Part 2: Assignment 3

Educating children in the 1900-1950's era was a complicated process. Many people saw the benefits of it; others could only see to the Americanization of cultures. The favoritism to American culture became the main focus when teaching children of all backgrounds and the colonization of students posed as a big issue in school systems. Immigrants' cultures were not valued, rather tossed aside as Christian holidays were praised and celebrated. Most schools "required that students recite passages from the Bible, or the Lord's Prayer" (Mondale 96). Even language learning was strictly English only. When schools tried to incorporate other languages in their curriculum, the idea was shot down. It was noted that "all of the teaching took place in English", when most of the students combined in one classroom "'spoke eight or ten or fifteen different languages'" (Mondale 94). Schools even honored and "emphasized American heroes and anthems" (Mondale 95). Unfortunately, not everyone could see this suppression, for they focused on the unity and aide that schools brought to their community. As far as educating poor students, schools were there to help children in need of certain facilities: "part of the reason they had swimming pools in the school was so kids would have a bath", for not all students had the ability to clean themselves before they begin the day's work (Mondale 90). People became so blind by the good that schools provided for students that eventually, the bad was forgotten. They only noticed that "the Gary schools were open...to serve the entire community" (Mondale 91), not that the Gary schools were crafting students to become good workers to provide for the economic status of the country. The assimilation of children into American culture helped merge students into one, unified educational class, but also masked other cultures and representations, creating a shallow, unthoughtful system.

The intelligence quotient, or I.Q. tests became the sole, deciding factor of how successful a student would become. The I.Q. test was used to "have a better understanding of each individual's ability or capacity, and create a kind of social efficiency for the country", to build a sort of "Utopia" (Mondale 101). It determines a child's path from the moment they take the I.Q. test, through to their high school education, to see if they will move on to secondary or college education, how successful their career will be, and more. The issue with the I.Q. test is that the questions are questionable - "TRUE OR FALSE: A large man is always braver than a small one" (Mondale 102). One cannot base another's future on the outcome of a test, particularly when it favors the "quality of people by ethnicity, by race, by class" (Mondale 101). To assume that children's mental capacity can be analyzed by a sequence of questions is only to assume the knowledge they know at that point in time, without taking into account of their future educational expertise. Plus, given the now known information that students learn differently than other students, different learning and/or testing types should be considered within the I.Q. tests, yet it was not. Soon enough, the publicity of I.Q. tests "'got a huge pickup in the media and really helped to popularize the idea of I.Q. as the crucial human quality'" (Mondale 102). With a good enough score, "'[America] will come to your door, they will give you a scholarship and they will put you on the road to success'" (Mondale 103). Which is fantastic for those who are fortunate enough to receive such credit. But for those who are not, they will not benefit from the school system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdzz0sEaiT4

*begin at 5:26-9:22, jump to 11:32-12:50*

Works Cited

“The (Racist) History of the I.Q. Test !!!” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Sept. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdzz0sEaiT4. 

Streep, Meryl, et al. School: The Story of American Public Education. Beacon Press, 2006.