Reflections on Education: History, Hidden Agendas & Provocative Statements

 Education has been a central implementation in our lives, every child in American has gone through it, either public school, private school or home-schooling. While its something we know as students we need in order to receive basic knowledge of our world and as a requirement for a degree in our desired field, the broader term of education has an actual history behind it and divided ideas surrounding it. Looking back on education during the Colonial Period in America, it was mostly viewed as a privilege seemingly only accessible to the children of wealthy families in large towns. The topics themselves were limited to reading, writing and religion. It later shifted to “Compulsory education”, the focus on teaching immigrants “American” morals, yet it conveniently fit the agenda of the upper class and their need of workers which was assumed to have people from the lower class to fit that requirement. It’s great that in our modern era, education is now accessible to all genders & identities, it’s essential to increase our economic equality in the United States. 

Our history may have left remnants that influence certain ideals/assumptions upheld by staff in our educational schools & universities. Aside from the academic standing of a student, their experience in school can actually be swayed (whether intentional or not) by unspoken and unofficial goals and messages that teachers and administrators have for their students. Hidden agendas can be positive or negative depending on how it’s applied by the educator. Common examples of hidden agendas that you’re likely to see in a school/ classroom setting include:…

• Making students more respectful in their behavior in the classroom and towards their teacher, cooperative in handing assignments on time, and holding high grades in a classroom by including a positive perk for the students.

• Getting their students to develop social and healthy emotional skills by adding participation in extracurricular activities, interactions with their classmates, and applying progressive ways in dealing conflicts and challenges in their curriculum. 

• Implementing opportunities for students to show creativity and critical thinking by making them engage in projects, experiments, and discussions

• Preparing students for life’s economic challenges by making them learn relevant and marketable skills and guiding their interests towards math, science, and technology

There are beneficial effects from hidden agendas when they come from teachers & staff who hold good intentions and hopes for their students. Such as nudging students towards developing valuable skills and habits to enhance their academic and personal growth. They can also help students discover their interests, passions, and talents, and pursue their goals and dreams. But it’s also good to be aware of the negative effects that hidden agendas may have on a student. It can hinder students'  individuality and make them fall in the mindset that it’s acceptable to only follow other people's advice and their wants without having their individual thoughts and voice be heard. Students tend to feel pressure by certain standards placed by their parents, being expected to do more to fit a school or teacher’s beliefs & wants can further drive home more distress and anxiety. Schools and faculty have a normalized standard of enforcing competition, not all students have the capacity to be pushed to the top, it can make them not believe in their current abilities. This could create confusion and conflict in students, by exposing them to contradictory and biased messages and norms that may not align with their values and beliefs.

On the one hand, I appreciate that there are teachers and administrators who care about their students’ education and well-being by teaching things practical and meaningful other than academia. However, agendas can also be for the betterment of the school’s image, it can leave the students feeling that their teachers do not respect their choices and opinions, and trying to influence them in ways that are not always transparent and fair. The best way to deal with hidden agenda in schools is to be aware, curious, flexible, and critical of them. 

Provocative statements are a great discussion starter, and there’s definitely differing opinions when it’s focused on education. Questions ranging from “Teachers whose students who consistently outperform other students on standardized tests should be paid more”, “Bilingual education is counter-productive and wastes valuable time”, “Teachers should focus on test preparation and only focus on non-tested concepts once testing is done”, and “It is difficult for White Teachers to effectively reach and teach students of color”. There’s an argument for either side of the question and it’s pretty mindful to hear perspectives different from ours. It’s because of people in the past asking questions that our education’s accessibility shaped into the way it is in the modern day.