Educational Conformity (Research Paper)

From the day the first man appeared on the surface of the earth to date, man has constantly been learning something. From the act of merely learning how to ignite fire to the most complex sort of education that is taught today, the concept of education has constantly evolved with how mankind has evolved itself. From relying on self-taught skills to now being admitted to a school as an essential part of life, our concept of what it means to learn has transformed so much that even the goal behind receiving education, is in reality very far from what it ever was. As it is often attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, a widely acclaimed English philosopher, jurist, orator, scientist and author of his time, “Knowledge is power”. It wouldn’t be wrong to say it is this recognition of knowledge that has caused the decision makers of nations worldwide to hamper its provision, in ways that secretly prevent this transfer of power to truly be effectual. Educational conformity is indeed a global issue which requires attention at a global level, if we wish this world to progress, flourish and thrive. Without educational conformity it is impossible for us to put an end to the forms of divide in our societies that only cause localized and limited progress.

These rulers have destined the fates of many, by simply constantly defining where precisely conformity was essential in the field of education. Using various reforms what they define as means of bringing uniformity in education, these people have fulfilled deeper motives aimed at incrementing the divide between the receivers of this education. In a world where greater understanding amongst people may have limited their chances of fulfilling these aims directly, such indirect methods have left people with the perception that these acts will benefit them ‘all’. Over the years based on these actions education itself has reached new heights, but in ways that have in reality all been a part of their manipulative tactics to fool the public into believing justice is being done for ‘all’.

Education as it is most commonly known today, is received beginning with the act of being admitted to school merely around the age of three or four. From here onwards begins an endless journey where each individual is crammed up with a great deal of information until he is finally capable of being called an adult, who can survive on his own in this world and make a living of his own. But here again the type and amount of education you receive is based on certain standards. Financial status of course has always been one of the biggest definers of this divide, and a determinant of which category you fall into. From the divide caused by affordability, and the perception of acquiring education being considered a privilege for the rich as a form of luxury, we moved onto a stage in history where it seemed as if education was only necessary for being able to earn a living. The world witnessed a new form of divide amongst them in the field of education. Unlike before where only limited number of people received education, here everyone did, but the amount and type of education they received was limited by new boundaries – need. Here the privileged class received education in institutions called schools, while for the underprivileged; vocational schools were formed only to teach them the skills essential for the types of jobs they could qualify for, based on their financial standards.

With time people began to recognize how education made a difference in their lives, the public was awakening from its deep sleep of ignorance. Beginning their campaign of the great need for conformity, these influentials posed educational conformity as a matter of great concern before the public. Here it certainly seemed as if the concerns of the public did most certainly matter to them. Where it was true that the matter did indeed require attention, these influentials brought in conformity in the institutions but in their own way. From here the world witnessed another form of divide where all children were taught the same material in their textbooks, but the products of this education (students) still varied due to other manipulative standards. Virtually education began to receive a form of conformity but deep inside there was always something else, as the famous critical thinker Jean Anyon describes it as “the hidden curriculum” (Anyon 178), on the basis of one of the vast amount of research projects conducted on education, by the professor of educational policy in the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York, Anyon herself. The pedagogy deferred to such an extent that the fact that everyone was fed the same sort of information about various subjects didn’t even matter anymore. The provision of education was ensured to be identical with the social status of those who received it. Children of blue collar families were taught through rote learning methods that made them highly obedient to instructions and commands. As the social status improved the kid was given chances to actually understand what he/she was being taught. The handful of elites were of course at the top of the list for this privilege, they were taught to even question the information that was being fed to them. It was as if the kids were being brought up in these particular classes to be mirror images of their parents, and nothing more. The elite were the decision makers in the society’s structure, and so it was vital for their kids to be taught to do the same. Their span of thinking ‘needed’ to be broadened, while that of the kids from the less fortunate classes were trained to be robots, and follow the instructions of their masters. “Deferring curricular, pedagogical and pupil evaluation practices emphasize different cognitive and behavioural skills in each social setting and thus contribute to the development of certain potential relationships to physical and symbolic capital (Anyon 178).” These words by Anyon based on her close observation of five different elementary schools for almost a year, comprehensively sum up an undeniable fact. This was the first time conformity existed in the world of education, but with its own hidden dark side. A side aimed at amplifying the divide between these different classes of people.

