Blog #7 - Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

"Today, we understand that many social setups are possible. Roles and rules can be transformed so that there is greater justice and equity." 

Education has been a tool that shapes social structures and determines who holds power and who remains in unsubstantial roles. Patrick J. Finn, in Literacy with an Attitude, highlights the divide between empowering education, which fosters critical thinking and leadership, and there is domesticating education, which prepares students for compliance and low-wage labor later on in life. The quote above challenges the assumption that current educational systems are neutral, instead emphasizing that education can either reinforce inequality or be used as a force for social justice. 

The argument that Finn introduces is relevant in discussions about equity in schools. Literacy amongst marginalized groups was feared in the past because it was believed that it would lead to resistance and change. Today, the concern is not literacy but who has access to powerful literacy, the kind that enables people to advocate for their rights and the rights of others like them? Working-class students who receive empowering education gain the tools to challenge the inequities in the educational system rather than simply accepting them. Finn calls for educators to become allies in this process, making sure that all students, not only the privileged, develop the necessary skills to engage in a society that is prone to change for the better.

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