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<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><meta charset="utf-8" /><meta content="noarchive" name="robots" /><title>Forced assimilation in American public education - The Terminal Programmer</title><meta content="2004-12-01T00:00:00-08:00" name="DCTERMS.created" /><meta content="2004-12-01T00:00:00-08:00" name="DCTERMS.modified" /><meta content="Suraj N. Kurapati" name="author" /><meta content="college, education, america, minority, subculture, essay" name="keywords" /><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" name="viewport" /><meta content="Readably https://github.com/sunaku/readably" name="generator" /><link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /><link href="index.atom" rel="alternate" title="feed" type="application/atom+xml" /><script src="js/jquery.slim.min.js"></script></head><body><article data-entry-id="educ92a-essay" id="body"><header><div class="navigation"><a class="rootlink" href="index.html#educ92a-essay" title="The Terminal Programmer"><span>The Terminal Programmer</span></a></div><h1 class="title">Forced assimilation in American public education</h1><div class="author">Suraj N. Kurapati</div><time class="date" datetime="2004-12-01T00:00:00-08:00"> 1 December 2004</time></header><hr /><div class="description"></div><div class="content"><ol class="table-of-contents"><li><a id="__priority__" href="#priority" class="downlink">Priority</a><ol></ol></li><li><a id="__language__" href="#language" class="downlink">Language</a><ol></ol></li><li><a id="__appearance__" href="#appearance" class="downlink">Appearance</a><ol></ol></li><li><a id="__demeanor__" href="#demeanor" class="downlink">Demeanor</a><ol></ol></li><li><a id="__conclusion__" href="#conclusion" class="downlink">Conclusion</a><ol></ol></li><li><a id="__references__" href="#references" class="downlink">References</a><ol></ol></li></ol><p>American public education, both today and in contemporary times, has not
functioned without some degree of forced assimilation; that is, it has catered
specifically to the dominant culture in America while forcibly assimilating
students who represent the ethnic or socio-economic minority.</p>
<p>These are the results of a crude implementation of some of the chief ideals of
public education: to foster community [4] and “national unity” [5]. So to
better implement these ideals, the public education system in America must
focus on promoting “ethno-cultural unity” [5] as a way to achieve “national
unity” [5] rather than forcing assimilation, which imparts disunity.</p>
<div id="priority" class="section"></div><h2 class="heading">Priority<a href="#priority" class="permalink" title="Permalink"></a><a href="#__priority__" class="uplink" title="Contents"></a></h2>
<p>The concept of assimilation is primarily a concern for the minority, as it is
they who undergo the process firsthand. That is, the minority student feels a
sense of disconnection in the school environment due to differences in
language, appearance, and social norms of demeanor. In contrast, assimilation
does not affect the dominant culture as much, because schools are run by its
members and schools serve to promote its values and ideas. Thus the dominant
culture usually sees no problems in the education system and is apathetic
towards the concerns of minorities [2]. This also fuels opposition to changes
in the education system whereby the dominant culture feels that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The system suits me just fine, because it represents my way of life; why
then, shall I change it? The minority students should adopt these values
because they are good, and having done so will assist them in being successful
the workplace.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Obviously, such a viewpoint is wholly single-minded and crudely justifies the
teaching methods utilized by the education system:</p>
<ul>
<li>Which values are “good” and which are not?</li>
<li>What is “successful” behavior and what is not?</li>
</ul>
<p>It is unjust for the dominant culture to simply dismiss the concerns of
minorities, since we live in a democratic [4] society. Thus the answer can be
obtained most fairly if all groups understand each-other’s needs and
priorities, i.e. there must be diversity, which fuels an interpenetration of
cultural understanding [4], in order to improve our education system.</p>
<div id="language" class="section"></div><h2 class="heading">Language<a href="#language" class="permalink" title="Permalink"></a><a href="#__language__" class="uplink" title="Contents"></a></h2>
<p>A lack of fluency in dominant culture’s language can be the biggest
contributor in the concern of forced assimilation, as the majority of classes
taught in schools, save foreign language classes, are in English. A student
who lacks fluency in English may feel isolated from their peers and their
teachers.</p>
<p>For example, Richard Rodriguez writes that as a result of him becoming fluent
in English, he had lost confidence in speaking Spanish, which to him was
associated with closeness with his family and relatives [3]. Thus he felt
guilty for leaving behind his native language only to become “successful”
within the dominant culture [3].</p>
<p>Furthermore, the American public education system often flags the difficulty
in learning English as a “deficiency,” and industriously places minority
students into lower-track classes [2]. This further segregates minority
students from receiving high-track education [2] as they are made to think
that they are unqualified to achieve the “good” or valued positions in the
dominant society.</p>
<p>For example, when Malcolm X, a brilliant student, is asked to describe his
future ambitions by his English teacher, he replies that he aspires to become
a lawyer. In response his teacher suggests that his aspiration is not
“realistic” [1] and he should aim to become a carpenter instead [1].</p>
<div id="appearance" class="section"></div><h2 class="heading">Appearance<a href="#appearance" class="permalink" title="Permalink"></a><a href="#__appearance__" class="uplink" title="Contents"></a></h2>
<p>The appearance of students is strictly controlled in public schools, more
so in the past than today, but nevertheless in favor of the dominant
