A decade has past since the first edition of Unequal Childhoods was published and so comes a second edition, an updated version which expands on the progression of those 12 families that were studied before. The update of those families comes later on in the text so for now, I will analyze what Lareau defines to be concerted cultivation and natural growth.
Lareau does an in depth analysis of the lives of several families from the middle class, the working class, and the poor. She associates concerted cultivation with the middle class families and natural growth with the working class and poor families. The process of concerted cultivation entails parents "developing" their children through organized activities, such as soccer, dance, choir, etc. These middle-class children develop a sense of entitlement where they learn to question adults and address them as equals. In the process of natural growth, there is a clear boundary between adults and children, and parents tell their children what to do instead of persuading them with reasoning.
In this study, Lareau found that middle-class children were trained to seek outcomes that work in their favor when interacting with institutional personnel. For example, a child would speak up to a doctor so his concerns can be addressed or a child would speak up to her coach to accommodate her individualized learning style. These middle-class children learned how to make the rules work in their favor, either through imitation or direct training, reinforced by their parents. These parents frequently use reasoning and negotiation with their children and authority figures outside the home responded positively to these interactions.
In contrast, the working class and poor children had a sense of constraint with interactions in institutional settings. They accepted the actions of authority figures and were unable to make the rules work in their favor. The parents of these children would applaud their child if they "beat up" some kid at school, even if it meant a consequence of suspension, and the parents may even vent their frustrations with institutions with their children and teach them about "powerlessness".
What we see here is that middle-class children who were raised according to concerted cultivation would have a sense of entitlement and knew how to work the system in their favor and the working class and poor children were constrained in natural growth and failed to use the system to work in their favor.
As I was reading these scenarios and definitions, I couldn't help but reflect on my own upbringing as a child of a working class family. As I recall, there was a clear boundary between the child and adult and I knew never to question any person of authority. Back then, my parents taught me that it was disrespectful to question adults. I vividly recall my punishments for politely questioning adults. Because many of my students come from the working class and poor, they may have the same mentality of natural growth.
What does this mean for us as change agents? To lead our students towards a growth mindset and develop a sense of entitlement and not a sense of constraint. As change agents, we can provide parents of the poor and working class the information they need to get their children involved in organized activities so their children can have the opportunity to "develop" themselves. We can also model the process of concerted cultivation in the classroom by developing their vocabulary through reasoning and reading.
It is important to state that Lareau found that the educators teaching in schools of the middle, working, and poor classes all agreed that organized activities, development in vocabulary, and responsive and positive parental participation in schooling were important in the development of the child. It is also important to state that there was a clash between the concerted cultivation being taught in schools and the natural growth process being reinforced in the homes of the working and poor class; whereas, the process of concerted cultivation at the homes of the middle class and in the school proved to be rewarding.
As I continue to read through the text, I look forward to reviewing the patterns that Lareau uses to help us "unpack the mechanisms through which social class conveys an advantage in daily life". Leave your questions, comments, and thoughts regarding this post below. I look forward to reading your responses!
Shelda Raymonvil
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***Please listen to the lyrics of this song by the Black Eyed Peas and reflect on the change that you can make in your classroom and beyond.***
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