“Given the dire condition for the working and unemployed classes, as well as the vulnerable state of the middle class in our current economy, what should educators do? One thing we cannot assume is that we, as an educated class, necessarily have it right. We cannot simply preach that other classes need to get their acts together and be like us, because in some ways even we are not doing so well. As high-stakes accountability measures intensify our work, we have to ask the corporate world if more jobs with better salaries will be available to “at-risk” students who do better in school as a result of our sincere efforts. We must tell what we know about the inequities that affect a substantial number of our students to people outside of schools so that they will vote for leaders whose policies will benefit a broad range of Americans and, ultimately, the students we teach. “(159 Ellen Brantlinger, Who Wins and Who Loses?)

I think the passage above is important because it enlightens me to ponder, as an educator, what I can do for those students from different social classes. In the previous passages of this reading, the author gives two contrary examples about two students from two totally different social classes, Marissa and Travis. The two lively examples show the contrast life and school experience between two social classes. Based on that, the author proposes three points about what we can do, as educators.

In the first point, the author reminds us of getting rid of our own complacency as an educated class. I agree with that. As educators, it’s important for us to treat students from different classes equally differentiatedly. It means we need to realize different merits of both classes and respect all students. At the same time, we need to educate them understanding each other and overcome hindrances due to their classes. The prerequisite is we, as educators, should abandon the unconscious thought that our own class is advantageous. It’s dangerous.

In the second and third points, the author mobilizes us to ask the corporate world to provide more jobs with better salaries for those poor but behave better students, and tell people outside of schools about the inequities, making them vote for leaders and policies in favor of the students. Generally, I agree that educators should not be limited within schools. As important parts of education cause, we should contribute to connecting the students and the outside world. The two points outline two possible ways to realize this. However, on the one hand, I don’t think just “ask” and “tell” is enough. We need to get the corporate world and policy makers involved into our education. We need not only tell them what happens here, but also let them see and mobilize them to do more for change. It’s the same for people out side of schools who have right to vote. On the other hand, I keep skeptical about the effects of the two ways. The disparity between different classes is such a complex problem that the efforts to change the situation of students from disadvantaged classes should be made by broader people, not only educators. In order to take the two ways effective, I think, as educators, we should also ask more institutes, foundations, think tank, etc., to get involved in the efforts.

At last, given the disparity of classes is a common problem under different political systems, the passage also enlightens me to think what educators should do in other countries, like China. I wish to figure out this question during this class.