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Introduction
“In all actions concerning children…the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration…” UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, Article 3
Although I am not a political expert on socialization, the subject of Schools and Political Socialization touches home to me. The subject of how the nation’s flag is a major political symbol in a child’s life, which directly connects children to the political community, and is one of the many processes of political socialization. During my childhood I witnessed that event every morning at school. There was a picture of George Washington, our first president, hanging on the wall, and an American Flag in the front right hand corner of the room. My teachers would motion everyone to rise and sing the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone would rise except for me because it is against my religious beliefs to salute the flag, or honour it. It’s giving your honour to your country, and to God, and you are not going to participate?
Schools serve as the first political socialization of children outside of their home. Political socialization is seen as the whole of processes through which an individual develops particular political behaviours and acquires particular political orientations under the influence of his or her environment. (Dekker, 99) Why would some children, such as Bill Clinton, feel motivated enough to serve a term in office, or even become President, and some decide not to vote at all? It is true that even in a democratic country children are not treated fairly, even in declining to participate in “political” activities, which I will discuss later. And, is it unrealistic to expect all citizens, including children to feel politically motivated?
The importance of any functioning political system and source of stability is seen as the political education of its youth, and political socialization research examines that factor. To nurture the theory of the factors that contribute to the stability of different political systems include these questions: How can we make better citizens out of those coming of age, how can we educate children.
So that they will be better informed in politics and more highly motivated to take an interest in public affairs? Children are expected to be “good citizens” by being supportive of democracy, being informed about politics, and the public school is the most important and effective instrument of political socialization in that process. (Dekker, 1999)
I will cover the political messages aimed directly at students from the school system, such as in the ‘hidden’ curriculum, and in educational materials such as textbooks. My last point will be about the new concept of child rights education taken from an interview I had with Defense for Children International, (DCI), and the benefits it could bring to political socialization in schools. My source of information came from research in the articles in both readers for this class, out of the Review of Politics; a political journal, and materials I received during and after my interview with Defense for Children International.
‘Hidden’ Curriculum in the Process of Political Socialization
“Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person…” UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, Article 37
But the goal mentioned above is far from reality. According to Jean Anyon in Schools as Agencies of Social Legitimation, “Schools in working class and middle class income areas were not observed to provide students with conceptual tools or classroom activities to analyze or criticize U.S. society. Textbooks and class discussions in these schools emphasized ones personal duties: to honour the country, to uphold its laws, and support the decisions of its leaders. In upper-middle class and wealthy schools, teachers provided frequent situations which students were asked to analyze their own society, and about general solutions to problems they may encounter. So what was the message given to the students in these schools in the United States? On page 203 of Jean Anyons article the message is explained. Low income students “deserve” menial jobs because that is “all” they know how to do; and students from highly advantaged backgrounds “deserve” to be executives, because they are “capable” of carrying out the activities. School experience thus “explains” makes socially reasonable, the future “success” of wealthier students, and the “failure” of those from the poor and working classes. This kind of message would lead many unprivileged ones to the idea, ‘people like me have no influence’, which could also be described as political powerlessness.
With that in mind, we can now move to the idea of manipulation and control in this ‘hidden’ curriculum. These patterns of school authority predispose students to judgements of powerlessness in the face of inequality. One example I know of the manipulation and control in American schools is how many Native American and Spanish children a few decades ago were punished for speaking their first language at school, and some of these punishments were extremely harsh. The woman that I know, Mary Helen, had stopped speaking Spanish almost entirely altogether, even in front of her children, which is directly linked to a violation of her rights in school.
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