Is abolishing the education system the next big step towards change?
Equitable grading chart (Madeleine Smith/The Puma Prensa)
Written By: Madeleine Smith, Sports Editor
The education system is an injustice to the very concept it is meant to support – the fair and equitable schooling of all students. It was created with the intent to help only one type of person succeed and leave the rest to fail. Historically and currently, the system prioritizes the rich white man, while women, people of color, and people of lower socioeconomic class are cast aside. Riddled with inequalities and biases, the education system does a lot more harm than most people realize and it is time to make some major changes.
Many educators argue that the only way to make real waves is to dismantle the system, and create a new one focused on equity. Others believe that that kind of radical change is not realistic and is likely to fail due to the country’s consistent disregard for education as a fundamental stepping stone of society. Regardless of these conflicting views, most teachers believe that change is necessary and destroying certain aspects of the system on a smaller scale would be beneficial for student learning.
These ideas are branches of abolitionist pedagogy or abolitionist teaching, which is an approach to education centered around striking down traditional schooling practices that are inherently oppressive and creating new ones. The goal of this work is to build new habits that make learning truly attainable for all students, prioritizing equity and fair education. Many teachers in Sonoma County are actively working to make this a reality by recognizing the intentions of the system and making changes in their classrooms.
Roseland University Prep teacher, Kelly Cramer, believes that the problems students and teachers face now are products of the nation’s history. “Our country was founded and rooted in oppression and racism. The history of our education system also was,” she says. “Seeds were planted a long time ago and we see what has grown from those today.”
The more current political climate in America, as a capitalist country, perpetuates the oppressive system. Maddie Doyle, an English teacher at Maria Carrillo High School, says that, “the structures within [the system] are absolutely rooted in capitalism and capitalism, as it functions in the United States, is rooted in the oppression of other people.” The fundamentals of our country allow and enable the mistreatment of most individuals.
The white-centered curriculum, established literary canon, and white-washed history classes are problems that still exist today. “There were very deliberate choices, made very early on, about whose voices are highlighted [and] what philosophies are regarded,” says Doyle. The curriculum students see in their classes, as well as educational and instructional policies, represent those decisions in the present day.
Most teachers recognize these as obvious issues, and many have been working for a long time to reflect and make changes for the benefit of their students. Scott Wallach, an Ethnic Studies and Social Sciences teacher at Carrillo explains that “a lot of it is… trying to figure out where my bias exists and trying to figure out methods to remove that bias.” Wallach tries to be as equitable as possible, using a rubric to grade everyone rather than relying on student reputation and encouraging student involvement in classroom policies, grading, and correcting behavior.
Doyle has been practicing an alternative grading system for years, the goal being to foster growth and understanding rather than having students memorize information for a grade. As Cramer said: “Our current grading system works very well to… classify students and put them in categories.” Doyle has instead attempted to make her classroom a place where students and herself can self-reflect and have open discussions about changes and policies.
Strategies in the classroom to combat the oppressive nature of the system vary widely, but all teachers have a dedication and responsibility to protecting education and providing their students with the very best they can. Whether or not the abolition of the whole system is necessary or possible, the smaller changes that teachers make are extremely important and influential. “It’s so easy when you are a part of a system that you feel is so flawed… to burn out,” says Cramer, but “I think that there are lots of students that would say: ‘it did matter to me.’ I think we have to continue to fight because even the small changes, I have to believe matter.”