culture. For example, Malcolm X “conks” (to straighten one’s hair by
incinerating the scalp with lye) his natural hair in order to make it
appear more like that of the dominant culture’s valued hair [1]. He later
describes this act as his “first really big step towards self degradation”
[1]. Through school dress- codes and images of popular media, the dominant
culture imposes its valued image of a “beautiful” person upon the masses.</p>
<p>For example, before I emigrated to America, I had never seen an “black” nor
“white” person, i.e. there was no institutionalized sense of “race.” However,
after several years of residence, I noticed that I favored images of “white”
people over those of “black” ones. More specifically, I favored the straight
hair over “corn-rows” or “du-rags” that many people wear in recent times. I
was shocked! How is it that I, who had no prior knowledge, bias, nor prejudice
towards any of these people, became to favor one over the other? This is due
to my subconscious being bombarded with ideas of what is “beautiful” and what
is not: the images I saw on television, cinemas, and daily life in public
schools.</p>
<p>Furthermore, if a school has a dress-code which enforces a certain kind of
clothing to be worn, it may further alienate minority students. For example,
if students were not allowed to wear any head decorations, i.e. hats, when
they recited the national anthem so as to give respect to “the flag,” then
minority students may not comply. If the school forces the removal of such
head decorations, then a Sikh student, who wears a turban, would certainly
feel humiliated and violated to have been forced to remove his turban. It is
equivalent to violating a person’s universal human rights, such as denying
them the right of clothing. In such a situation, the student who does not
remove their head decorations becomes alienated from the rest, for the student
appears to lack patriotism and may thus be interpreted as some form of a
heretic. Also, if the school’s administrators are not understanding of the
minority student’s situation, they may brashly expel them or move them into a
lower track [2].</p>
<div id="demeanor" class="section"></div><h2 class="heading">Demeanor<a href="#demeanor" class="permalink" title="Permalink"></a><a href="#__demeanor__" class="uplink" title="Contents"></a></h2>
<p>Alongside the troubles of assimilating with dominant language is that of the
social norms of demeanor. One is, in many ways, subtly outcast from the
dominant society if one does not exercise the mannerisms that the dominant
culture expects.</p>
<p>For example, in my culture, one does not openly address nor speak with others
with whom one is not acquainted with. However, now in America, every morning
as I am walking to class, somebody will greet me with the words “good
morning.” Upon hearing this I become very uncomfortable, almost
claustrophobic, as I must respond to them for the sake of not insulting them.
It is like being coerced to perform under the spotlight of a large opera hall.
Sometimes I simply nod and carry on, but I feel guilty to have offended the
other person. Of course, it may not be of such importance to those of the
dominant culture, as it is their natural and customary way of greeting others.</p>
<p>I also find it difficult to forge meaningful relationships with others,
especially when meeting someone new. For example, in America, one often says
“it was nice to meet you,” when one departs with someone. However, in my mind
these words are extremely superficial, for I feel that the other person is
simply uttering this dialogue for the sake of their own demeanor and has
embodied no true feelings in their message. In this manner, I feel as though
disjoint from my peers for I cannot accurately gauge the depth of their
dialogue or gestures. I feel as though it is inevitable for one to assimilate
with the dominant culture in order to survive; this message weighs heavily, in
my opinion, in the minds of minority students as they step out of their homes
and into the world of dominant culture, outside.</p>
<div id="conclusion" class="section"></div><h2 class="heading">Conclusion<a href="#conclusion" class="permalink" title="Permalink"></a><a href="#__conclusion__" class="uplink" title="Contents"></a></h2>
<p>Considering the clashes between the dominant culture and those of minorities,
I feel that the education system is trying to promote “national unity” [5] by
forcing it upon students and ignoring “ethno-cultural unity” [5], whereas it
would be more effective to gain “national unity” [5] through the promotion of
“ethno-cultural unity” [5].</p>
<p>In this manner, students can be better connected to and gain a deeper
understanding of each-other, which facilitates the formation of relationships.
These relationships form from an interpenetration of needs and wants which is
found in a community. Having developed such a community, we observe the
process of “socioendosmosis” [4], which in turn promotes “national unity” [5].</p>
<p>Thus the key to “national unity” [5] is not the propagation of the dominant
mono-culture, but rather in diversification of our public schools and
institutions.</p>
<div id="references" class="section"></div><h2 class="heading">References<a href="#references" class="permalink" title="Permalink"></a><a href="#__references__" class="uplink" title="Contents"></a></h2>
<p>(cited in IEEE format)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>M. X, “Mascot,” in <strong><em>The Evolution of Education</em></strong>, D. Swanger, Eds. Ohio: Thomson Learning Custom Publishing, 2002. pp. 260-274.</p></li>
<li><p>J. Oakes, “The Distribution of Knowledge,” in <strong><em>The Evolution of Education</em></strong>, D. Swanger, Eds. Ohio: Thomson Learning Custom Publishing,</p>
<ol>
<li>pp. 305-336.</li>
</ol></li>
<li><p>R. Rodriguez, “Aria,” in <strong><em>The Evolution of Education</em></strong>, D. Swanger, Eds. Ohio: Thomson Learning Custom Publishing, 2002. pp. 378-386.</p></li>
<li><p>J. Dewey, “Labor and Leisure,” in <strong><em>The Evolution of Education</em></strong>, D. Swanger, Eds. Ohio: Thomson Learning Custom Publishing, 2002. pp. 51-60.</p></li>
<li><p>D. Swanger, “The Evolution of Education.” Ohio: Thomson Learning Custom Publishing, 2002.</p></li>
</ol>
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