Nate Whitley

There has been plenty of discussion of class in our classroom. We seem to use case studies to better understand these issues and to generate solutions. So I thought I would offer a perspective of my own. Hopefully it raises a few question and offers more solutions. My mom is a travel writer and my dad a car salesman. My moms side of the family is made up of doctors, and scientists. My dads side is made up of laborers such as constructions workers and grocery clerks. There is a clear difference in class between the two sides of the family. It is often that I hear about my aunts new jobs working with NASA while my dads side of the family struggles to find work. I have noticed two main differences in the outcomes of this economic disparity. One is the difference in education that the children receive, and the other is the opportunity to travel. Regarding education, the kids on my moms side of the family are always prioritizing school, they go to private schools and attended preschool as well. The kids on my dads side go to school as often as possible, but don't have the same resources as my moms side of the family to go to fancy private schools. The opportunity to travel has also effected these families. My moms side travels much more often than my dads side, and travels farther on more expensive trips. This gives them a broader worldview. My moms side is also generally liberal while my dads side is conservative. I'm not sure how to piece this all together, but if you have any insights as to what this might mean or if there are any patterns associated with the books we've been reading I would be very interested to hear about it.