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The Case For
Appalachian Studies
page 8
The attempts to impose, through the schools, another culture and a system
of values upon mountain people has meant that the schools have become
alienating forces and isolated from the people.
Despite the pressures of years of forced schooling, despite the daily
bombardment of TV and other mass media which present a stereotyped and
degrading image of the mountaineer, Appalachians have maintained their own
set of values and practices which are quite distinct from those of middle
America. If nothing else, the high dropout rates, which run over
50% in some schools, are indications of the failure of American education
to assimilate the mountain individual into mainstream American society.
It is worth mentioning here that the idea of "dropping out,"
which has gained acceptance recently in middle-class America, has been a
hallmark of Appalachian resistance to middle America for more than a
century.
Education for most Appalachians has meant learning to live outside the
regular way of life, and the American public school system must be viewed
as a force imposed upon the people -- not as a tool of their own
creation. Because of this, any individual who has gone through 12
years of public school and then several more years of college, is usually
viewed with suspicion. The willingness to submit to 12-18 years of
humiliating ritual in order to be certified as sane by most Americans is
usually an indication of alienation from Appalachian culture.
Perhaps the most important question to ask about schools is:
"What kind of society do we want to create?" The
answer to this question will determine the structure and intent of any
school. Therefore, if the answer is a democratic form of government
and society, then the school will need to reflect democratic concepts and
processes. If the answer is a totalitarian government, then the
schools would need to reflect that concept.
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