As I read through our module on "Critical Theory", I'll fully admit that upon first reading, I had never heard the term "Toxic Capitalism" before, let alone fully understood what it meant. After taking some time to re-read the unit, as well as explore the article "5 Common Practices That Perpetuate Toxic Capitalism", the message really started to sink in. I was surprised at how much of the content rang true, not only to the students in our care, but also to our lives as educators. In the second paragraph, Suzannah Weiss explains how the behaviour of "Pushing Kids, Even When It Takes a Toll on Them" perpetuates Toxic Capitalism, and I believe this point hits home for both students and teachers in today's education system. For students, it seems that each year they are subjected to an alarming number of government and division mandated examinations, the number of which seems to be continually increasing over my short time as an educator. Each year students are subjected to RAD Tests, Writing Assessments, Math Diagnostics, Religion Assessments (in some divisions), and depending on the grade, CAT Tests. At what point do we look at the well being of our students and ask "when is enough, enough?". According to data from the National Survey of Children's Health, researchers found a 20% increase in anxiety between 2007 and 2012 for children between the ages of 6-17. We'd have to have our heads buried pretty deep in the sand if we didn't see the connection between today's education system and these alarming statistics. Simply put, instead of being part of an institution that should be fostering student creativity and allowing their minds to blossom, we're poisoning them at the roots with unnecessary and stressful examinations, that often have educators asking "what's the point?". While Weiss' second point does have an obvious connection to the health of students, I firmly believe this point also has a direct impact of the well-being of today's educators, especially those new to the profession. The notion of "pushing, even when it takes a toll", can effectively sum up the unrealistic expectations that teachers face each and every day. With the large volume of examinations each year, teachers are having to sacrifice meaningful curriculum hours to this endeavour, and as a result, face an enormous amount of pressure to make up for lost time to effectively cover all the required outcomes. There are also seems to be a stigma around work ethic, which constantly has educators worrying that they're not working hard enough (just as in Weiss' soccer anecdote). If you're not at the school until 5:00 pm, you're not working hard enough. If you're not taking work home and slaving away during your nights and weekends, you're not working hard enough. If you're not involved with extra-curricular activities, you're not working hard enough. Sound familiar?
When searching for possible ways to combat toxic capitalist pressures on teachers, one easy solution would simply be to encourage teachers to "do less". However, when looking at Weiss' third point "Looking Down on People Who Do Less", this only compounds the issue further. The minute teachers start taking more time for themselves, withdrawing from some of the extra-curriculars and spending more evenings relaxing, it opens the door for this behaviour, which in turn, leads directly to the second behaviour explained above. It really seems that the combination of these two capitalist behaviours creates a lose-lose situation for all those involved.
But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom! While much of this blog post focused on the toxic capitalist behaviours that run rampant in our profession, it's also important to note that many school divisions have been fighting back against these behaviours. The notion of "Praising Kids Conditionally" was something that was very evident in schools through the use of various academic awards such as honour roll and Grade 8 Farewell awards. However, in my short time as an educator, I've witnessed my division do away with these awards entirely at the elementary level, and replace them with celebrations of the students individual strengths. I specifically remember one particular Grade 8 Farewell ceremony where all the students took the StrengthFinder Test and each students strengths were identified as they came up to receive their farewell certificate. While this is only one example, I'm hopeful that we will continue to see schools fight back against these behaviours, and one day eradicate the Toxic Capitalist Powers once and for all!
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Matt BrescianiI'm a middle years teacher in Regina, Saskatchewan, working towards a Masters Degree in Education. Archives
April 2019
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