DIFFERENCES IN CHILD-REARING PRACTICES

Question: "What significance do the differences in child-rearing practices among social groups have for how we run schools?"

In order to be effective educators, school faculty need to be aware of the widely differing backgrounds from which students typically come. To ignore cultural and ethnic differences, to deny the obvious, is to cultivate student failure. However, one similarity that most children share, regardless of culture or socioeconomic background, is that their parents want to see them have a better life. Miller (1967, p. 68) observed:

There is very little question that the stereotype of parental indifference held by many of the personnel of inner-city school is an inaccurate one; the majority of poor parents w-ant to see their children succeed in school. Their avoidance of contact with the school, though due 'to a number of conditions, is in many instances partly the result of the ineptitude of the. school, which hopefully my be overcome in the future by experience and training.

A critical factor to which school personnel must sensitive involves the effects of racism, and their own potential for participating in this insidious process. With reference to this class struggle, as perpetuated by our system of public education, Crier & Cobbs (1969, p. 112) point out:

The whole conflict...between black and white carries strong overtones of filth and cleanliness for the child -- not too far removed in time from his earliest years, when such matters were of fundumental concern to him. It easily gets mixed with the moral injunctions of a few years before, when his parents humiliated him for being dirty and praised him for being clean. And nowhe is asked to be clean (white), even though he is black.

Naturally, each culture has its own way of viewing the world. One aspect of many Hispanic cultures is that such parents, in U.S. schools, need to be made aware of their right and responsibility to be involved in their children's educational process. In many Spanish speaking cultures, it is considered disrespectful to question educators.

In sum, counselors, teaches and administrators need to be sensitive to the cultural differences which exist among social groups, in order to meet the educational needs of children.

REFERENCES

Crier, William H. & Cobbs, Price M. (1969). Black Raqe, New York: Bantam Books.

Miller, Harry L. (1967). Education for the Disadvantaqed, New York: Free Press.

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Thomas S. Rue, MA, NCC
December 30, 1991

Psychological and Quantitative Foundations 7P:109
The University of Iowa - College of Education
Socialization of the School Age Child - Assignment #5
© 1991, Thomas S. Rue

Thomas Rue 1991-1993.
All rights reserved.