How should social class be taught in school?

Generally speaking, in many countries especially the United States, social class is an important topic of discussion. An individual’s personal social class or status can be seen as an external characteristic used to judge, define and shape a person’s life. There is a major focus on being successful, making money and maintaining a high social and economic status among your peers. Within our heavily competitive society, we tend to see individuals among the top one percent and upper-class thriving in high positions, individuals among the middle class doing well in “working class” jobs and the lower income individuals struggling. No matter how someone walks in life and presents themselves, many are judged based on their socioeconomic status.

Reading through the students’ interviews, they all shared a common understanding that Olive Grove Academy tries to ensure that students feel equal and are treated the same. The school has a big emphasis on trying to dismantle the idea of social class. Their efforts include the use of uniforms and community/dormitory housing. Uniforms enable a type of mask. It allows students from various backgrounds to blend in and be “one and the same” through physical appearance. This effort is to make sure students are treated fairly and equally with no one feeling left out. While the housing style allows students to be able to surround themselves with students of varying backgrounds, which helps to encourage a judgement free environment and connect with their peers on a personal level. Olive Grove has their own stance, and they have made their efforts clear. Due to that, the students interviewed said they actually found it hard to distinguish and tell the difference between students of different social classes. However in one of the alumni interviews, a former student said that “Olive Grove did well at exposing students to socioeconomic diversity.” I find myself struggling to believe that, knowing Olive Grove’s “mission” to un-shape the concept of social class.

Personally, at my high school having a high status and being aware of other people’s status was a big deal. A lot of students were defined based on how much money their parents had. You were “cool” if you had money and if you didn’t you existed. Once college comes around, the same ideology of class and social status continues to cycle. The concept of competition has been ingrained in us since the beginning, and as we grow and move up our competitive nature enhances. As a result our society has become accustomed to the hierarchical class structure that has been created over time.

Olive Grove Academy seems to approach the idea of social class very differently to what I am used to. With that being said, I am unsure if that is good or bad. While one student said they felt decently exposed to socioeconomic diversity, another student felt that once they got to college in the U.S, they had a wake up call to the defining aspects of social class on campus. I believe that students who are in an environment where social class is “hidden”, will end up having a more naive understanding of the true nature and impacts of social class. In comparison, students who are in an environment where social class just is and presents itself naturally will find themselves more aware of what social class means and the impact it has later in life. Should there be a happy medium in how schools should address the concept of social class?