheycolored
squaresincolorsrelatedtodifferentgroupsof10until
theygotto100whentheywerefinishedtheywere
askedtobuildthesetowerswiththeirpeers

2:30

Cleanup/coats/lineupforplayground

2:34

16

Playground

2:50

30

FreeChoicethestudentspickedwhattheywantedto
dowithintheclassroomartsandcrafts,building,
coloring,reading,etc.whileMs.Breycaughtstudents
uponassessments,pastassignments,etc.

3:20

510

Cleanup/grabbackpacks/lineuptogohome