Schools without Patriarchy
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Schools without Patriarchy: A Reconceptualization of Our Current Educational System
Tracking Number: ICA-12-11018
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine how our current educational system is rooted in
patriarchy, examine the harmful impacts patriarchy has on our students, and reconceptualize the
structure of our schools using feminist and anarchist principles. The presence of patriarchy is identified
through the use of hierarchical structures, value of external criteria, and emphasis on obedience and
deference to authority. Impacts of patriarchy include violating the integrity of students, teaching them
to be “self-haters,” and making them passive recipients of information. Using the three tenets of
anarchism—liberty, equality, and solidarity and the feminist rhetorical options of desire, enfoldment,
collective efforts, inherent value, and mystery, a new structure for our current educational system is
created.
INTRODUCTION
School is a place where learning transpires-or does it? The word school is often considered
synonymous with the word learning. Children and adults go to school to learn. After all, school is
where the majority of us were taught to read, write, and solve arithmetic problems. Every school year,
we went to school, sat in our desks, listened to our teachers, and did what we were told. For our
compliance, at the end of each quarter, we received a report card, which told us how much and how well
we were learning. Good grades were a reward for how well a student listened, regurgitated facts and
concepts, and followed the rules. The few students who questioned the rules or authority received bad
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Convention