Enacting Power Issues in Classrooms

Many issues of power are enacted daily in classrooms; a power imbalance exists between the dominant group and those who would be considered the "others". The particular curriculum that is used, the texts that are selected, the viewpoints which are supported and how the testing of the students is conducted all suggest decisions made by those in a position of power. Unfortunately, those who come to school with less cultural capital are relegated to a lesser position than those who arrive with more cultural capital and have already internalized some of the culture of power. This serves to perpetuate a power differential and maintenance of the status quo for those in minority positions, such as those from low-income homes.

In my study, the teachers assume that when they assign homework the children are properly equipped at home to complete the assignment and to reinforce learning that has taken place at school. All of the parent participants indicated in their journal entries that homework time is either stressful or very stressful. Many of the parents are not able to adequately support their children and sometimes children return to school with homework not completed or improperly done. The parents express their frustration that the teachers may get upset with their children and rarely, if ever, look at the child's circumstances and family situation to see what may have transpired to allow that child to return to school with incomplete work.

Sometimes teachers refer to the parents as being uninterested in their children's education or not supportive. My study findings did not support this perception. All of the parents in this study have high aspirations for their children to get more education than they had. They express a desire for their children to succeed and want them to do better in life than they had done. However, in general, the parents do not specify what being successful means to them. Some parents, such as Lynne and John, make sacrifices in their own lives to purchase a computer so that their daughter will have the advantage of having this middle class educational tool at home. Despite their lack of long term planning for their own affairs, some of the parents make plans for their children.