The second time the word conformity took some place in the world of education; it took a rather beneficial position. For decades career goals divided the subjects children chose to study, until recently when the concept of liberal studies took birth. Education began to be recognized once again as a means of learning, and not merely educating one enough to get a job. Subjects that often received little or no attention in the course of studies now became essentials to get into a graduate school for professional studies, or as they are most commonly known – graduation requirements. For many a lack of interest in certain subjects from this list of add-ons, limited them to be defined only in the more common term. But for those that truly took interest in them, their existence and importance as key components began to match the original purpose of education – to enlighten. This form of conformity not only led to a rather uniform form of learning preparing individuals to actually get a job, but also live a life. At this point many may disagree about describing subjects such as arts, music, humanities and social sciences as essentials to spending a normal life. But in the way many others think life is defined, man should not only be aware of what he requires, but also all that which surrounds him. Considered the most superior form of life on earth, it is man that truly rules this planet. For him to settle down in it perfectly, it is vital for him to develop a better sense of understanding. Everything man learns expands his span of thinking and his knowledge. It is this knowledge that has enabled him to be able to transform regular things into ones that benefit him more, or invent many others that never even existed in the first place. Where arts and music may play no other role for him apart from entertainment, it is true that knowledge in these fields has other added benefits rather than just training him on how to lead his life. Exploration of a wide variety of subjects has led to many students discovering their real passions, rather than depending on picking out a career from a handful of those that the world has known since ages. Conformity in the sense of liberal studies has indeed proved to be quite productive and beneficial towards the field of education. But even in America there are various technical schools that you may join if you don’t wish to attend a four years college program, so technically education hasn’t been conformed for all. Many of those who wish to join technical schools may say they cannot afford the four years college program and then a graduate school after that, hence they prefer going to a technical school instead. Here again as mentioned before financial differences have been always a major determinant of what type of education you receive. Discussing the rising financial expenses of education would introduce a whole new topic here, and so it is better not to talk about it much at this very place. But at this point it is important to raise one question. Isn’t it true that we have let those financial standards always exist as determinants of the type of education one receives, so that practically we could never bring uniformity in education? The rich will always be more educated than the poor. If our rulers truly wanted educational conformity they would have looked after the issue of rising financial expenses on education first, and then worked on any other factors that could help bring uniformity in the educational system. Here it is vital to point out that in many countries liberal studies has still not been recognized as a need for all. So talking about educational conformity on a global level, it has still not reached a satisfactory stage, if discussed through the means of liberal studies. On the other hand, around the globe in most places where the need for liberal studies has been noticed, this form of education is only limited to universities or colleges. While in other countries; such as America, courses linked to liberal studies are integrated in the school system even at secondary and high-school levels. It is important to understand that for a student who enters college or a university with a history of not being taught such courses in his previous grades, his acceptability of liberal studies may not be that much in comparison to one who has grown up to understand the importance of liberal studies. Acceptability is a big factor in what you learn. The more you are mentally convinced to learn something, the more you truly pay attention and concentrate on it, rather than just taking it up as a compulsion.

Next these influentials brought in another form of conformity which like its predecessor has helped initiate further differences in the students, our future. This form of conformity can precisely be defined as urging all to fight for being the best. It is a fight to reach a certain standard where one can be declared as a good and a promising student, who deserves the best educational opportunities in his/her future. It has quickly crept into the minds of our children, without them even realizing how it is truly limiting chances for them to strive further. It cannot be denied that performing well in school should be one of the goals of students. It cannot be denied that bringing conformity in students’ progress so that they all excel to their limits, is important. But should it gain so much importance that it tends to become the main goal for many? All our educational careers pre joining college we are taught to excel in such a manner that we can secure admission into some of the best institutions in the country or around the globe. There is no harm in educating our students to be the best, the problem lies in the definition of the fruit of this hard work that they shall be rewarded with. Where does our sense of conformity get lost when we define the variety of educational opportunities available to students? What are you telling a student when you define their performance will determine the type of further education they will receive? You are most certainly not telling them that if they are good at biological science, they can pursue their studies in that field. You are telling them that how well they perform will determine where they will study. The variety in these places of study is based on opportunities, on methods or standards of pedagogy, on the limit of the extent of knowledge provided, on the amount of personal attention or help one receives, based on the fact that if one seems to be a promising student, it is better for you to invest your time in them than another. You limit the definition of a student’s potential by their grades, their scores, their certificates, their achievements. You don’t wish to give them all the opportunities they deserve as someone interested to learn. Your standardized tests, your international examinations, help you tell them which college they deserve to be a part of. Where does educational conformity go when it comes to providing identical opportunities for all those interested to learn? Here you define their potential in your standardized ways and limit their opportunities to learn. Why should one have to travel half way across the country or even the globe to receive a better level of education? If you believed in conformity they would have received the same level of opportunities in their own hometown, where the rest of their folks have studied. “The high stakes obsession of test and punish has only served to widen the gap between the schools in the wealthiest districts and those in the poorest. We must reduce the emphasis on standardized tests that have corrupted the quality of the education children receive. The pressure placed on students and educators is enormous,” says National Education Association’s President Lily Eskelsen Garcia (Walker, neaToday.com). Lily’s statement here is indeed one we all need to ponder upon.

Educational conformity doesn’t lie within bringing uniformity in the curriculum; it lies in the form of pedagogy. If pedagogy wasn’t important we all won’t need to go to schools, the bookstore would be enough to get the books, and a law defining what subjects we were compelled to study would have been enough to ensure we all abide by this rule. Giving us the same textbooks and highlighting the importance of liberal studies have indeed been substantially beneficial on their own part. Encouraging students to compete is also not a negative step, healthy competition is always good. We all crave to be recognized for our efforts, and so it becomes an incentive for us to work hard. The problem lies in the intention of these decision makers who have never really integrated conformity with education in its complete form. We need to integrate conformity in what our students are taught, how they are taught, what opportunities they receive, the attention they receive, the fact that they should all be encouraged to ponder and not just rote learn, the methodologies adopted to make a child understand a certain concept, the chances that a school gives a student in the development of their personality, and practically everything that a school is required to teach or provide to a student. You can differ in schools based on how many luxuries, how many recreational activities they provide, but do not differentiate between the vital components of education for each individual. Conformity in education cannot be achieved until we all work on all these factors at the same time, and altogether. The examples of integration of conformity in education quoted above show you how working individually on one particular aspect may be of some benefit, but we cannot fully reach our goal until progress is made through all aspects together.

Works Cited

Anyon, Jean. "From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum." Rereading America, edited by Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. 178.

Walker, Tim. “Poll: Americans Want Less Standardized Testing and More School Funding”. neaToday. 23 August. 2015. www.neatoday.org/2015/08/23/poll-americans-want-less-standardized-testing-and-more-school-funding/. Accessed 29 September 2016.