The School and American Culture: A Problem for Social Workers

Abstract

Bias in any form is an emotional outlet riculum, methods, and institutional organi for which there is no place in social work, zation that is associated with education and The closed-mindedness suggested by the the educator. term and the prejudice it connotes are alien No social worker would take a stand to social work's professional ideals and against education or schooling, or belittle standards. Yet social workers are human teaching as a profession. Most are aware and have their share of hostilities and unof the difficulties the schools face in gaining resolved conflicts that at some point seek public support. And yet they tend to share outlet. Added to these internal conflicts with other liberal-intellectual professions a is a certain degree of occupational insecurity set of attitudes toward the individual that goes with a young profession still seekor teacher, against a specific practice in ing clear-cut definitions of function and education, a method or content in teaching status. It may be one of the hazards of that, taken together, suggest deep-seated social work that expression of strong feeling pervasive feelings that are often negative in seems to be limited by professional committone. To the extent such feelings induce ment and values. closed-mindedness and substitute hearsay Precisely for these reasons areas in which and opinion for rational judgment they negative feelings can be expressed without seem to constitute a subtly disguised form violating the professional code need to be of bias. carefully examined, especially when such The disguise and the self-deception come feelings seem to be in accord with social in the form of an overlay of professional work's values and goals and even fit in with sophistication in the worker's comments ideas of social action. A highly sensitive about policy and personnel. The area in which this occurs is in the social most commonly used cliches refer to teach worker's attitudes toward the school, the ers. They are easily threatened, a term teacher, and the whole complex of curthat quite clearly connotes poor ego inte gration. The threats to the teacher N. DEMiNG hoyt, Ed.D., writes against a backappear to come from two directions: the ground of more than twenty years' experience in sexual development of children (especially education, including university administration and boys) and, in professional terms, psycho teaching and association with several public anaiytic interpretations of growth and de systems both rural and urban He has taught at vdopment. The covert assumption that Smith College and at Harvard and Columbia Unii . . r . 1 r . ... . . . ...... . • , . teachers are less than first-class professional versities, specializing in the history and sociology of . . . . American education. Since 1956 he has been inmaterial and, m addition, less than Stable creasingly involved in at first in elemenmature, is the source of many labels tary then in school adjustment counseling, applied to them. They are punitive, which led him to become a candidate for the MSS rigid, compulsive, possessive, inse degree in social work at Boston University in June cure, or seductive. It is as though, in 196*making such comments, social workers are