Evergreen School Socioeconomic Diversity

Where’s the Class in Class?Supporting Our Children in Understanding Socioeconomic Diversity Evergreen School Parents Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee Seattle Girls’ School Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

About Seattle Girls’ School Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Goals Acknowledge the Obstacles and Opportunities of Talking About Socioeconomic Status Learn the Realities of Wealth in the United States to Come Closer Together Discover Ways We Grow Apart Identify Positive Steps to Help Our Children Understand and Appreciate Across Socioeconomic Differences Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Agenda Class Taboo in the United States Discussion – What Makes You Stop? Wealth in the United States Exercise – Ten Chairs Class Culture in the United States Discussion – Where’s the Class in Class? So What, Now What? Resources Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Student Voices “Popularity seems to be decided on how much money you have, how you look, and what you have. It very much depends on your class.” (Heather) “I feel the same way as probably everyone else does about class. When I was … [at] a different school … I don’t think anyone really cared about what class people were in. But now, I go to a different high school … and I think that class has a lot to do with how people think of you.” (C. Frye) Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Assumptions about Addressing Class Class is confusing in the United States There is a lot of secrecy about class issues Talking about class can be emotional Our experience of class is individual Our childhood class experiences matter We derive strengths as well as weaknesses from our class background Classism hurts us all Each of us is born innocent and bear responsibility There are multiple paths to change Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Discussion What brought you to tonight’s session? What are your hesitations, concerns, or worries about talking about socioeconomic class? What are your hopes? Do you talk about class often? Why or why not?Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Wealth Versus IncomeRosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Wealth in the United States: A Reality Check Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Present Day Wealth in the United States: What We Want,What We Believe, and What We Know Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Debrief: Ten Chairs What did you learn, gain, or notice about our exercise? What are you feeling? What questions or ponderings do you have? What does this mean for us as a school community?Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

What Pulls Us Apart?Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Class CultureAll generalizations are inaccurate to a degree. However, they can be helpful. There are many subgroups that vary from the generalizations in each group. Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Class Culture: OrientationOwning Class Professional Working Class Middle ClassDreaming Doing and Being and Becoming Belonging• Fulfillment oriented • Achievement • Character oriented• Past and future oriented • Present, here andoriented • Future oriented now oriented• Play and be good at • Life as • Life as tangled webthe game of life transformation of relationships• Expansive sense of • Concerned with • Anti-statustime status •• Anything is possible • Individualistic Interdependent/Solida• Enjoy the good life ristic Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Class Culture: ValuesOwning Class Professional Working Class Middle ClassValues Values Values• Being hard-working • Being brilliant • Being generous• Being free to choose • Being ambitious • Being kind hearted• Being successful • Being successful • Being cooperative• Being on the cutting • Being competitive • Being connectededge, a trend setter • Being independent • Stability• Being in charge • Change • Tradition• Being responsible • Progress• Being philanthropic• Tradition Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Class Culture: Frame of ReferenceOwning Class Professional Working Class Middle ClassMore Global More Cosmopolitan More Parochial• Global view, global • Weaker loyalty to • Stronger loyalty toallegiances, multiple persons, places, persona, places,homes, loyalty to groups, and groups, andfamily and other class institutional affiliations institutional affiliationsmembers andinstitutions Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Class Culture: ResultsOwning Class Professional Working Class Middle ClassBest Result Best Result Best Result• Visionary, big picture • Individual • Secure, supportive• Thinking outside the achievement has communitybox positive human• Undeterred by impactbarriers and difficulty• Generous with timeand moneyWorst Result Worst Result Worst ResultArrogant, entitled, The lonely individual Unachieved potentialisolated, unaware,overwhelmed bychoices Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Debrief: Class Culture 1. What in the descriptions of class culture resonated with your own experience, growing up or now? 2. What are aspects of class culture that feed into class stereotypes? What are the class stereotypes? 3. How are our own children affected by class culture and stereotypes?Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

So What, Now What? Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

How Class Shows Up In Class Who is smarter? Who is cooler? Who is more cultured? Who is more beautiful? Who is more talented? Who is more fun to be with? Who sets the tone? Who makes the rules? Whose values rule? Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

What Can Parents Do?  Help them develop strong interaction and social skills.  Show them diverse role models of all class identities.  Encourage and help them to make informed choices.  Teach them about class and classism.  Respect and nurture their true selves.  Be EXPLICIT about your values.  Share your stories.  Model the way.  Stay Involved. Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee

The Influence of MediaRosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Teach Media Literacy  Choose media FOR youth whenever possible.  Engage in media WITH youth.  Teach them your values.  Guide how they spend their money.  Get to know their friends and the media they engage in.  Talk to other parents/guardians about media literacy. Rosetta Eun Ryong LeeRosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://sites.google.com/site/sgsprofessionaloutreach/)

Your Next Steps What did you learn today that was new, helpful, or thought provoking? What are some goals or strategies you would like to apply in your life with your children? Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Final Questions or Comments? Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Presenter Information Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee 6th Faculty and Professional Outreach Seattle Girls’ School 2706 S Jackson Street Seattle WA 98144 (206) 805-6562 rlee@seattlegirlsschool.org http://tiny.cc/rosettaleeRosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Resources• G. William Domhoff, http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth. html• Elizabeth Gudrais, “What We Know About Wealth”, Harvard Magazine, Nov/Dec 2011. http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/11/what-we-know- about-wealth• People Like Us, http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/• Felice Yeskel, Class Action, www.Classism.org Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)

Evergreen School Socioeconomic Diversity

by Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee

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