Unequal Childhoods - Annette Lareau [20]
ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONAL STANDARDS
While there were differences between the schools, there were also similarities. Elementary schools in America have many shared elements, including for example, the organization of the school day. Educators at Lower Richmond and Swan Schools also appeared to share similar visions of what constitutes appropriate and desirable childhood experiences. They agreed, in broad terms, on the proper role of families in promoting children’s educational development. These premises were not simply expressions of the educators’ personal beliefs. Instead they echoed a body of cultural practices that have gained widespread acceptance among professionals.11
The teachers in this study generally supported practices of concerted cultivation, with an emphasis on the development of the child through organized activities, development of vocabulary through reasoning and reading, and active parent involvement in schooling and other institutions outside of the home. Educators selectively praised children during the school day, expressed their approval and disapproval of parents in informal conversations with the research assistants and me during our classroom observations, and conformed to established school and district practices that encoded particular approaches to child rearing. Teachers also followed concerted cultivation in raising their own children. As I show next, within the confines of a limited sample, there is a striking level of agreement between educators at Lower Richmond and Swan schools.
THE VALUE OF CULTIVATING THE CHILD
Educators were quite supportive of parents’ efforts to cultivate their children’s talents and skills through out-of-school activities. In interviews, teachers at both schools reported viewing children’s organized activities as helpful:
They all need some physical activity. I think the activities are good, because physical activity can stimulate the mind. The music lessons help with the concentration. I think that it is good to have outside activities.
There is an awful lot going on in the world. The wider variety you expose them to—you never know if you have a future playwright in the group or not. It is just something that they can enjoy and participate in, even if it is not their occupation. They just need to be aware and to talk about the different talents and occupations.
In their interactions with children, teachers also express approval, as in this fourth-grade classroom:
[The Monday following Thanksgiving, Ms. Nettles asked the children to describe what they did for Thanksgiving.] Garrett Tallinger volunteered, “My soccer team won a tournament.” Ms. Nettles says, “Your soccer team won a tournament this weekend?” Garrett nods. Ms. Nettles says, “You must be very proud.”
At both schools, children’s out-of-school activities routinely spill into classroom life. In Ms. Nettles’ classroom, students are required to keep a journal in class. Children’s activities are a common theme, as field notes from October 11 show:
Five of the five boys talked about soccer games. One said that “after the game I am mad because we lose.” Two of the four girls talked about playing soccer.
At Lower Richmond, Wendy Driver proudly describes her dance recital to her third-grade teacher, Ms. Green, as the children are getting ready to line up for recess. She also brought in her trophy to show Ms. Green and her classmates. Adults give organized events such as tournaments and dance recitals more weight than informal play by children, such as playing ball in the yard or watching television. When children volunteer to teachers that